To me, disabilities demonstrate that beauty does not come purely from the physicality of people or things — but that beauty is completely tied to the ideas of the mind and actions of the body. A testament to this statement is what British artist Sue Austin has done to her National Health Service-issued wheelchair. As part of a series of live and film events called “Crating the Spectacle”, she has modified her wheelchair with the help of divers and engineers to allow her to scuba dive even though she has been in a wheelchair since 1996.
Austin majestically glides underwater around coral reefs in a display of surreal grace and remarkable precision. Her NHS chair is fitted with swimming floats for buoyancy and two dive propulsion propellers that push her forward through the water. She has mobility over her feet enough to operate acrylic strips attached to clear fins specially designed for this application. Because of the position of the propellers, at the base of the chair, and the custom fins, Austin has excellent mobility through the liquid and can perform maneuvers like tight turns and flips. To add to the aesthetics of the artistic demonstration, Austin has added dye release mechanisms that give the illusion of jet propulsion rocket exhaust.
Until now, the only problem is that her wheelchair is prone to rusting. To solve this, Austin wants to build a new wheelchair made from titanium as well as having the invention patented. I hope it works out for her.
Sue Austin is devoted towards changing the popular perspective of disabilities through her artwork. She will be making appearances throughout London starting August 29 till September 9. More information and videos are available at the project’s website, wearefreewheeling.org.uk.
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