Luminarium gets the thumbs up for access!

A luminarium, designed to generate a sense of wonder at the beauty of light and colour, has been given the thumbs up by a group of people who use Capability's Anton Ogilvy Service in Dundee.

The group visited the Luminarium Mirazozo as part of a trip to the Edinburgh Festival and were impressed not only by the sensory display but also by its accessibility.

The Luminarium, which is built by Architects of Air is wheelchair accessible, and its sensory nature means it can be enjoyed by people of all ages regardless of whether they have a disability or not.

This is no doubt partly due to the fact that Architects of Air grew out of a theatre project for people with learning disabilities so they have always been committed to reaching the widest possible audience with their work.

Michael Smith and Jenny Cochrane were part of the Dundee group who visited the show and they thoroughly enjoyed it - in particular they liked the use of light and sound.

Elspeth Molony, Senior Policy and Consultancy Manager commented:

"This show is a great example of a truly inclusive piece of theatre which can be enjoyed by anyone whether they have a disability or not.  Capability would like more theatre groups and venues to follow this approach of trying to make their productions available to as wide an audience as possible.  In the current economic climate they can't really afford not too!"

Alan Parkinson, Founder and Artistic Director of Architects of Air commented:

"AoA originally grew out of a theatre project for people with learning disabilities. Accessibility to the widest audience has always been central to our work and we have always encouraged host organisations to exploit the accessibility of the luminaria. This exploitation has usually taken the form of the publicity announcing the luminarium is wheelchair accessible and inviting special needs schools down at quiet times in the week.  But there have also been some significant collaborations with hosts who have been particularly focussed on the needs of people with disabilities."