Neuro/Queering Nature at spudWORKS

On Friday 1st March I’m beginning a residency with SPUD in the New Forest. With the title Neuro/Queering Nature, I’m going to be looking at the perspectives of LGBTQAI+ and Neurodivergent people on ecologies of place.

I’ll be blurring the boundaries between humans and other animals, and thinking about the sensory and systemising differences that being autistic or adhd can bring to broader understandings of our place within what we’ve come to call ‘Nature’.

‘A radical politics of neurodivergent conservation is also consistent with a radical politics of environmental conservation. After all, it has been the same logics, the same system, that has ravaged the biodiversity of the planet as has sought to eliminate the neurological diversity of humanity..’

Empire of Normality, Robert Chapman

I will be primarily focusing on my own direct experiences of the Forest, allowing my existing Neuroqueer Ecologies thread of research, and what I’ve learned so far with Queer River, to weave its way into the studio at SPUD, and the work I make with the surrounding heathland, woods and mires. I also want to think about how natural history classification can be Neuro/Queered, as I have started to explore at Found Outdoors.

For anyone that’s new to my work, I’m fascinated by what we each bring to our perception and understanding of places, and the fact that LGBTQAI+ and Neurodivergent people’s sensory experiences and interpretations of place, can often be at odds with heteronormative and neuronormative ideas of human-Nature relationships.

My time at SPUD will be explorative and playful. I want to record the signs of animal life through tracks and camera traps, and to spend time with Avon Water as it winds itself through the area on its way to the sea.

‘The outdoor community should prioritize neurodiversity in its efforts to make the outdoors more accessible, by pro-viding sensory-friendly accommodations, supporting neuroqueer voices, and recognizing neuroqueer individuals as leaders and advocates. These efforts aim to break down barriers to accessing the outdoors and to create a more inclusive and equitable outdoor community for all.’

Neurodivergence is also an LGBTQ+ topic: Making space for “neuroqueering” in the outdoors, Tarah Loy-Ash

I’m planning on building on this initial residency period by returning to work with SPUD artist(s) and local LGBTQAI+ young people during April, inviting them to respond in ways that make sense to them, and in June I’ll return to SPUD for another week to develop and install an exhibition that will open to the public from 13th June to 4th July. I’ll add more info on this participatory element, the exhibition and associated events as/when they are all confirmed.

I’m thankful for SPUD for being flexible enough to accomodate my needs, and those of my family, through an extended, part-time residency, and am really excited to be getting started!