...lie down and rest to experience art...

"I have a chronic illness and I meet and work with other disabled and chronically ill folk. Many of us need to rest a lot to manage our conditions. And most venue seating is not accessible for us - we need ways to lie down and rest to experience art. I run a project called Restful City in Bristol that has delivered Horizontal Events in partnership with Arnolfini gallery and Watershed Independent cinema. These have made events accessible to people who would normally find it very difficult to attend an event at a gallery or cinema space. Where this has worked really well is where the venue sees the wider implications of the invitation, for example Arnolfini have embraced rest as a wider strategy for audiences to engage with art and as a wider invitation to audiences to feel at home and comfortable in the gallery space. Bristol Old Vic has also created a permanent resting space, which is only the second at a UK theatre to my knowledge"