For this online talk at NN Contemporary Art, we invited Arjun Harrison-Mann, Benjamin Redgrove & Kaiya Waerea to discuss their collaborative practice exploring notions of radical accessibility, the relationship between power and presence, and the aesthetics of accessibility.
In this talk, we will be unravelling the design provocation presented by the Social Model of Disability – a key framework in the Disability Rights Movement – for the collective reimagining of access to protest and space. Grounded in their collective practice, Arjun Harrison-Mann, Benjamin Redgrove and Kaiya Waerea will be proposing a series of provocations, both conceptual and practice based, that will explore the role of the proxy in shifting the dynamic between power and presence, understanding the nuances of visibility under lockdown, and the importance of foregrounding anti-ableist aesthetics.
Arjun Harrison-Mann and Benjamin Redgrove are an artist & designer duo, whose work is grounded in The Social Model of Disability, often in collaboration with activist group Disabled People Against Cuts. As allies to the Disability Rights Movement, and stemming from personal experiences with disability benefits in the UK, their work often sits somewhere between provocation and service – currently exploring the role of the proxy in making protest accessible.
Kaiya Waerea is a writer and designer, whose work looks critically at chronic illness and the body by activating alternate forms of knowledge production to interrogate how we can collaboratively develop new ways of listening and taking care of each other.
Arjun, Benjamin and Kaiya are currently collaborating with artists Sky Cubacub, Ebony Rose Dark and Sophie Hoyle. Together they are exploring notions of radical accessibility, the relationship between power and presence, and the aesthetics of accessibility.
In light of the current COVID-19 restrictions, the event will happen on Zoom – a link will be emailed to attendees. This event will be live captioned and recorded for archival purposes.
For help with how to set up Zoom and accessibility enquiries, email maria@northamptonarts.org.