ABOUT

In 2009 Jai Hutchison established InsightsPlatforms with the aim of providing performance opportunities for emerging artists within the performing arts. InsightsPlatforms launched successfully at the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, featuring predominantly local emerging artists; Now, InsightsPlatforms produce and present work by national and international emerging artists across a variety of performing arts practices.

InsightsPlatforms are a Scottish based disability-inclusive organisation, and we produce work by disabled, and non-disabled emerging artists, both national and international, who create work within the performing arts; including, but not limited to, Theatre, Dance, Physical Theatre, Performance Art, Spoken Word, Mixed Media Performance, and collaborative work.

InsightsPlatforms produce two different formats of platform: InsightsLive, our live, staged platform, and InsightsDigital, our online platform. Each platform includes a collection of works by emerging artists from different performing arts subgenres; allowing audiences to experience different forms of the performing arts within one production.

To date, InsightsPlatforms have produced and presented platforms at arts festivals as well as facilitating independent platforms across Scotland and England, including events in Edinburgh, London, Newcastle, Leeds, and Aberdeen, as well as multiple digital events. Previous platforms have included work within dance, music, short films, theatre, physical theatre, performance art, and collaborative works.

Keep an eye on our CURRENT PROJECTS page to see what's happening and how you can get involved.

THE TEAM

Jai Hutchison Creative Director & Producer

In 2009 Jai established InsightsPlatforms with the aim of providing performance opportunities for emerging artists within the performing arts. InsightsPlatforms launched successfully at the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, featuring predominantly local emerging artists; Now, InsightsPlatforms produces and presents work by national and international emerging artists across a variety of performing arts practices.

Jai trained in Contemporary Dance Performance at the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance, where she developed a passion for choreography, and so relocated to Newcastle to study a BA (Hons) in Dance: Choreography. Upon graduating, Jai toured her work across the U.K., including at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Camden Fringe, RADA in London, ‘PIVOTAL’ at Eden Court, ‘EMERGENCY’ at The Green Room in Manchester, ‘Anatomy#2’ at Edinburgh’s Summerhall, and The Holy Biscuit art gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne.

With a strong interest in the benefits of the arts for mental health, as well as an interest in community arts practice, Jai went on to complete an MA in Community Dance Leadership at The University of Bedfordshire in 2013, and upon graduating was based in London, working predominately within inclusive dance, and youth dance. Now based in Edinburgh, she has obtained an MA, in Arts, Festival and Cultural Management from Queen Margaret University, and her current focus is the development of InsightsPlatforms, and her role as Vice Chair on the board of Birds of Paradise Theatre Company.

Karen McArthur Assistant Creative Director & Community Dance Practitioner

Karen began her training in 2004 at Edinburgh's Telford College where she trained as a dance artist. She then went on to continue her training at Northumbria University in Newcastle where she completed her BA (Hons) in Dance.

After graduating, Karen joined Tees Valley Dance Company based in Stockton on Tees as an apprentice dancer and taught contemporary dance classes in Newcastle. Karen has since relocated back to Edinburgh to pursue her passion for choreography and teaching, which led on to residencies at Dance Base as well as teaching at The Scottish School of Contemporary Dance in Dundee, Dance for All in Stockbridge and Edinburgh College.

Karen is currently based in Edinburgh where she is working as a freelance dancer artist and choreographer. She specialises in contact improvisation and teaches in the community and also in higher education.

Karen is also a professional swimming teacher, fitness instructor, and yoga instructor. She has been teaching in Scotland for the last 12 years and has established her own health and wellness organisation, Scottish Wellbeing. Health and wellbeing are very important to Karen and she believes it should be a part of everybody's lives.

Karen joined the InsightsPlatforms team in 2013 as our Assistant Creative Director and is now also our Community Dance Practitioner.

Caitlin Smyth Creative Consultant

Caitlin trained from a young age as a dancer, initially in classical ballet, then specialising in contemporary dance where she achieved her BA (Hons) in Dance Choreography at Northumbria University. Her digital dance pieces have been a part of digital festivals, including at Dance City and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Whilst pursuing dance she also worked in the visual arts where her specialism now lies. For over 15 years Caitlin has worked across many facets of the visual arts; she was lucky to be awarded the Chelsea Arts Club Trust Research Fellowship in 2011 where she developed her skills and passion for working with both emerging artists and platforms, as well as those who are working within more niche areas namely across visual art, performance and photography. Currently she is the Marketing Director for the Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize and works with a range of other emerging art projects from supporting galleries to individual practitioners.

Caitlin’s passions for the arts, and belief that they are an intrinsic part of our culture fuel her drive to support emerging platforms in being as accessible and visible as possible. At the core of this she hopes this actively encourages a more diverse audience, from the wider public context, to confidently engage with the arts, believing that more awareness and more engagement can positively impact the growth of the arts as a whole.