Supported by the British Council and Unlimited, the public-projection artwork Night Bloom premiered globally at SUHE HAUS, offering an accessible and boundary-breaking experience. Co-created by British artist Cathy Mager, founder of the international deaf and disabled artists’ collective Spectroscope, and Shanghai artist Hu Xiaoshu (Alice Hu), the piece features waterfalls, wildlife, and birds in a mesmerising audiovisual narrative.
Three exceptional Chinese deaf dancers – Hu Xiaoshu (Alice Hu), An Di, and Wang Xianhe – performed a fusion of Visual Vernacular and Chinese Sign Language (CSL) with fluid choreography, complemented by visual art from Shanghai illustrator He Lifeng. Through dynamic light and shadow, the work portrays the resilience of the global deaf community, using climate change as a metaphor: storms and wilting flowers symbolise barriers to inclusion faced by deaf people around the world, while vibrant landscapes filled with birds and insects offer a symbol of hope and future growth. Over 100 invited guests along with the public audience attended the premiere, immersing themselves in this groundbreaking visual journey.
Cathy Mager, British artist, said: “Working with Shanghai’s deaf community and with Alice Hu has been a creatively energising collaboration. Night Bloom’s beautiful illustration, poetic sign language and dance that have come together to share a universal message of hope and resilience that we hope will mesmerise and inspire audiences.”
Dom Hastings, British Council’s Director of Arts in China and Culture Counsellor of the Culture Education Section of the British Embassy, said: “As the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations, we are proud to support exchanges between Chinese and British disabled artists. The British Council has a long history of supporting international platforms, networks and opportunities for collaboration between UK and international disabled artists. We know that Disabled artists are often marginalised in the cultural sector, and we hope that we can challenge some of these perceptions through sharing extraordinary work and creating opportunities for collaboration with disabled artists from the UK.”
The British Council has a significant commitment to raise awareness of social models of disability and promoted the development of disability arts in China. Since 2018, it has been working with its partners, Unlimited, Body On and On, Art Access, and Beijing Minsheng Art
Museum to facilitate new exchanges and collaboration between China and the UK in this field. Initiatives like the UK-China Disability Arts Forum, “Unlimited on Screen” film project, Access For Change, Luminous Festival, and Connections Through Culture have driven progress. Launched in 2019, the UK-China Disability Arts Forum has attracted nearly two million online viewers, offering access support including sign language interpretation, simultaneous interpretation in Chinese and English, and real-time Chinese subtitles. In 2024, the online film programme, Unlimited on Screen brought five short films by disabled artists telling stories of the persons with disabilities to millions in China, transcending geographic barriers.
About Spectroscope
Spectroscope is an international collective of deaf and disabled artists founded by Cathy Mager in 2022. Their multidisciplinary installations explore other worlds, lost histories and hidden communities. Spectroscope highlights stories of people that are not ‘chosen’, and of displaced and oppressed communities, breaking taboos and presenting visions of a different future through its immersive dreamscapes. They are pioneers of sign language projection mapping, including large-scale building projections for Arnolfini, Bristol and Unfurl for Duolun Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai that reached audiences of over 180,000 people.
Credits: Co-created by Cathy Mager and Alice Hu
Choreography and performance: Alice Hu, An Di, Xianhe Wang
Video Design Artwork and Editing: Ben Glover
Filming: Bob Wang, Sam Zheng, Jack Chi
Illustration: Lifeng He
Music: Ngaio Anyia, mixing by James Ongley
Production: Cat Roberts and Stanley Zhang
Sign Language Interpreters: Blade Tang, Freya McLuckie, Jayme Lawman
About Cathy Mager
Cathy is an acclaimed artist, producer, and curator known for her dynamic cultural programs that delve into themes of equity, climate change, and heritage. Her innovative work has made a significant impact across various artistic and public platforms. From 2020 to 2024, she led the heritage programme for Bristol Beacon, a major initiative that engaged diverse communities through creative storytelling and cultural preservation. Currently, she serves as a consultant curator for the Welcome Trust, where her expertise continues to shape forward-thinking projects.
As the founder and director of Spectroscope, Cathy has pioneered the use of sign language projection mapping, a groundbreaking fusion of art and accessibility. Her company has created visually striking installations for major institutions such as the Science Gallery, BBC, the Bristol Light Festival, and Dada Fest International. Her previous work spans a wide range of prestigious collaborations, including public realm artworks and exhibitions for Forestry England, the Southbank Centre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Arts on the Underground, and Historic Royal Palaces. Cathy's visionary approach to curation and production continues to challenge boundaries and create transformative cultural experiences.
About Hu Xiaoshu (Alice Hu)
Alice is a multidisciplinary artist, creative director, and host with expertise in music, dance, theater, film and performance arts. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Fine Arts Vienna and has over a decade of experience in theater, film, and artistic creation. She is fluent in multiple languages, including Chinese Sign Language (CSL), Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS), International Sign (IS), English, Chinese and German. With over 16 years of experience in theater and film, her artistic creations have gained worldwide recognition. Due to her outstanding contributions to global Deaf-hearing inclusion, she has been honored with accolades such as the “Her Abilities Award” and “Unlimited-International Partners Award” with UK Artists and was recognized by UnusualVerse as "a Deaf woman changing the world."
Alice is the founder of Accessivation Studio, also known as "融 Plus", which is dedicated to implementing the principle of “Nothing About Us Without Us”. The studio develops innovative, inclusive, and accessible projects, both independently and in collaboration, to bridge Deaf and hearing cultures. Her notable co-creation projects include the DAWA Shanghai International Accessibility Culture Festival, the Shanghai International Deaf Film Festival, the "Bass Bath" Deaf clubbing series, The China-International Accessible Arts Education Seminar Series in Collaboration with Art Museums, Eurovision Song Contest and the "Disability Confidence Day" Business Forum. Her representative independent and
collaborative works include theater productions such as “The Membrane”, “Sign Storm”, “Ganymed in Love”, and “Midnight Movie", as well as public projections like “Sign Night Shanghai” and “Night Bloom”.
In recent years, she has expanded into the fashion and beauty industry, advocating as KOL for accessibility in these fields. she was honored as a distinguished guest at the Marie Claire 2024 POWER TRIP Women’s Impact Night event.
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021–22 we reached 650 million people.
