WAARC Disabled Staff Exhibit

Disabled people have to be creative. To live in an ableist world means having to hack your way through it. But disabled people also choose creativity to express themselves on their own terms. WAARC is proud to present art that disabled staff members at the University of 91Ö±²¥ have submitted.

"You're looking well", video by Daniel Jary
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 This is an ongoing digital exhibit. To honour the chronic and non-linear time of disability, staff members are invited to submit items whenever they are ready.

A warm-toned embroidery using mostly long stitches. It portrays a naked sleeping femme with light brown skin. Her head is adorned with an elaborate multicoloured structured headress. She rests on what look likes a black coffin and behind her is a burst of light that covers the entire background.
"Still She Sleeps?", embroidery by Zoë Middleton

I am but one small shiitake mushroom connected to a vast mycelial network with other disabled fungi, loving and caring for one another. We are not alone.

Disability Intimacy

Alice Wong

Watercolour of a view of the sea through a vertical window. Your eye is directed to the centre of the image to a bright blue sky with big white clouds and a calm blue sea. This effect is created by the contrast of the dark wood panelling on either side of the window.
"Bamburgh Castle", watercolour by Tom Wells

Disability arts in the UK have seen a surge since the 1980s, but not all disabled people create about disability. In our efforts to promote anti-ableist research culture at the University of 91Ö±²¥, the WAARC team believes in acknowledging and celebrating the creativity and artistry of disabled and chronically ill staff members. Alongside important policy changes that address the pragmatic realities of being a disabled worker in higher education, art highlights the cultural impact of disabled people.

Mixed media artwork on an A4 canvas with coloured paint. The colours are blue, gold and green in a swirly pattern.
"Swirling Colours", mixed media, by S
Cross-stiched floral wire wreath on black canvas. In the centre "Crip Killjoy" is stitched in white cursive. At the bottom of the hoop, there is a visible mend where the canvas was too short.
"Crip Killjoy", cross-stitch embroidery by Élaina Gauthier-Mamaril
Robot reading books

iHuman

How we understand being ‘human’ differs between disciplines and has changed radically over time. We are living in an age marked by rapid growth in knowledge about the human body and brain, and new technologies with the potential to change them.