Further Afield is an ambitious, disabled-led project made up of interviews and written texts which explores the work of disabled artists who are rurally based or whose creative practices are rooted in rural settings.
The programme seeks to celebrate the work of disabled artists and question what we expect to find in rural art, striving to broaden the current understanding of what the rural embodies, who experiences it, and what kinds of art is made there.

About the conversation:
In the fifth episode of the series, Bella Milroy speaks to Joanne Coates, a working-class visual artist who lives and works across the North East of England. They discuss Joanne’s substantial catalogue of work that explores working class culture and community in rural spaces, how disability, rurality and class intersect, and the motivations, challenges and rewards of establishing creative community in rural settings. 

Accompanying this recording is a wonderful text written in response to the conversation by Louisa Adjoa Parker. You can find where to read it on the Level Centre website, where you can find out more about the programme as well as accessing the transcript of the interviews: https://levelcentre.com/further-afield-2024/

Further Afield is a project supported by Arts Council England, Level Centre, Shape Arts, Derbyshire Libraries, Haarlem Artspace, Arts Derbyshire and Wysing Arts Center.

Further Afield interview with Joanne Coates

A song about the English working class of times gone by. Those were hard times, but workers were tough, just like the dog with three legs.

A Dog With Three Legs

Just a working song and kind of an anthem to the mining regions (as I also come from a former one)!

We Guys From Shaft 3 (Thats Where The Coal Comes From)

A song about an unemployed, homeless guy who, like so many others in the same situation, just doesn't get answers while others are rising up. 

Damned

Once again something that is inspired by typical working class songs.

A Song About Injustice

I mostly write my lyrics myself, always completely randomly, and produce the songs with the help of AI. That's just because I can't really sing and AI is therefore a good tool for realizing ideas. Technology is not my intention, it's the music.

Besides, I don't do this for money or anything like that; it's purely a hobby. It's important to me that people listen to the songs honestly if they like them.

New tracks tagged #working_class