So here we are the exhibition is hung yesterday - just - and today starts it's four days of being open to the public.We have an accessible building, no mean feat in an old building in St Ives - but it was renovated.
We have warm welcoming artists, Saturday and Sunday, on site staff Monday and Tuesday - however they won't be in the room but an office on the way.
So my faults/reflections:
I didn't have a conversation around Access at the beginning of the project planning with myself or the artists involved.
As usual, in most unfunded 'passion' projects, you are squeezing in time balancing other work and life issues, both Zoe and Anna, the artists, have other issues they deal with on a daily basis and their working together and under Shallal was a help for their work to be seen without too much pressure ...so no spare cash or energy, or help in the project.
However no excuse for me, I believe passionately in Universal Design.
Reflecting on our last show Pendentive i wonder why this issue hadn't come up? and it is in a permanently staffed cafe, who i can't praise highly enough, as well as friendly artists, customers environment so someone would talk to you, answer questions - still not enough? but it's not a gallery space and wandering around with headphones might not work there?
So what am i on about, Audio description.
What if i turn up to the Borlaes Smart room, Porthmeor Studios St ives and want to now about the exhibition and am partially sighted or blind.
In our ideal world of community and welcome someone articulate and friendly would welcome me and answer my needs for description.
However i might not want to interact/ask i might want to reflect alone, maintain my autonomy and choice and be enabled, as anyone else is, to have freedom to engage or not with the art on offer. In which case i need a set of headphones with audio description placed where i might find them on entry!!
We have head sets/headphines in the studio.
A problem with Access ( audio description) is it can come in late and if so is there time capacity, skills and funding to do it well? - quick answer - no!
You can't describe an exhibition until it's hung. You can have the audio describer booked, the equipment and skills at the ready. and overnight/early morning do it in time for the doors opening today.
I'm up early making bread prepping my domestic and other lives before dedicating the last third of the day top the exhibition and private view for Resonance.
The reminder i had failed at Universal Design came while kneading bread dough!
The semi solution is to ask both artists to today describe their work into a whats app chat and see if we can upload it somewhere, combined with a description of the room ( requires an edit ) so it can be accessed online - this presupposes the person needing audio description has smart phone?! which is another hard area - digitally divide/poverty etc
or avoiding digital poverty, i get the headphones from the studio and attempt to put recording with them (i haven't done this before) and therefore may not achieve it on time, plus extra stress, in very busy weekend...
Universal Design& Sustainable good practice need to be discussed and included in the first meeting and not be add ons.
I have only met the first step! an accessible building...free entry, friendly environment, a wish to incude/help, no parking only drop off - this is St Ives one fof the least accessible places. We were invited to be part of Remapping St Project with Jo Mayes many years ago.
Yesterday i had wonderful walk around St ives and lovely chats in two (inaccessible) art galleries and one with only one small step but no ramp or signage for one if needed.
So imagine yourself using a wheel chair or unable to see far or clearly and how would you get around navigate this world of ours. I'm 62 my eyesight is far worse than it used to be, I miss it, I'm a visual person, my husband has mild Parkinsons, many of my family have had chronic fatigue, invisible chronic health and can't do much without exhaustion, so every excursion has to well planned.
And i failed, i will try to remedy it, life is work in progress, but this is a plea, I messed up and i care, please let's all; put Universal Design at the heart of what we do, life is easier for us all if everyone can be involved, is welcome, we all benefit.
