Selected Work

Made during my BA in Dundee, I’m Sorry, I Have To Decline is a body of work reflecting on progressive/degenerative disabilities.

I have had Ehlers Danlos Syndrome diagnosed since 2016. This is caused by an inherited genetic mutation affecting my connective tissues. My joints, skin and organs become more fragile because collagen production slows as we age - mine is defective to start with, so I experience more injuries and fatigue as I get older. The hypermobile subtype has not had a gene identified and there is no real way to predict the progress. I began my 30s with an incredibly active job/lifestyle and a level of muscle tone that was unusually good, but among other issues I now experience nerve impingement in my hands due to bulging discs and cranio-cervical instability (link is to an age related condition which my symptoms mimic - loss of sensation, pins and needles, dropping things).

The performance / video element from which this image is taken symbolises the futility of going round in circles, ending up exactly where you started …but probably worse off.

Anyone who has ever tried to access third sector support for physical or mental health conditions might find the themes familiar, being “signposted” from MP/MSP to Citizen’s Advice Bureau, then on to an underfunded advocacy charity which apologises and suggests another underfunded charity, who then suggest another and ask if you’ve checked at Citizen’s Advice…

Plaster cast ankle boots are tied behind a wheelchair and dragged along the ground, being worn away to nothing.

Above: Experimental / speculative photographs taken at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design.

80% of the workshops and studios in the Crawford Building have no step free access. The Art Materials Shop cannot be reached without encountering stairs, students who use wheelchairs can’t even spend money on essentials like paper, markers and glue!

The access route to the back of the Crawford Building features a steep slope at least twice the recommended gradient.