a Testimonial by zoe partington
The digital performance provided by disabled artists in Singapore as part of Thrive Aid 2020 was outstanding and reached audiences with its power emotional complexity and intriguing creative audio description.
I met Lim Lee Lee and Joanne in 2016 in the context of being invited to work with Joanne in Singapore at an arts and disability conference. I met Lim Lee lee as she was attending the event and we met to discuss accessibility in culture and kept in touch. Last year I contacted Lim Lee Lee to encourage her and Singapore to be involved in Thrive Aid to share Disability Art and culture from Singapore disabled artists to be part of the International Day of Disabled People 2020. To celebrate disabled peoples lives through art and culture. It was to embed a digital festival and initiative to embed equality and diversity across the globe. Lim Lee Lee immediately took on the challenge and Joanne Tay assisted her to create new art was very engaging and clearly demonstrated accomplished excellence and they excelled in communicating a complex programme and undertook to include disabled people across the arts and cultural sector in Singapore to bridging ‘inclusive and barrier free thinking’ for disabled artists, in partnership with the UK, USA and Australia.
It was a pleasure to work with Lim Lee Lee and Joanne as Lim lee lee’s performance piece with embedded audio description was highly skilled in understanding the complexities of accessibility and the barriers in existence for disabled people in performance and globally. This has developed from her outstanding work supporting a new team of other disabled artists in to use creativity to open-up accessibility and their lives. Their tenacious approach, and skill in observing isolation, which leads to identifying solutions to prevent the disempowering nature of disabled communities and factoring steps and plans into actions is unique. Lim lee lee’s perseverance in supporting ‘human beings’, who have been neglected by a discriminating system and who are perceived, as different or worthless, has generated and engendered real change with a value that is priceless.
Lee Lee’s leadership and integrity and warmth has enabled her to drive diversity and shape a more inclusive future for all.
Lim’s ability to utilise the skills and knowledge of other professional people to undertake sustainable change is again exemplary.
The hard work and determined nature of Joanne and Lim Lee Lee has led to the first ever inclusive performing disabled led art being designed to reach a global platform. Being part of Global Thrive Aid 2020 has achieved a powerful catalyst for change. The opportunity to continue with this portfolio of work to generate a future platform for new disabled artists to visit from the UK is paramount. I would highly recommend Lim Lee Lee and Joanne Tay’s skills and professional integrity to achieve further outstanding outcomes in and his future endeavours and leadership qualities that benefit us all.
This ground-breaking and different approach of radically championing Singapore excellence and expertise in equality and diversity (particularly in the sector of disability art in Singapore and the UK) is rare and demonstrates exceptional public benefit across borders worldwide.
The work was so powerful as I listened and watched the performance it filled with me with tears of joy and a great friendship had developed.
Zoe Partington