Concrete Captions: Texting Rights

Overview

Concrete Captions: Texting Rights shows how texting and social media empower Deaf and disability culture, shift attitudes about burdens, and challenge outdated views. During the pandemic, a renaissance of collective action, mutual aid, and new ways of thinking emerged. Inspired by my experiences with netspeak, the artists artwork celebrates the strength and beauty of Deaf and disability cultures.

In the Captioning Experience, a live captioning interactive experience, humour and creativity are used to test lip-reading skills and connect audiences with the lived experience of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing.

The texts in this ceramics and technology exhibition question propaganda that frames disabled people as burdens, overlooking destruction wrought by billionaires and politicians. While media reports blame wasting public funds, and accommodations are withheld, disability victim-blaming and ableism are society's fear and shame.

Continuing to see disability in isolation rather than as an intersectional and connecting part of everyone and everything in life and art, overlooks its creative, revolutionary power. Essentially, Deaf gain and disability intersectional insight equips transformative, creative power to reimagine bodies and values through art.