Film still from Resemblance, Claire Cunningham, 2014
The First World War created an influx of two million newly disabled British servicemen, forcing a change in attitude towards disability.
Does it Matter? is a fresh take on and examination of war and disability – five short films by five contemporary disabled artists: Katherine Araniello, a performance and video artist; Jez Colborne, composer and musician, in collaboration with Mind the Gap; Claire Cunningham, a multi-disciplinary performer; Tony Heaton, sculptor and CEO of Shape Arts; and multi-disciplinary visual artist Simon Mckeown.
From a cast of animated disabled soldiers to a chaotic WW1 hospital and the heroic figures depicted on war memorials, these films offer unorthodox, irreverent and unexpected takes on the legacies of war and disability in Britain today, taking inspiration from Siegfried Sassoon’s 1917 poem Does it Matter?
Read more about the artists and projects here on 14-18 NOW
Film still from Oh! What a Lovely Lovely Ward, Katherine Araniello, 2014
Film still from Ghosts, Simon Mckeown, 2014
