Voices Embodied: Reverberations
Voices Embodied: Reverberations hosted at the Design Museum of Chicago is in its fifth iteration of the show, highlighting eighteen artists locally and internationally. This show was specifically interested in how artists can design a more inclusive world that forefronts disabled individuals and communities instead of thinking about access as a background problem. This desire for access to be woven into how the world works is an echoed sentiment across disability culture. The artists in this show believe that by creating a more inclusive and accessible world, a more empathetic future is possible. It is a quick roll to the back of the space to enter the gallery where the artists are showcased. As soon as you enter the exhibition, you are overwhelmed by the number of different mediums or art filling the space across the floor and up onto the gallery walls. From fiber arts to sculptures to video pieces, these artists tackle accessible futures in many ways. Let’s explore a few of the artists' pieces in this show.
Genevieve Ramos approaches themes of inclusion and access head-on with her painting titled “Amigas,” referencing a photo from her Crip Paint Power portrait series featuring herself and local artist Reveca Torres. Ramos invites us into the painting, noting that this piece is in part inspired by Mia Mingus’s blog post, “Wherever You Are Is Where I Want To Be: Crip Solidarity.” When thinking about crip solidarity in her artist statement, Ramos says, “Its [Mingus’s article] sentiment narrates that we will always find ways to stay together and support each other, creating our own paths and practicing love and interdependence in the face of ableism and isolation.” Ramos' piece, which is inviting and lovely to look at, also challenges the viewer to think more critically by incorporating a vintage architectural blueprint in the background. She challenges viewers to realize that disability is often not even considered in the blueprints of the buildings we are supposed to live in. A direct tie into the barriers disabled people experience. At the same time, she illuminates through her portrait of herself and a friend what the world misses out on when not including disabled people.
Libby Evan’s quilt “Are You Seriously Serious? (quilt)” was created by the artist so that if someone attempted to use it as a quilt, it would not function the way a quilt truly should. The quilt invokes the discomfort that the artist experiences, specifically, they say, through “ableism, institutional barriers, and vocalized discrimination.” While experiencing the frustration of these layered experiences of disability, the question on the quilt echoes to the viewer. Evan’s work challenges the viewers by presenting them with an item that appears to be for comfort and coziness but has its own barrier built if it is to be used. Instead of removing the barrier for the onlooker, she reinforces it, challenging the normalcy of comfort non-disabled viewers often expect.
Since this show focuses on inclusion, working towards eliminating barriers, and bringing access to the forefront, it is important to note where I ran into some issues. Since I was using my wheelchair during this visit, I could not view Todd Edward Herman’s film “When I Stop Looking” as there was a step to enter the viewing room. While this is not an access barrier for all disabled individuals, this is something for the Design Museum to consider moving forward. It is an interesting experience not to be able to access part of a space where the artists’ work explores imagining future worlds without barriers. This experience left me reflecting on issues of accessibility, including access conflict. Additionally, it brought to mind Bri Beck’s piece “In Tandem” which “considers how designed objects that are intended to assist in her access can also cause discomfort and more chronic physical issues,” comes to mind. This friction, or as Bri calls it, “moments of connection or distress depending on the level of tension,” is vital to acknowledge when engaging with the world. Even when striving for the most accessible and barrier-free solutions, these moments of friction will likely always occur due to the varying needs of disabled bodies and minds.
You may have missed the exhibition this year, but here’s to hoping the exhibition returns for a sixth year next Fall so more people can encounter and engage with the arts and concepts of disability. As each year features a new theme, we can look forward to what disability culture, aesthetics, and poetics are to come.
Works Cited:
Mingus, Mia. “Wherever You Are Is Where I Want to Be: Crip Solidarity.” Leaving Evidence , 3 May 2010, leavingevidence.wordpress.com/2010/05/03/where-ever-you-are-is-where-i-want-to-be-crip-solidarity/.
Bio:
Bri Noonan is a queer disabled non-binary artist located in Chicago, IL where they are currently pursuing their PhD in Disability Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago. They graduated with a BFA in Photography in May 2013 and a MA in Social and Cultural Pedagogy with a Certificate in Disability Studies in May 2021 from Arizona State University. Their work explores disability and queerness in conversation with crip and queer theory often utilizing artistic and media narratives to investigate queer disabled ways of knowing and lineages.