Louise Westerhout

In June/July 2025 Louise completed a research trip in Zurich and Bern. They were a guest speaker at the symposium “Accessibility, Responsibility and Care in the Performing Arts” at HKB Been and a guest artist at Beweggrund festival. During their time in Switzerland they met with old colleagues and developed new contacts.

“The politics and aesthetic of disability art is crucial to the overall development and evolution of performance art from a decolonial stance and a social justice perspective. This research trip has strengthened my view that inclusive performance art, which is commonly founded in critical theory, is a vital node for social discourse and development. It was very rewarding for myself, as an artist and activist, to be mostly in crip/ queer normative spaces whose structures were consent and care based. In such accountable spaces we were able to discuss how to further evolve inclusivity and to also speak about how technology can be utilised, not only for accessibility, but also as a creative layer in performance for an inclusive audience.I had many conversations that will strengthen my teaching, advocating, curating and performing skills I have made new links for new work, new discussions, and new allies. Investment and support from an institution like Pro Helvetia is vital for the cross pollination between Europe and the Global South, as there are vital approaches to art and policy to share.”