Inclusi(vE)Space

Proposed by Lena Pozdnyakova and Eldar Tagi

Inspired by Shanon Finnegan’s approach in working on projects about disability culture and access, where she explores language, communication through digital devices, and web accessibility, There, there project attempts to expand on the subject by introducing a series of open-ended document-based and correspondence-formats-driven sub-project.

With There, there’s interest in unlearning the notion of “normal” and expanding the inclusive environment for diverse groups of people, including neural diversity, Care(full) Spam methodology attempts to cater to those members of the 2023 cohort who take their time away from uncomfortable for them group meetings and direct public engagement.

With this, the email is sent from and to (and dedicated to) those SoC 2023 members, whose voice or face we have never seen as part of our group meetings and who, nevertheless, have much to express and share as part of their practice. Asynchronicity, while some immediacy and delivery of the material directly to the personal inbox, allows for the communication of those and to those who are not so visible and outspoken but those whom we care about deeply. Care(full) Spam methodology also allows us to take time and decide to engage or ignore the email altogether (and that’s fine!), as, with any other spam email, we are not expecting an answer directly (unless people decide to do so).

Another essential aspect that is appealing to us and prompted us to keep the format of the email as the primary base for this methodology is predicated by the abundance of ever-upgrading and ever-expanding community workplace applications (MIRO, MURAL, vvvvvvaria, + and various additional social media channels and messengers). This overwhelming amount of channels, and some people’s rejection of engaging with them due to numerous valuable reasons, prompts us to keep this approach simple and to just have it land in our old-fashioned inbox folder. Inclusi(vE)Space is affiliated with another environment cultivated by There, there – Kompositum. Under the conditions of Kompositum, the Inclusi(vE)Space contains the middle (vE) concept that represents three sub-environments within the Inclusive Space:

– virtual&Electronic space (Virtual Asynchronized Communication)

– varied/vitalEducational space (Dissemination of knowledge, information, and ideas)

– viralEmail methodology (Spam Emails with components that allow for them to be explored or ignored)

Precedent:

Among the inspiring precedents in working on accessibility and disability, we chose Shanon Finnegan’s program titled Alt-text as Poetry. With her in-depth understanding of the subject and practice with people with disabilities (In 2018, she received a Wynn Newhouse Award and participated in Art Beyond Sight’s Art + Disability Residency), Alt-text as Poetry program puts forth the urgency to rethink accessible visual content through practice-driven work, forms of care and playful approaches to bringing about change where it’s most needed. Alt-text as Poetry – an online awareness-raising, educational, and practice-based program focused on an essential part of web accessibility through making visual content accessible to people with low vision and blind communities. The project was part of the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art programs that bring to the public projects the urgency of access, care, and foregrounding queer histories.

Importantly, this project took place during the pandemic (in 2020). Therefore, it also emphasized and explored the potential of working on these critically important matters in a work-on-distance mode.

This aspect also brings importance to giving more opportunities for inclusivity within virtual space that, in our case of Care(full) Spam project or Spreadsheeting art, caters to asynchronous communication within the community.

Please read about the audio-based components of the Care(full) Spam here.

Published 07/01/2023