Despite our shared frailties and variation in body size, type and ability, we tend to take accessibility and comfort for granted and unfortunately on some level sometimes we don’t like to be confronted with the interventions that disabled individuals need to navigate spaces not designed for them.
When I was confined to a wheelchair and on crutches—temporarily, I hope it gave me some insight and empathy that’s endured about how hard and unforgiving certain of our built terrains can be. A bedroom created by Christopher Samuel as part of a project that has invited nineteen artist to redesign and embellish the suites of a
bed-and-breakfast in Blackpool draws on personal experience and inverts the situation to make the dimensions and furnishings especially demanding, awkward and frustrating for non-handicapped guests, the theatrics of the room an invitation for people to imagine the experience of others. The individual pictured is not the artist but rather the programme director Michael Trainor, since for Samuel—who uses an electric wheelchair for mobility, his own installation is inaccessible and hasn’t seen the finished piece in person. Much more to explore with BBC at the link above.
