Altered Ego

Altered Ego is a multi-disciplinary arts project that examines ideas of who we think we really are and how we present this to the outside world. It explores our alter egos: our notions of self-presentation in the world, differing identities for different contexts, and those ‘normal’ parts of human behaviour that are heightened in disability.

The project is predicated on the notion that we all create a sense of self and identity, and that we constantly recreate and evolve our identities in different situations. Through a series of creative interventions, this project examines the ways in which we all present our different selves with varying degrees of veracity, accuracy and even mendacity.

Altered Ego seeks to develop an experimental model for addressing issues that are directly rooted in the experience of disability, yet which also apply across wider society: the degree to which we adapt ourselves to fit preconditioned attitudes and perceptions; creative ways to empower individuals to tackle exclusion and social isolation.

Altered Ego features Sara Christova, William Craig, Paul Leyland, Zosia Krasnowolska, Rachael Smith, and Rosie Swan. It has enabled this group of disabled and non-disabled artists, actors, writers and musicians to recreate themselves. We are giving them the tools to create new identities, which range from… Adam lane, a teen idol popstar gone underground; to Lord Spittleash, a playboy Baron, spy and aristocrat; to Lily-May, a haunted transnational singer. Using photography, video, sound, painting and drawing, they are documenting the lives of these altered egos as they all come together at Ashbrittle Manor, Lord Spittleash’s family seat in April 2019.

Altered Ego is funded by The Arts Council of Wales, and Diffusion 2019. It is a partnership between Ffotogallery, the Diffusion international photography festival, MADE gallery, Disability Arts Cymru, Cardiff School of Art & design, the TRACE Writing Centre at Bath Spa University, Insole Court and the artists.

About Artists

David Sinden

David Sinden is an independent photographer and arts producer. He set up and ran Zone Gallery, the principle photography gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne during the 1990s, and then worked at ARTEC, Lux and Lighthouse Media Centre in London and Brighton developing experimental digital media and web projects. In 2001, he survived a brain haemorrhage. His photographic project After? Portraits of Brain Injury Survivors was shown at the National Assembly for Wales, and he created the PhotoRenga project, which he runs with Kate and which has been shown at Cardiff University, 76m2, The Hanbury Road Gallery, and the HeARTh Gallery. He is currently developing The Cosplay Project, a new series of portraits of cosplay devotees for exhibition and publication in 2020.

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Kate Woodward

Kate Woodward has developed her practice as a multi-disciplinary artist and musician since graduating from Glasgow School of Art, Fine Art Photography in 2015. Her practice includes the use of photography, video, sculpture, illustration, poetry and sound. Her core interest is in exploring and visualising the impact humans have on their environment and on each other. Kate Woodward completed an artist residency at Shift Cardiff in January 2019, as well as most recently exhibiting as part of Cardiff Contemporaries, Made in Roath and TactileBOSCH.
Kate and David have worked on developing and presenting a range of projects and workshops, specifically targeting inclusivity in art. In collaboration with Disability Arts Cymru and with the help of the National Lottery and the Arts Council of Wales, they have worked with brain injury patients, disability charities, such as Vision 21, and communities across Cardiff and the Valleys.

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