Curating safer spaces
About Me
Imogen (They/Them) is a Disabled person who’s been working in the arts since the early 2000s. After struggling with mainstream education, Imogen found freedom in creative practices and eventually completed a Fine Art Photography undergrad at ARU in Cambridge.
Relocating to Bristol in their early 30s brought Imogen an entirely new outlook on the world, they moved away from the creative direction of larger events and focused on creating smaller pieces of more personal work on social media where they gained a following of like minded people looking for political and physical liberation from societal standards.
Covid changed Imogen’s work world enormously and they took a role within Domestic abuse, running a service specifically for Disabled people. This position enabled Imogen to lean into one of their first loves, training, delivering sessions to professionals across Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset.
Now, Imogen works with a host of people, offering a range of services including access production/access doulaing, culture consultancy, training consultancy, pastoral care and more.
What I Do
My job is to bring comfort and safety to public spaces. From individual artists and venues though to institutions, I can help you instill physical and psychological safety into your events and spaces, from conception to delivery. Who can I help? Individual artists, performers & speakers - From bespoke access riders, grant application support, to full project planning or practical performance support, my role can be covered by Access to Work, or written into funding. Artistic and educational institutions - From small focus groups to conferences, long term PhD studies to institutional cultural shifts, we can work together to ensure that participants and researchers have their needs met and that institutions can instill more accessible systems. Hospitality and events venues - I can help navigate access within your building and attitudes. Physical access walk throughs, staff training, website and access information collation. Working together, we can curate a culture of compassion, kindness and knowledge within your business.
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Access production/Access Doula
Access production covers a huge range of tasks, but is fundamentally rooted in embedding access and removing barriers. An access doula intends to safely bring something to fruition, pushing for the safest and best outcome, supporting everyone in the room to have the most positive experience.
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Culture Consultancy
Supporting businesses to find solid ethos and values around access. Considering your position physically and financially, I will help you translate your intentions towards impaired people and access.
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Training
Training is an opportunity for conversation. Delivering solid training doesn't mean standing at the front of a room and lecturing rights and wrongs, it is dynamic, an evolution and a chance to expand our minds. I am able to deliver succinct, to the point training, ensuring people leave Disability confident.
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Pastoral care
Those who attend your events are incredibly important, that’s why it is vital they are held safely during their time in your care. As your pastoral care point of contact, I will support you to ensure your patrons are well tended too.
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Access assessments
During access assessment we will take time to go through what is working and what is challenging, enabling me to write a detailed Access Rider for you to use when working. Access Riders help both artists and employers understand what their needs are and how they can best be responded to. Access Riders help employers protect the people they are working with and artists protect themselves.
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Artist specific support
Anyone running their own business or freelancing will find it challenging to keep on top of everything. With one to one support from me, we can build bespoke packages that ensure you have what you need, done by your deadline. I can support with grant applications, on-going project guidance and organisational support or work at your access PA either remotely or in person.