ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Welcome to Documenting Failure!
A podcast from Selina Thompson Limited about exploring experiments in doing things differently, thinking about access, marginalisation and what we can learn through failure from disabled artists in the UK and beyond.
Today's guest is Bobby Baker, in conversation with Toni-Dee and Selina Thompson. This is a beautifully contemplative chat about the intergenerational scope of disabled making, the hurdles and achievements of the sector from 1995 to now, and the beauty of building the support you need.
“I would just say I really love the fact that I'm older and I'm making work”
For our fifth episode we are talking with Bobby Baker and Selina Thompson about aging, being older, learning over the years, problems encountered over time and evolving with creating work in a disabled body.
Our host is Toni-Dee Paul - @txnidee , https://www.instagram.com/txnidee/ and this week’s guests are:
1. Bobby Baker - @bobbyartistbaker, https://www.instagram.com/bobbyartistbaker/
2. Selina Thompson - @selinatltd , https://www.instagram.com/selinatltd/
Content warnings for this episode include some references to grief, psychiatric interventions, and fragile mental health.
For full content warnings, a transcript of the episode, links to resources and things referenced please visit: https://selinathompsonltd.co.uk/work/documenting-failure
Don’t forget to subscribe for more wonderful content talking to disabled artists in the UK about failure, documenting our failures and failing joyfully.
Selina Thompson Ltd is a national portfolio organisation supported by Arts Council England, using public funding from National Lottery.
Timestamps / chapter breakdown:
00:00:02- Intro begins.
00:00:31- Start of podcast- Toni Dee asks for intros, descriptions of who they are and what they look like.
00:01:58- 00:05:24- Guests introduce themselves.
00:06:06 - Transition Music
00:06:14- 00:13:54- Guests discuss Selina and Bobby Baker’s relationship through their art, work and mentorship.
00:13:54- 00:33:55- Toni Dee asks Bobby to talk about starting her own company. Bobby and Selina talk about the starting of their companies, the importance of having Bobby’s company to look up to and their inspirations for themselves.
00:33:55- Transition Music
00:34:01- Toni Dee asks if there was ever a bit of insight or a moment in any of those processes between starting your company, and now where you've been able to go, ‘ah, we did, we've done that once already, that is a failing that I've done already, we're going to do it differently this time’. The guests discuss their learnings from failures, what happens if they don’t learn from these things, the toll this takes on physical health and ways to communicate in teams to assess and evaluate what we are capable of committing to.
00:47:29- Transition Restaurant Chatter
00:48:06-[Transition music]
00:48:08- 00:55:17- Toni- Dee asks about pacing and as someone who has started a company a long time ago, like, how long you felt it, it took for you to feel like the company was operating in the way that you needed it to. Bobby talks about the risk that comes with work and pacing. Selina talks about best pacing for STLtd. Bobby and Selina discuss parts of organisation planning they enjoy.
00:55:17- [Transition Restaurant Chatter]
00:55:40- Toni-Dee asks the guests about the future. Is there anything in the future that you can think of, or something that you're excited by that your learnings around failure and success are making you feel differently about what's to come. Selina and Bobby answer with what they are excited about for their work, personally and for their organisations.
00:59:40- 00:59:54- Guest discussion end. Toni-Dee closes off by thanking the guests for their time. Toni-Dee thanks all participants and the team who helped make the podcast.
