Finnegan Shannon’s There's no me without you at Pioneer Works considers the fragility of systems and the consequences of their breakdown for disabled bodies.
The installation is a 12-foot-long square conveyor belt — think conveyor-belt sushi — in a maroon-carpeted room that carries and displays objects for visitors to interact with, from plush chairs to open spaces for individuals who can’t access the seating. Masks, accessible text, hand sanitizer, DIY air purifiers, and descriptive audio are also available, defining Shannon’s vision for an equitable, gentle engagement with art.
Three artists will be presented during the show’s run. For the first month, Ariana Martinez places small objects in dishes atop the moving presentation for visitors to pick up and touch. These small, tactile, fidget-like objects range from ceramic strips to masses of rope, all of which delight.
Installation views of There's no me without you at Pioneer Works (photo Bryan Martin/Hyperallergic)
Unfortunately, during my visit, the conveyor belt wasn't turned on, which undermined the apparatus's accessibility intent. Staff eventually came up to switch it on, but when the machine proved stuck, they left without resolving the issue. The inert belt became a frustrating metaphor for institutions and a larger social apathy toward accessibility needs.
Spurred by fellow visitors’ confusion, I gently rocked a jammed plate side to side to see if it would help, and the belt started moving. Although accidental, Shannon's intent crystallized. We are all interdependent. Creative solutions are inexorably linked to disability, making the subject ripe for artmaking. The installation’s deviation from what I expected, like disability itself, offered me a new perspective on the world — a reminder of our collective responsibility to those who live in it.
There’s no me without you continues at Pioneer Works (159 Pioneer Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn) through December 20. The exhibition was organized by Pioneer Works.