Disability Culture Watch

Bill Shannon takes on disability once again, this time at a gallery exhibition featuring drawings, sculpture, video installation and multi-media art. Many of us know Shannon primarily as performance artist and dancer, but I am eager to see this new presentation of his ideas.

I recall one piece – a video of his street performance where the camera “watches” bystanders’ impulse to help. Shannon moves through space with two crutches and often a skateboard. People who see him sliding down banisters, propelled by crutches, or walking down steps in a loose rag-doll walk, seem to be both captivated and unsettled by the scene/spectacle. Shannon sometimes goes along with unsolicited offers of help, and lets strangers “help” him get down stairs he was navigating solo.

Note that dates of exhibition include the opening date of the Society for Disability Studies Conference in NYC. In a phone call to the gallery, I was told that there is an elevator on the street, and wheelchair access is not a problem. I will try to see this in the next week or so and report back.