Our wonderful Pivot Fest, Portsmouth’s first arts festival led by and featuring artists with a learning disability, saw hundreds of people from around the UK visiting. Our three-day festival, hosted at Aspex Portsmouth at Gunwharf Quays, was presented by a powerhouse group of This New Ground artists, who had spent the past two years working on bringing this amazing festival to life. The festival featured ten workshops, performances and events featuring around 35 artists and performers from across the UK, including our incredible TNG artists.

Joyful weekend of celebration

Among the exciting performances and workshops that took place over the festival weekend were an energetic movement workshop with Head Over Wheels, a joy-filled neurodivergent- friendly silent disco hosted by Disco Neurotico, a stunning dance by Andrew Self, who appeared on BBC show The Greatest Dancer, and the vibrant Robyn’s Rocket, a live band playing experimental, playful jazz.

The festival also included digital art and gel printing workshops with This New Ground artists and The Best of Oska Bright Film Festival (the world’s leading BAFTA and BIFA-qualifying film festival for learning disabled and autistic creators), as well as music and comedy from Brighton-based Carousel.

‘I’m A Portsmouth Thing’ flags flew at iconic city venues

Special flags, kindly produced and donated by the Hampshire Flag Company, also flew at several place across the city to help celebrate Pivot Fest, including Portsmouth Cathedral, Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth Guildhall, Square Tower, Portsmouth Central Library, Southsea Library, Lush at the Cascades Shopping Centre, Lucy & Yak at Gunwharf Quays and Make café.

This New Ground’s artists wanted Pivot Fest to have its own festival flag as a bold and uplifting expression of visibility and pride. The ‘I’m a Portsmouth Thing’ artwork featured on the flags, was created by artist and University of Portsmouth alumni Orlando Richardson, and was inspired by a quote from Ray, a man interviewed by This New Ground artists about his experiences growing up in Portsmouth as someone with a learning disability. It was chosen as the artists felt his words carry a strong sense of inclusivity and are a fitting way to celebrate Pivot Fest.

Giant sculpture created buzz with shoppers

A giant inflatable sculpture called ‘We Rise’, created by This New Ground artists in collaboration with acclaimed digital artist Jason Wilsher-Mills, was also on display at Gunwharf Quays over the festival weekend and was a hit with passing shoppers. The sculpture is inspired by Portsmouth’s historic coat of arms and decorated in digital drawings, self-portraits and words celebrating the power and talents of people with a learning disability.

“Pivot Fest was everything we had hoped it would be and more. It was such a great, fun weekend. We were so pleased to see so many people coming along and enjoying the wonderful sessions and performances we presented. All the artists involved are still absolutely buzzing from how successful it was.”

Lucy Groenewoud, co-director of This New Ground, added:

“Pivot Fest was such a joyful, inspirational weekend and we are so proud of our artists for the amazing job they did in presenting the festival and bringing the first ever learning disability arts festival to Portsmouth. We can’t wait to bring Pivot Fest even bigger and better for 2028.”

Cameron Locke, an artist from TNG who co-programmed the festival said:

“I am so proud of what we have achieved not only creating an amazing exhibition but putting together an incredible festival. We’ve been able to showcase what people with a learning disability have to offer and how unique we are as individuals.”

‘Inside’ exhibition tells important story

Pivot Fest also featured guided tours of the ‘Inside’ exhibition also on at Aspex Portsmouth, which has also been created by This New Ground artists and has been inspired by stories of people with a learning disability across Portsmouth. This runs until 7th of June. Joanne Bushnell, Director of Aspex Portsmouth said:

“Both the exhibition and festival have demonstrated that when you offer artists with learning disabilities a mainstream platform to show work to a wide audience they will produce truly outstanding work. What better way to celebrate inclusivity in Portsmouth as we work towards a bid for City of Culture.”