Awkwoods: Daniel Oliver’s Dyspraxic Adventures in Participatory Performance
Published by Live Art Development Agency, Autumn 2019
Softback, 20.5 x 15 cm, 140 pages with colour images throughout
Trade Orders: Central Books, see our Distribution page for more information
Daniel Oliver is dyspraxic and he creates awkward participatory performance worlds. He has done so since 2003. This book documents some of those worlds, as well as bringing together critical and creative responses by Aby Watson, Jo Hauge, Luke Ferris, O. Husch, Chloe Spicer, Hamja Ahsan and Nwando Ebizie. These writings focus on discussing, embracing, and celebrating dyspraxic approaches to performance making, socialising, world building, thinking and writing. It is especially for everyone except of course for those who choose to identify as ‘everyone’ rather that someone else – but it will be great for anyone who, for example, is invested in dyspraxia, neurodiversity, Live Art, Audience Participation, World-Building, and sentences like this one.
(I)t’s a laugh a line spiritual guide into the perspectives of ‘Dys-practice’ (filled with puns!)… what really captivated me about ‘Awkwoods’ was that it isn’t only ND friendly regarding accessibility, but also in tone… Daniel Oliver’s writings are zany, at points clumsy, blatantly weird and a whole lot of awkward! A must for anyone interested in how and what Neurodivergent brains create. This book is a start to Dyspraxic actors and artists recognising and claiming their place as ND performance artists, instead of seeing dyspraxia (and awkward) as something that needs to be overcome.
Reviews and Launches
Artist, Writer and Activist Hamja Ahsan gives a short 7min overview of his chapter, view on youtube here.
Awkwoods was reviewed by Emma Robdale for Disability Arts Online: read the full review online.
The publication was launched at LADA, along with a new Study Room Guide ‘On Neurodiversity‘ by Daniel Oliver on Wednesday 20 November 2019 at The Garrett Centre.
Daniel also marked the launch of Awkwoods with a low-fi relaxed rong table at Queen Mary University of London on Thursday 31 October 2019.
Publishing and Distribution
Published by the Live Art Development Agency, Autumn 2019. 140 pages, with colour images throughout.
Trade Orders: Central Books, see our Distribution page for more information
Banner image credit:
Weird Séance Incredible Interquel Spectacle, Daniel Oliver, SPILL Festival of Performance 2015. Photo by Guido Mencari
