The visual art element has been commissioned by Pallant House Gallery through the innovative Outside In project.

Outside In is a unique project which aims to provide a platform for artists who find it difficult to access the art world either because of mental health issues, disability, health or social circumstance. The main vehicle for the venture is a biennial open art competition, which this year will be held across the whole of the UK. Culminating in a major exhibition at Pallant House Gallery and accompanying regional exhibitions in 2013, the competition also offers a series of awards and an opportunity to have a solo exhibition at Pallant House Gallery. The artists commissioned for Gold Run were participants in the 2007 and 2009 competitions.

James Lake, sculptor
My primary role is that of sculptor/prop designer. I have constructed a large scale 3D portrait of learning disabled opera singer David Rushbook using cardboard. This portrait is intended to move, sing and perform alongside the other performers on stage. In addition to this, I will design an installation piece based on Gold Run and the Paralympics called Gold Run:Remix which will be part of the Outside In 2013 tour. I started making large scale figurative sculpture from cardboard about 15 years ago. This move was directly related to getting cancer at the age of 16 and losing a leg aged 17 years. The medium of cardboard enabled me to create sculpture in a non-studio environment; the resource was inexpensive and readily available.

Gold Run celebrates the dreams and aspirations that we all share, drawing on the historical significance of the exclusion of learning-disabled athletes in the Paralympics. The Gold Run projects emphasises the complexity and humanity that is present, but sometimes overlooked, when considering disability.

Andy Hood, Documentary Photographer
I have been appointed to the role of official documentary photographer for Gold Run. It is my first professional commission and I am really excited about it. I have been given quite an open book in terms of how I approach the project though I am supported by Marc and Lucy and the Outside In team in doocumenting the project. I am building up a portfolio of images , some of which will be displayed at Wellington House Gallery in Brighton in in May 2012.

The documentary work is very different from how I approach my own photography. I tend to be quite eclectic and look for something that grabs me. Some of my recent work is taken on or from trains and also of buses at night. I like to use multiple exposures and create layers of images. I also made a series of interiors of my flat which were brightly coloured and blurry using a slow shutter speed.  Gold Run is a collaboration. It is a celebration of learning disabled athletes and it will address the issues of why they were left out and why they have now returned. It is a very interesting project to be part of and it is great that Outside In is putting its money where its mouth with this commission and directly supporting artists from the margins of society.