Framing Question: One of the most overlooked communities is the disability community. What role can media technology play in reshaping the way we think about dis/ability?
prompt: look at the GIF work by blind artist George Redhawk, then write a description for one of his GIFS (https://plus.google.com/+DarkAngel0ne)
This week’s section of reading was more accessible than last week’s, as Alison Kafer used a lot of easy to understand examples (i.e. disabled athletes and Christopher Reeve) to illustrate her points.
I’m glad that Kafer addressed sci-fi and fantasy cyborgs and explained them as completely separate from what she was talking about. Because of shows and comics (like Teen Titans), the word cyborg reminds me of superheroes and people with super-human abilities. Kafer’s article is more concerned with cyborgs as people who are connected to and perhaps dependent upon technology, which is important to note, especially when it comes to applying themes like feminism and dis/ability to the subject.
I think that the most important point brought up was that even when we can make high-tech cyborg-like technology for disabled people, that does not mean a lot of disabled people will actually have access to that technology. These technologies will be super expensive to develop and maintain, and the reality is that many disabled people live in poverty. While a lot of disabled people may be interested in this high-tech equipment, but a lot of them will be able to afford and use it.
To answer the framing question, media technology can be used to normalize disabled people (from the able-bodied perspective), but like Kafer said, it can also be used to further distance disabled and abled people. I think we just must be careful with the technology as an entire group so that it does not end up abused.
I’m writing this part of the response immediately after playing Blindscape, so it’s very fresh in my mind. Even though the story and gameplay were both relatively simple, the game was really fascinating. I have the desire to share it with my two closest friends and maybe my mom.
I played the game originally with my eyes open, but after the second doorway, I figured it would add to the experience to have my eyes shut (which it of course did). I tried not to think about how silly I looked to my roommate across the room...
Like I said, the gameplay was simple, but I don’t think that took away from the experience. If finding the doors and walking closer to the sounds were made any harder, I might have been put off from the game. Similarly, there was a good variety of sounds present in the game.
My only wish is that the game was longer. I would love for there to be multiple chapters (which you could come back to like a book or TV series) or more context to the story. I get that the narrator character lives in a world that has outlawed forms of expression and art (like music and movies), but I want to know more. It feels like the game I played was a trailer for something bigger.
Overall though, I really liked Blindscape. It’s something I’ll probably come back to and replay in the future, so I’m going to keep the app downloaded to my phone.
here is the link for if that GIF doesn’t move: (x)
Moving on to George Redhawl’s artwork, I specifically looked at the GIF above.
The best way for me to describe this GIF is that it is the head of a bearded man who is made of what looks like sand. Small elements of the image move, but the overall appearance of the man never changes. It looks almost like his beard hair is growing, and the top half of his head is separating into rock-like formations. The top right corner of the image looks like an aerial shot of the desert or the moon. One interesting thing about this image is its selective use of color. Most of the image is black, white, and gray, but salmon/peach and sky blue are both present. I’m really curious as to how this image was created, especially since the artist is blind.
gamechangershow
pixelskylines
snowghoul
izzy806
gracieabrams
yousharknotpass