London 2012 and Arts Council England today announced that more than £400,000 of funding has been awarded to 10 commissions for Unlimited, the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad project. Unlimited will celebrate disability, arts, culture and sport on an unprecedented scale, transforming the disability arts movement in the UK.

Unlimited encourages collaborations and partnerships between disability arts organisations, disabled and deaf artists, producers, and mainstream organisations. They will celebrate the inspiration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and produce work like never before.

Ruth Mackenzie, Director of the Cultural Olympiad said: “These are my first commissions since I started work for the Cultural Olympiad Board and I am proud to be working on a festival which will be offering more commissioning for disabled artists than any Cultural Olympiad and festival anywhere in the world.

“TThis is a chance to change the way work by disabled artists is perceived and enjoyed round the world, and we are thrilled to have such exciting commissions to get the programme started.”

Commissions include:

• NORTHERN IRELAND Maurice Orr – The Screaming Silence of the Wind,
• LONDON Candoco Dance Company – Candoco Unlimited, Graeae Theatre Company – The Garden,
• NORTH WEST Fittings Multimedia Arts –The Ugly Spirit,
• SCOTLAND Janice Parker – Private Dancer, Ramesh Meyyappan – Snails and Ketchup,
• WALES Chris Tally Evans – Personal Best: Turning Points, Kaite O’Reilly with The Llanarth Group – The d Monologues,
• YORKSHIRE Jez Colborne with Mind the Gap – Irresistible, Stumble danceCircus.- Bipolar Ringmaster (without a Circus).