Shape Arts

Shape Arts Disability-led arts organisation working towards the full inclusion of disabled people in the arts.

13/10/2025

We’re back for part two of the Rights Cuts Action exhibition tour with Shape’s Creative Producer ! If you missed part one, go back and catch up now.

Exploring the creativity of disabled resistance with archival photographs and new work from contemporary disabled artists, the exhibition - 2025’s Shape Open - links past struggles to today’s ongoing fight for rights, access, and justice at a time when disabled people’s independence and livelihoods are under threat.

The exhibition is open 10am - 4pm, Monday to Friday until November 5th, with a special open day on Saturday 1st November. You can find us at the Engine Shed, High Wycombe, HP13 6NE (opposite the train station).

We’ll be sharing more content from the show, including a little more about all our fabulous artists, over the coming days and weeks.

Works featured in part two:
1. Steve Parker by
2. DWP Deaths Make Me Sick by Vince Laws
3. Security Jumper by .styx_and_stone.willow
4. The Power of Protest & Print by , commissioned by
5. Are We There Yet? by
6. The Political is Personal by
7. Taking the PIP by
8. Red Tape by
9. RIP Vivaldi On Hold/Is It A Minute Or A Second? by

Description: captioned tour of the show, just under 3 minutes. All artworks pictured are available as part of the audio described exhibition tour via the link in our bio, where you’ll also find links to more info about the exhibition, the artists, and their work.

10/10/2025

Join Shape’s Creative Producer for part one of the Rights Cuts Action exhibition tour!

Exploring the creativity of disabled resistance with archival photographs and new work from contemporary disabled artists, the exhibition - 2025’s Shape Open - links past struggles to today’s ongoing fight for rights, access, and justice at a time when disabled people’s independence and livelihoods are under threat.

The exhibition is open 10am - 4pm, Monday to Friday until November 5th, with a special open day on Saturday 1st November. You can find us at the Engine Shed, High Wycombe, HP13 6NE (opposite the train station).

Make sure you follow for the rest of the tour!

Works featured in part one:
1. Archival protest photography by Keith Armstrong
2. Sorry, Come Again? by
3. You Still Make Me Crawl by
4. Disable the Disabled by .go
5. Attack of the Gulls by
6. Deaf Community Against Mainstream Political by

There’s nine more artworks coming up, so don’t go anywhere!

Description: captioned tour of the show, just under 2 minutes. All artworks pictured are available as part of the audio described exhibition tour via the link in our bio, where you’ll also find links to more info about the exhibition, the artists, and their work.

Are you a low-income disabled writer based in England? ✍️ Apply to our annual TLC Free Reads!We partner with The Literar...
18/08/2025

Are you a low-income disabled writer based in England? ✍️ Apply to our annual TLC Free Reads!

We partner with The Literary Consultancy every year to offer disabled writers on a low income the chance to have their work professionally read and receive feedback. It’s a great opportunity to get your writing to the next step!

Deadline: 15 September 2025, 11.59pm BST 📅

Check out all the info and apply via our website.



Image description: On a pale green background, a black drawing of an open book floats in the centre. On the open pages are two logos, from Shape Arts and The Literary Consultancy. In black text it reads: TLC Free Reads. Apply via Shape Arts. Deadline: 15 September 2025, 11.59pm.

The deadline for applications to the 2025 Shape Open exhibition is midnight THIS Sunday! 🚨Everything you need to know ab...
25/07/2025

The deadline for applications to the 2025 Shape Open exhibition is midnight THIS Sunday! 🚨

Everything you need to know about the can be found via the link in our bio 🔗 Available in text, audio, BSL and Easy Read.

You can apply via text, audio, or video by using our Google Form or emailing your applications directly to us.

You must be over 18 and UK-based to apply.

So, what are we after? 🤔

This year, to address the cuts to payments and funding that threaten disabled people’s lives, we are seeking work which responds imaginatively to themes of rights, protest, power, and the state of the British welfare system.

We are also interested in work that reflects on how protest itself is changing: becoming more digital, more restricted, and increasingly under threat, for example by surveillance.

