When Shanghai-based theatre producer Fu Lynn visited Edinburgh Festival in 2023 as part of a delegate programme jointly hosted by Unlimited and the Horizon Showcase, she was hoping to feel inspired. Indeed, she struck gold.
The work that captured her attention was ‘A Crash Course in Cloudspotting’, an installation and performance that weaves together personal stories of people living with invisible disabilities and chronic illnesses.
“I found Raquel's practice focusing on horizontality really inspirational,” says Fu. “This work is all about meeting people, helping them rest, and exploring cultural nuances together.”
The project first emerged as an idea in 2016, when Bristol-based theatre maker Raquel Meseguer Zafe personally experienced an incident of not being able to rest in public. Needing temporary respite when visiting the Southbank Centre in London, she lay down briefly and ended up triggering a security alert.
She was shocked by the experience and what it meant for people needing to manage pain and fatigue at different times throughout the day.
This seed of an idea grew into a full-scale work when she was commissioned by Unlimited and Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 to develop the concept.
Struck by the barriers and judgement that often face people with disabilities or chronic illnesses when they lie down (or rest in whatever way they need) in public spaces, Meseguer Zafe set about collecting stories from more than 300 people about their experiences in this area. The results were extraordinary and formed the basis for this interactive work, which can be experienced by the audience as either an immersive audio installation lasting 25 minutes or as a combined installation and performance lasting 55 minutes.
“They’re stories we don’t tell very often, that we maybe shy away from,” says Meseguer Zafe. “But when we do turn towards them, I feel like it can bridge empathy in quite an astounding way.”
Fu, who co-founded the accessible art platform Arts Access Shanghai in 2021, was immediately struck by the power of the work and wanted to find a way to develop a version for Chinese audiences.
Her first step was to apply to the Connections Through Culture grants programme for support in bringing the work to Shanghai and working with Meseguer Zafe to develop a new version called ‘Cloudspotting in Shanghai’ featuring stories collected in China.
The Connections Through Culture programme is specifically designed for collaborations of this kind. It aims to support the development of cultural partnerships between East Asia and the UK and to allow for the creation of diverse, inclusive and inspiring projects – just like this one.
“This collaboration would still be just an idea if not for the Connections through Culture grant,” says Fu.
“Thanks to the grant, I'll be able to bring Raquel to Shanghai in person (her first time in China) this May for a short residency. When in Shanghai, she will meet local people, conduct workshops, and explore the city.
“Partnering with a local theater in Shanghai, our project will also create opportunities for the local communities, including theater managers, artists and people who're interested in this topic.”
Although the new work will offer its own special perspective and flavour, it will still retain the meaning and intimacy of the original work that so resonated with Fu and with audience members in the UK.
“This work makes the invisible visible and gives agency over to those who are usually ‘unseen’,” says Jo Verrent from Unlimited. “And it does so beautifully, showing us that we are truly equal after all.”
