Fellowship focus: Exploring the psychology of ableism by developing a satirical series of ‘unproductive’ participatory and therapeutic art activities.
This residency will use humour, irony and exaggeration to challenge prejudicial attitudes towards disabled and neurodivergent people, and compare exaggerated claims – such as the ‘triumph over adversity’ trope – with Simon’s lived experience of bipolar depression and hypomania. He will work with academics in the School of Psychology to develop a performance-lecture about the use of satire in disability and neurodivergence-related art, and initiate a series of satirical ‘art therapy’ exercises. Collaborating with Professor Tischler he will conduct research on the factors that produce ableism and develop critical analyses on concepts such as ‘ecophobia’ (fear of one’s environment).