This exhibition is supported by our National Disability Movement Archive and Collection (NDMAC), which is collecting the heritage story of the disability rights movement. Our show will include photographs by Keith Armstrong, a disabled poet, artist, musician, and activist. His photos of disability rights protests in the 1980s and 1990s are part of our NDMAC archive and collection. We have included a selection on our website. We hope they inspire you.

The exhibition will be at The Engine Shed in High Wycombe. It’s a big space, so we’re looking for work that can stand out and make an impact. Think bold colour schemes, big messages, or eye-catching formats. We’re keen to find work that can be hung across the space or projected. We’d be interested in light-weight sculptures and installations that can be easily dismantled and rebuilt in the venue.

This show is a kind of protest in itself. We’re especially keen on artwork that clearly tackles the themes, maybe with large text, clear slogans, or strong visual messages.

‼️ Please make sure you read, watch, or listen to the information on our site carefully before you submit your applications ‼️

If you need support with your application, or have any questions at all, get in touch! 💌

This year's exhibition is supported by and

ID in comments!

The Shape Open is back! 🚨 And we want YOUR artwork 🫵Everything you need to know about the can be found via the link in...
02/07/2025

The Shape Open is back! 🚨 And we want YOUR artwork 🫵

Everything you need to know about the can be found via the link in our bio 🔗 Available in text, audio, BSL and Easy Read.

🗓️ The deadline for applications is midnight, Sunday 27 July 2025. You can apply via text, audio, or video by using our Google Form or emailing your applications directly to us.

So, what are we after? 🤔

This year, to address the cuts to payments and funding that threaten disabled people’s lives, we are seeking work which responds imaginatively to themes of rights, protest, power, and the state of the British welfare system.

We are also interested in work that reflects on how protest itself is changing: becoming more digital, more restricted, and increasingly under threat, for example by surveillance.

This exhibition is supported by our National Disability Movement Archive and Collection (NDMAC), which is collecting the heritage story of the disability rights movement. Our show will include photographs by Keith Armstrong, a disabled poet, artist, musician, and activist. His photos of disability rights protests in the 1980s and 1990s are part of our NDMAC archive and collection. We have included a selection on our website. We hope they inspire you.

The exhibition will be at The Engine Shed in High Wycombe. It’s a big space, so we’re looking for work that can stand out and make an impact. Think bold colour schemes, big messages, or eye-catching formats. We’re keen to find work that can be hung across the space or projected. We’d be interested in light-weight sculptures and installations that can be easily dismantled and rebuilt in the venue.

This show is a kind of protest in itself. We’re especially keen on artwork that clearly tackles the themes, maybe with large text, clear slogans, or strong visual messages.

‼️ Please make sure you read, watch, or listen to the information on our site carefully before you submit your applications ‼️

If you need support with your application, or have any questions at all, get in touch! 💌

This year's exhibition is supported by and

ID in comments.

Deaf people are put in vulnerable situations daily by a lack of accessible design. As part of our campaign by 2024's A...
14/05/2025

Deaf people are put in vulnerable situations daily by a lack of accessible design. As part of our campaign by 2024's Adam Reynolds Awardee we're sharing your stories and experiences of inaccessibility and ableism as deaf people.

Share your own experiences below or in our DMs 👇

What would you do in this situation? What should hearing people be doing to mitigate poor access? How can we redesign public life to be inclusive, safe, and reflective of the diversity of its users?

Over the last year, 2024 ARA Winner Chris Laing, with creative production from Shape Arts, has been working on a new campaign film that shines a light on the barriers faced by deaf people in public space and urban infrastructure. Silent Buttons focusses on Hanna, and independent Londoner whose day-to-day life is disrupted by the barriers she experiences when using public transport, in the working environment, and even in her home life on account of being a deaf person.

You can find out more about the Silent Buttons campaign, Chris Laing, the Adam Reynolds Award and Shape Arts by clicking the link in our bio now. Get involved with the campaign by sharing our videos throughout .

The film was directed by Chris Laing and creatively produced by Shape Arts. The deaf-led production team includes Samuel Ash, Camera and Hermon Berhane of , starring as Hanna. Animation by .fivefive.

