Perspective Shift
Exploring new dimensions in the arts.
Season 1
Motivation
Perspective Shift was created in an effort to drive a change in attitudes toward disability in Australia by sharing real stories of people with disability told by people with disability. Attitude Foundation commissioned the series to highlight the challenges for people with disability including experiences of marginalisation and discrimination and the unique perspectives people with disability bring to their chosen field or industry. Attitude Foundation’s CEO, Matt Field says, “The messages shared in Perspective Shift are the tools that society needs to move forward on the path to inclusion”.
Attitude Foundation has commissioned research to support the themes explored in Perspective Shift.
Educational Tools
Secondary and Tertiary teachers can access our Study Guide for the series, developed in partnership with Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM).
Synopsis
Perspective Shift is a three-part documentary series which explores the triumphs and trials of three of Australia’s top practitioners in the arts industries, who also happen to be people with disability. Each 30-minute episode focuses on one individual excelling in an area of the Arts and explores their craft and their life experiences, including actor Daniel Monks, artist Prue Stevenson and dancer Jana Castillo.
Daniel Monks is the first Australian filmmaker to have received the Busan Bank Award at the Busan International Film Festival for his acclaimed independent feature film, Pulse. Told at 13 that his career as an actor would be limited due to his physical impairment, Daniel was nervous to pursue his dreams. He boldly took on the risk to write the script of Pulse and rose to the occasion in the lead role, earning himself a nomination for Best Lead Actor at the 2018 AACTA Awards. Through Daniel’s journey, we discover what it takes to resurrect and see through a dream long believed unattainable and impossible.
Prue Stevenson is one of Australia’s top emerging artists, having exhibited work around the world, and notably at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art. Prue’s art practice was birthed from her identity as an autistic woman and is an integral way that she connects with the world around her. Many of her art pieces invite audiences into her autistic culture, sharing and celebrating her unique “Prue version of Autism”. We too are invited into Prue’s story, travelling through the triumphs and the trials, on her journey to becoming a leading artist in Australia.
Jana Castillo is one of Australia’s leading female contemporary dancers, who has performed with the prestigious Australian Dance Theatre, and was recipient of the 2018 Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer. Growing up in regional Victoria, it was evident from a young age that Jana was born for the stage. As her career progressed, Jana acquired impairments, which led her on a new journey of self-discovery and advocacy. Her dedication and passion for her art is infectious and her undeniable skill and artistry is challenging perceptions of disability in the dance industry. Through Jana’s journey, we encounter the dedication and passion required to become one of Australia’s most acclaimed contemporary dancers.
The series highlights the valuable contributions to our society that each of these creatives makes and sheds light on the barriers that they have encountered or continue to endure.