DaDaFest 2009 Liverpool

Shining through unprecedentedly wet and foul winter weather, Liverpool’s DaDaFest 2009 lived up to its reputation for showcasing amazing creations: everything from highlighting the bright future of young artistic talent in the World Museum exhibition, the scintillating burlesque of Millie Dollar, Mat Fraser’s barrier-breaking act Freak to Clique; and challenging discussions on sexuality.

The swirl of creativity and lack of obstacles was a joy. Once you’ve experienced Unshakeable, Paul Betney’s story of life with Parkinson’s and those little yellow pills, Laurence Clark’s Spastic Fantastic, and the “Late at Tate” arts party, you wonder what to do for fun, inspira­tion and the sheer hell of it the rest of the year.

Some moments go on resounding for days, like being brought up short in Resistance: one of those times when you have to confront the “what” and “why” of our lives. This exhibition, by Liz Crowe, of film, photos and voiceovers of disabled people in a Nazi euthanasia programme trod a fine line between sensationalism and truth, brutality and reality, but did so with incredible control. I was left with a voice that echoed in my head long after I’d left: “What’s unfair is that we think the world’s being unfair is normal.”

Leigh Stirling’s guitar playing at DaDa Noise was an incredible sensory experience. Stirling’s ability to squeeze virtuosity and emotion as well as flamenco, sitar and drum effects from the same guitar, made the floorboards and tabletops dance. His witty and angry lyrics (“Don’t look at me like that, Like I’ve got swine flu!”) were superb, perceptive and unfortunately true. They really hit the mark.

Two telling tales stood out in the Magic Hour series of five films by disabled people. In Atari, a boy rails at his constant companion, a computer that doesn’t even have games with guns. The ending is predictable but no less heartrending as his kidney dialysis computer saves his life.

Then in the larger-than-life Hands Solo, the king of porn with the Midas-touch fingers is guaranteed to turn any female into a quivering mass of orgasmic joy with a flick of his incredible rotating wrists.

Kevin Connolly reprised last year’s show with photos from 31 cities worldwide. His view, from a few inches above the ground, is mainly a crazy forest of legs, blatant stares and puzzlement where even a baby coos in amazement at Kevin speeding along legless on a skateboard.

Was it all good? While the venues were excellent, the signage could have been better, both inside and out. Liverpool is a big city and in inclement weather, I’d guess some gave up trying to find remoter venues. Some acts crossed the line and battered rather than persuaded but overall I loved DaDaFest 2009 and look forward to 2010.

Susan Bennett