DISABILITY, DEAFHOOD, ACCESS!
December 1 - December 14, 2018
For the second 4TH SPACE program, we opened our doors to projects that challenge commonly held conceptions and propose new ways of considering disability, deafness and how we make our cities and our universities more accessible. Some of the projects displayed were developed for the Vibe Symposium 2018 that takes place at Concordia, while others revisited Enable Montreal, a project that ran from March to June 2018. Through all of these works, artists, activists, and academics offered differing perspectives on deaf and disability arts, as well as how to develop concrete solutions to accessibility barriers.
ARCHIVE
TransCommunicator
In this project, two ‘faux’ projection/sound instruments are mounted on individual frames on the wall. By puncturing holes in a paper score, David created a ‘negative’ braille transcript that transforms into modes of sound, vibration and visualization with the use of a music box, ‘punchable’ music score strips, LED lights and magnifiers.
Progression
This work is an interactive multi-sensory installation reflecting narratives of people living with multiple sclerosis fused with biodata and MRI scans. From dealing with cognitive decline and unpredictability to navigating the dating world, each participant had agency over their story and chose how they would like to be seen.
Opening of the Vibration program
Vibrations is a collaboration between VibraFusionLab (London, Ontario), Together! 2012 CIC (East London, UK), and the Participatory Media cluster of Milieux: Institute for Arts, Culture and Technology.
Healing House
With a structure made from a hospital gown dipped in beeswax, sonic elements reminiscent of an MRI machine, and added fragrance, this work merges the medical and domestic realms to better reflect what it is like to live with chronic illness.
Our Vibrating Hands
A research-creation project bringing together Quebec deaf artists of various origins, this work deconstructs audism in the context of music. The videos featuring music interpreted in sign language are coupled with a vibratory track to make it possible to produce a resonance between the mechanical rhythms and the visual rhythms of the signed music.
Hemo-resonance #1
This work is the first in an on-going series of artworks in which Samuel explores data representation and the quantified self in relation to type 1 diabetes. The work turns my blood glucose readings and insulin injection amounts from a 100 day period into resonances for visitors to feel through interactions with vibrational media.
PROGRAMMING
Saturday, December 1 to Friday, December 14
Stop by to see the interactive installations
Down, Down to the Water
by Aimee Louw
Our Vibrating Hands
by Véro Leduc, Hodan Ismael, Daz Saunders, and Pamela Witcher
This is not an exercise to raise awareness
by Laurence Parent
Healing House
by Darian Goldin Stahl
Progression
by Salima Punjani
Hemo-resonance #1
by Samuel Thulin
TransCommunicator
by David Bobier
Disability As Method: audio description as blind intervention
by Arseli Dokumaci
Saturday, December 1 at 9:30am
Opening of Vibration program and welcoming remarks
Thursday, December 6 at 1pm
Installation Walkthrough and Interview with Samuel Thulin
Tuesday, December 12th at 11am
Installation Walkthrough of 'Progression' and Demonstration of customized MUZE headset with artist researcher Salima Punjani.