| Code | DS/UK/550 |
| Person Name | Hevey; David (1959-); Filmmaker, Photographer, Activist |
| Dates | 1959- |
| Dates and Places | 1959 Born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex |
| History | Hevey was born in 1959 in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, to a working-class, Irish family. Hevey had his first epileptic seizure at the age of 15, an experience which truly frightened him, particularly as it occurred at a time where disabilities were still viewed as a secret to be hidden away. Hevey’s experience as a disabled person navigating the 1970s and 1980s has shaped much of his career, and he has frequently used media as a tool through which to criticise society’s treatment of disabilities and to encourage social change. His 1992 book, The Creatures Time Forgot, discusses and criticises existing disabled imagery, while his BBC series The Disabled Century explored and shed light on the treatment and experiences of disabled people in Britain during the twentieth century. Hevey’s career has therefore focused on better representing disabled experiences, and representing disabled people within popular culture.
Hevey worked as a photojournalist during the early stages of his career for publications like The Times Educational Supplement and The New Statesman. Since 2017, Hevey has been the CEO of Shape Arts, a British Arts Charity which provides support and opportunities for disabled people in the arts and cultural sector. Hevey continues his commitment to encouraging greater understanding and acceptance of disabilities within society. |
| Activity | Film and Television Projects (Selected)
2018 The NDACA 50 Films, HLF
2016 Welcome, The Fight for Life, Feature Doc.
2014-2016 Unlimited, Online Series of Ten Films, Shape Arts.
2014 Shape Creatives, Shape Arts, DVD/Online series of seven films.
Modern Times: Suicidal, BBC.
Modern Times: Ten Thousand Private Eyes, BBC.
Modern Times: The Mystics, BBC.
1999 The Disabled Century, BBC.
The Bells, Holy Cow.
Freak Out, BBC.
Remember Me, BBC.
Descant on Mine Own Deformity, BBC.
Skint, BBC.
Poor Dear, BBC.
The Men Who Changed Football, BBC.
Wider Cultural Projects
2018-2020 NDACA, Shape Arts.
2015-2018 Welcome to New Grim Britain- The Comedy Series, Arts Council England.
2017 LIBERTY, Olympic Park London.
2016 David Hevey, Filmmaker and Artist, RCMG & Wellcome.
2013- Current, The Barriers Odyssey, Arts Council England.
2011- Current, Who Has the Power in your Care Set Up, JRF.
2010-2013, Cuts Hurt Me, Unison.
2008- Current Behind the Shadow of Merrick, RCMG & HLF.
2007-2010 Beyond the Barriers, UNISON & JRF.
2004-2008 Giants, DRC & Shape Arts, Site-Specific Photo-Sculptures.
Career
2013-2020 Worked as Project- and Creative-Director for the NDACA.
2017 CEO for Shape Arts. |
| Published Works | 2016 The Incorrigibles: Perspectives on Disability Visual Arts in the 20th and 21st Centuries, published by Dash Publications. |
| 2010 Re-Presenting Disability Representation, published by Routledge |
| 2006 Photography: A Cultural History, published by Laurence King Publishing |
| 2004 Disabling Barriers – Enabling Environments, published by Open University Press |
| 1999 Creative Camera: 30 Years of Writing, published by Manchester University Press |
| 1997 Framed: Interrogating Disability In The Media, published by British Film Institute Publishing 1995 Cultural Sniping: Photography & The Art of Transgression, published by Routledge |
| 1992 The Creatures Time Forgot: Photography & Representation, published by Routledge London/New York |
| Source | “David Hevey”. Artists and Activists, NDACA. Accessed July 12, 2024. https://the-ndaca.org/the-people/david-hevey/. |
| “Staff: David Hevey”. Shape Arts. Accessed July 12, 2024. https://www.shapearts.org.uk/Pages/FAQs/Category/staff. |
| Hevey, David. “David Hevey’s CV”. David Hevey. Accessed July 17, 2024. http://davidhevey.com/cv/. |
| Hevey, David. “We Can All Learn from the Disability Arts Movement”. Tes Magazine (2018). Accessed July 12, 2024. https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/we-can-all-learn-disability-arts-movement. |
| Hevey, David. The Creatures Time Forgot. Routledge, 1992. |