‘Joyride’ is the working title for an exciting new collaboration between sensory theatre company Oily Cart and contemporary circus company Ockham’s Razor. Planned for 2025, this adventurous outdoor show will give audiences direct experience of speed through choreographed group movement. In July 2023 I was a collaborating artist/advisor on an early R&D week for this exciting and ambitious project. This included early discussions about vehicle design (led by Pete Gunson from Pif-Paf) and about the environments and experiences the team want to deliver. I love the bold concept of this show and its desire to step into risk and share thrilling kinaesthetic experience with audiences we are typically more inclined to protect and shelter.

A key part of the R&D week for me was an interrogation of the idea of co-creation with children for whom language is not the primary means of communication. What does it mean to ‘co-create’ with these young people? How do we share experience and work equitably when we may not know how to interpret someone’s communication? These were some of the questions that Charlotte Mooney & Alex Harvey (Artistic Directors, Ockham’s Razor), Ellie Griffiths (Artistic Director, Oily Cart) and myself explored during our workshop sessions with JFK school in Stratford, and with children from the Specialist Language Unit at Smallwood School, Tooting. We also consulted with two families at Oily Cart HQ. I am excited to see how this ambitious show develops over the coming months.

https://oilycart.org.uk/shows/joyride