In Corinne: The Severed Wing, disabled artist Corinne shows the audience a snapshot of the reality of living with chronic illnesses that leave you mostly bedbound. It explores their limited mobility and their experience as a disabled housebound artist. The performance is livestreamed via zoom from her bedroom to the big screen within the studio space at The Lowry.
Act One sees Corinne’s face isolated in the centre of a wooden surround as a needle and ribbon is used to slowly create a cage across her. The imagery is stark and a harsh reminder of how disability can be a cage to the person involved, especially when they are house or bed bound.
The show continues in four acts, each a mini visual image on what makes up Corinne’s life as a disabled performance artist. Each act has meaning from pearls acting as tears, through the effort of blowing out a candle in memory of her father to the final imagery of Corinne as the bird she has always wished to be and the idealism of the freedom that would come with it.
The show concludes with a ten minute behind the scenes by Corinne and her partner Stephen who is her assistant in creating the performance.
The reality of Corinne’s life is difficult to comprehend for many who do not understand the many issues and complexities that arise from living as a disabled person. For a disabled person it is a close to the bone reminder of how difficult life can be, and how society is often not accepting or helpful of the accessibility and support needs of the disabled in today’s world despite all the regulations out there.
The live stream is accompanied by an immersive soundtrack, often using Corinne’s beloved birds.
Corinne:The Severed Wing is not a comfortable or easy watch. It does not pull any punches in it’s surreal representation of the reality of being disabled. However it doesn’t look for sympathy, but for understanding and empathy and a need to show the world that disabled people are human too.
Reviewed on 14th November 2025
The Reviews Hub Star Rating
-
8
