Every time I lay to rest
Ongoing photography project
Every time I lay to rest is an ongoing photography project where I document my view every time I need to lie down to give care to my aching body. I am interested in horizontality and crip time, specifically with how we orientate ourselves when engaging with art in gallery contexts. My research explores the normative ways of curating art spaces that push ableist modes of spectatorship.
Exhibited as part of The Rest (curated by Áine O’Hara) at 126 Gallery, Galway, Ireland, in 2023 - as an installation of 50 photographs, cushions, rug, seating, lightbulb.
“A powerful showcase of artwork created by sick, disabled, d/Deaf, neurodiverse, and mad artists. This groundbreaking event, taking place from 1st - 17th September, will shed light on how sick and disabled artists navigate the art world, while offering a fresh and exciting perspective on the need for change both in our personal and professional lives.
The concept of 'The Rest' is to showcase the endless inventiveness and creativity of artists who have so often been silenced or excluded. As sick and disabled artists we are often an afterthought, the artworld isn’t designed for sick and disabled bodies. We find our own ways to crip the artworld, we lie on museum floors, we go to exhibitions from our beds, create work through whatsapp voice notes. We rest in museum bathrooms. ‘The Rest’ looks at how we as sick, disabled, d/Deaf, neurodiverse and mad artists make the artworld work for us and asks the vital question ‘How do you dream of a new world when there’s nowhere to sit down?’”
Documentation of Every time I lay to rest from The Rest at 126 Gallery, Galway, Ireland, in 2023