Chris Laing is an Architectural Designer, Activist, and Consultant, and the founder of Signstrokes and Deaf Architecture Front

He is keen to facilitate engagement between the Deaf community and the spatial and architecture practice industry, hoping to see greater opportunities for the field of architecture to benefit from Deaf peoples’ perspective in the near future.



Image description in comments!

05/05/2025

Today marks the start of , and with it, we're kicking off our new campaign , a new film from deaf architect, activist, and founder Chris Laing, who was awarded our flagship Adam Reynolds Award in 2024. The campaign’s ambition is to highlight the inequities of city life and how a lack of consideration in architecture, infrastructure, and design create and reinforce exclusion in society. Alongside the main film, we'll be sharing the motivations behind it, direct from Chris himself, as well as ways you can get involved with the fight for equality!

For many deaf BSL users, hearing loops are not a solution to exclusion. Over 150,000 people in the UK use British Sign Language and face barriers every day when using public transport, in the working environment, and even in their home lives.

Over the last year, 2024 ARA Winner Chris Laing, with creative production from Shape Arts, has been working on a new campaign film that shines a light on the barriers faced by deaf people in public space and urban infrastructure. Silent Buttons focusses on Hanna, and independent Londoner whose day-to-day life is disrupted by the barriers she experiences when using public transport, in the working environment, and even in her home life on account of being a deaf person.

You can find out more about the Silent Buttons campaign, Chris Laing, the Adam Reynolds Award and Shape Arts by clicking the link in our bio now. Get involved with the campaign by sharing our videos throughout .

The film was directed by Chris Laing and creatively produced by Shape Arts. The deaf-led production team includes Samuel Ash, Camera and Hermon Berhane of , starring as Hanna. Animation by .fivefive. Sound by The full campaign launches in May 2025.

05/05/2025

Today marks the start of , and with it, we're kicking off our new campaign , a new film from deaf architect, activist, and founder Chris Laing, who was awarded our flagship Adam Reynolds Award in 2024. The campaign’s ambition is to highlight the inequities of city life and how a lack of consideration in architecture, infrastructure, and design create and reinforce exclusion in society.

For many deaf BSL users, hearing loops are not a solution to exclusion. Over 150,000 people in the UK use British Sign Language and face barriers every day when using public transport, in the working environment, and even in their home lives.

Over the last year, 2024 ARA Winner Chris Laing, with creative production from Shape Arts, has been working on a new campaign film that shines a light on the barriers faced by deaf people in public space and urban infrastructure. Silent Buttons focusses on Hanna, and independent Londoner whose day-to-day life is disrupted by the barriers she experiences when using public transport, in the working environment, and even in her home life on account of being a deaf person.

You can find out more about the campaign, Chris Laing, the Adam Reynolds Award and Shape Arts by clicking the link in our bio now. Get involved with the campaign by sharing our videos throughout .

You can help us do this by spreading the word, carrying on the conversation, and sharing your own ideas about what we could change to overcome and dismantle these barriers in society.

The film was directed by Chris Laing and creatively produced by Shape Arts. The deaf-led production team includes Samuel Ash , Camera and Hermon Berhane of , starring as Hanna. Animations by Mina Owen .fivefive

Help Shape continue to break barriers to creative excellence!Please nominate us before 11th October to receive £5,000 fr...
08/10/2024

Help Shape continue to break barriers to creative excellence!

Please nominate us before 11th October to receive £5,000 from the Benefact Group - it only takes a minute and can make a huge difference! Head to the following link to cast your vote in the pre-filled form: https://bit.ly/3NnLvnD

Thank you to all our supporters!
Prize draw closes midnight 11th October 2024 📆

We have published our 2022-2023 Annual Review! Exploring the year in full, we have published a report looking back at al...
28/03/2024

We have published our 2022-2023 Annual Review! Exploring the year in full, we have published a report looking back at all of the brilliant exhibitions, commissions, residencies, partnerships and more!

Check it out on our website: https://bit.ly/shape-arts-annual-review

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Floor 2 Peckham Library
London
SE155JR

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm

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+442074247330

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