Co-Ability design practices / Matter and Mind in Disability

Exhibition:
During the semester-long work, the students researched the correlation between art, design, and science with focusing on deconstructing the contemporary norms in society while examining cultural and experimental interpretations of abilities and disabilities. The objective of the course was to change the perspectives on disability and become familiar with its values and positive advantages by using methods of co-Ability studies (Dezső, 2019) and Applied Design Thinking (Mateus-Berr 2013, 2020). ‘The understanding of co-Ability is grounded in the posthumanist philosophy and in the critical disability studies outlined by scholars such as Rosi Braidotti (2013) (2017); McRuer (2016); Goodley (2014) (2017); Goodley & Lawthom (2009); Campbell (2012); Wolfe (2009). This term applies to the relational matter of our world.’ (Dezső, 2019)

 

To deconstruct the contemporary normative perspective related to inequality the key is to disconnect the stigma attached to the term. “The notion of disability is enigmatic, even confusing because the term itself ‘disability’ has negative connotations, given the prefix ‘dis’ meaning ‘absence’ or ‘negation’”Mitra (2018: 9). Mitra is one of the most respected and committed development economists working on disability, argues entitled, and her work replaces rhetoric with detailed evidence and critique. She argues for the interactional model of disability based on Nobel-prize winner (1998) Amartya Sen’s capability approach. The capability approach has been used to deal with different disability-related issues by the American philosopher Martha Nussbaum (2006), and economist Amartya Sen (2009) who engages against inequality. Both refer to nearly all global goals to which world leaders agreed to create a better world by 2030 (Global Goals 2015), especially to Goal 10: It calls for reducing inequalities in income as well as those based on age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or another status within a country. The Goal also addresses inequalities among countries, including those related to representation, migration and development assistance. Sen (2009; Mitra 2018: 10-11) focuses on the type of life that people are able to live, e.g. on their practical opportunities, called capabilities.

The exhibition introduces the knowledge of experiencing impaired senses and allows - by using diverse design tools - as a greater understanding of human experiences. The works of the students from the first semester until postgraduate show a wide range of approaches and interpretations, which allow interactions and observations on co-Abilities and invite the audience for participation by artist talks.

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Is this me? 2020 © Julia Fromm

Co-Ability Project: Proba 2019/2020 (c) James Carcass