PERFORMANCES, visual arts, sound installation and film by internationally acclaimed and emerging artists with disabilities will be presented at Glasgow’s Tramway from October 17 to October 21. The Unlimited Festival will feature masterclasses and networking opportunities for the artists as well as the artworks and performances, the majority of which audiences in Scotland will be able to experience for the first time.

The only piece with slightly older origins is -ish, a dance performance by dyspraxic choreographer Aby Watson which premiered at Buzzcut festival in 2017.

“I saw that and I felt quite strongly it should be shown in this latter stage of development in Glasgow again,” says Jo Walmsley.

Walmsley, who initially joined Tramway as project manager for the Turner Prize in 2015, took Unlimited’s helm after Tim Nunn established the venue’s partnership with Unlimited which is based at London’s South Bank. Watson’s -ish, described by Walmsley as a “graceful, funny, moving and thought-provoking piece with space hoppers” was supported by Tramway and The Work Room, an artist-led organisation based in a purpose-built studio space within the vast Albert Drive venue.

The Work Room also supported the development of 111, a collaboration between contemporary dancer and choreographer Joel Brown and Eve Mutso, Scottish Ballet’s former principal ballerina.

For just one day (Oct 18) the festival will host Amy Rosa’s Gallanach, a piece of live art in which the artist weaves around a vast web of live copper wiring to convey the experience of living with fibromyalgia.

From that same day, visitors will also be able to step inside the hidden universe of Juliet Robson’s Hertz, an installation developed in collaboration with astrophysicists, meteorologists and mathematicians. It’s set to be installed in Tramway’s upper foyer after making its first outing at Birmingham Science Festival.

“Each star has a specific frequency that Juliet uses in different ways in her artwork,” says Walmsley. “There are vibrating metal plates set to a specific that form a shape which she says is a ‘signature’ of the star. Where it will be means that people coming to Tramway for other things can come and see it. But I would be coming to see it in its own right – I was mermerized by the idea.”

Rolling for most of the festival will be Eleven, a film made by Glasgow-based artist and mum Philippa Clark and her 11-year-old son Isaac, one of the many young people living in Scotland described as having complex needs. Eleven weaves together 365 11-second clips of their life together, shot each day on Isaac’s iPad in the year up to his 11th birthday.

“It was good making it with mum,” says Isaac. “I like it when I sing One Direction. That’s the best bit. And when I say mummy looks a bit like a tangerine.”

“Documenting each day for the last year has felt like an intensely personal and honest way to show the reality of a family raising a disabled child,” says Philippa. “I hope we capture the humour as much as the hard times as this will best portray who Isaac is. As we near the end I feel nervous but overwhelmingly proud of my son and the story we tell together.”

Walmsley says the festival, which is the only Unlimited Festival outside London, features many artists Tramway have worked with previously.

“There’s an on-going debate about the positives and negatives of grouping work together as done by a particular group of people,” says Walmsley.

“That’s a really interesting conversation but we have a commitment to presenting a diversity of voices across lots of different backgrounds and characteristics, so in many ways, Unlimited is no different to the work you might normally see at Tramway, but this allows us a particular focus.”

She adds: “Scotland punches above its weight in terms of the number of artists we have on the programme, and we’re delighted we get to host their work on home soil. At Unlimited Festival there is a fantastic element of us all coming together to explore, discover and, with the artists and their creative teams, to develop new work and experiences to share with our audiences.”

Amy Rosa: Gallanach, Oct 18, 3pm to 7pm, pay what you can afford.

Joel Brown and Eve Mutso: 111, Oct 17 and 18, 7.30pm, £6/£4.

Juliet Robson: Hertz, Oct 18 to 21, noon to 6pm, Oct 20 10am to noon only, free.

Isaac Clark-O’Malley and Phillipa Clark: Eleven, Oct 18 to Oct 21, noon to 6pm, Oct 20 10am to noon only, free.

Aby Watson: -ish, Oct 19 and Oct 20, 7pm, £6/£4.

Unlimited Festival runs Oct 17 to Oct 21, Tramway, Glasgow. Tel: 0845 330 3501 www.tramway.org