Rage, Riot and Revolution: Launch Event

Launch event: 8 March / 6 – 8 pm / Open Eye Gallery / RSVP

Exhibition continues: 9 March – 30 March

We invite you to join us for a special event on March 8th at Open Eye Gallery launching DaDaFest International 40 – Rage: A Quiet Riot and the ‘Rage, Riot and Revolution’ exhibition featuring portraits by Photographer Jan Williams.

The launch event features Amina Atiq reading her poem ‘Unwoven’ (commissioned for the festival), some words from the DaDa team, special guests, plus Dolly Sen’s new sculpture ‘Please Rage Generously’ will also be on display. We invite you to stay on to catch the ‘Hands Ships Sail’ Projection on the Cunard Building, outside from 8pm.

Evening Schedule:

• 6pm – doors open for networking and light refreshments
• 6.30pm – speeches followed by a performance from Amina Atiq, reading her poem ‘Unwoven’ commissioned for the festival at the end of 2024, with an opportunity to catch a glimpse of Dolly Sen’s new sculpture ‘Please Rage Generously’, which will be on display.

• 8pm – we invite guests to filter out to enjoy Hand Ships Sail, a large scale projection artwork on the Cunard Building, Pier Head by Cathy Mager’s Spectroscope from Bristol. This artwork is approximately 6 minutes long and will be repeated on a loop between 8 – 10 pm.

About Rage Riot and Revolution

For over four decades, disabled women in Liverpool and the North West have been powerful agents of change locally, nationally and internationally, reshaping their communities and the way society views disabled people. This exhibition celebrates the achievements of female activists, artists, leaders and champions of disability activism and highlights their essential contributions to both local and global progress.

This exhibition celebrates their resilience, ingenuity, and impact. Through photography, we illuminate their stories as activists fighting for equal rights, as artists reshaping cultural narratives, and as leaders in our communities.

This is more than a celebration – it’s a call to action. By embracing the values of disability culture, we can all contribute to a more equitable, inclusive future where diverse voices lead the way.

The North West has long been a place for grassroots movements, and disabled women have played a pivotal role in shaping this history. At the heart of this work lies disability culture: a celebration of identity, creativity, and community rooted in the lived experiences of disabled people. Through art, activism, and leadership, these women have amplified their voices, challenged societal norms, and reshaped policies that impact millions. They have rejected the narrative and representation of disability as being negative, and instead embraced it as a source of strength, innovation, and belonging.

Many of these women have engaged in global networks, influencing policy, art, and activism worldwide.

As you explore these photographs and stories, consider the barriers they’ve dismantled and the futures they’ve created to ensure we embrace difference. Their passion, drive and work invites us to reimagine how we perceive ‘disability’ and ‘difference’—not to be seen as pitying, medical or charitable, but as a source of unique perspectives, strength and innovation.

The photographs in this exhibition honour their stories, capturing the resilience, creativity, and vision that have driven profound social and cultural change. They invite you to reflect on how these leaders have not only shaped policy and culture but also built a legacy of empowerment that continues to transform lives. Their influence extends far beyond Liverpool – fuelling international movements for disability justice and inclusion, inspiring a global audience to see disability not as a barrier, but as a powerful perspective.

Included in this exhibition are portraits of artists and activists: Ruth Fabby, Kaite O’Reilley, Cheryl Martin, Liz Carr, Mandy Redvers-Rowe, Amina Atiq, Pam Thomas and more.

Image: Mandy Redvers-Rowe