Acts of Observation was a group show by artists and writers Ana García Jácome, Jeda Pearl, Abi Palmer and Simon Yuill. The exhibition spanned our entire site and was presented as a series of solo presentations, or ‘acts’, throughout our different buildings, spaces, and online.
Dynamic in form and content, the artists brought together present a diverse range of works including film, interactive installation, writing and architectural interventions. Acts of Observation directly questioned, contextualised and challenged how we negotiate institutional language and spaces, and how disability is represented. The participating artists articulated and politicised notions of recovery and offer visions of positive, inclusive futures.
Artworks on display included: interactive installation Crip Casino by Abi Palmer, where absurdist poetic diagnoses were delivered by the spirit of Elvis reimagined as a medical practitioner; two film works by Ana García Jácome - It’s Like She Had Never Existed and The [ ] History of Disability in MexicoIt’s Like She Had Never Existed and The [ ] History of Disability in Mexico along with a selection drawings, new poetry by Jeda Pearl which questioned how we are observed and which bodies are seen as sublime; and a new text work by Simon Yuill, expanding the text works produced for the artist manifesto Not Going Back to Normal.
Ana García Jácome works with different media such as drawing, writing, video, and archives to address the social construction of disability and explore ways to re-articulate its narratives.
Jeda Pearl is a Scottish-Jamaican writer and poet. Inspired by existing in the ‘in between’, plus the hidden history, culture, and folklore of her ancestral islands, her work often explores the intersections of identity, belonging, secrecy and survival.
Abi Palmer is an artist and writer exploring the relationship between linguistic and physical communication.
Simon Yuill is an artist and researcher. His work includes the use of interview, writing, film, custom software systems and textile works.
