The Coventry Tales

Within the group, photographer Dexter McLean is, I think, amongst the more established artists in the group and perhaps the most obviously disabled (by common representation), being an electric wheelchair user. He also has the best, the wildest, sense of humour (by group consensus). My abiding image of the day is Dexter in his wheelchair, juddering over the cobble stones of Coventry, his voice modulating high and low, while all the time trying to carry on a conversation.

Over lunch, we discussed the relative merits of the different shrines/art installations and voted on our favourites. Of the five displays, one – from the Project Art Works collective – presented the work of neurodiverse artists. You might expect we would have all choosen this disability related display, but you would be wrong - although it did have its enthusiasts. The vote fell in favour of the installation presented by Cooking Sections on the subject of sustainable food and salmon farming, not disability. In a later unanimous vote though, it was agreed that the real highlight of the trip was the food we’d consumed over the course of the day (perhaps a gastronomic theme is starting to emerge).

On our return to London, we discussed the state of contemporary disability rights in the UK. We bemoaned what we felt to be a lack of momentum in recent years and reflected on the ideas of solidarity and intersectionality – inspired by the work of the collectives on display – but also noted ways in which representation and justice for disabled people generally seem to lag.

As such, the journey was more than just a tourist trip. As in an ancient pilgrimage, what was just as life changing as the visit to the holy sites was what happened on the journey itself, and the sense of community and growth of self-confidence we have since experienced as disabled artists.

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*As my surname is Miller, I contemplated calling this “The Miller’s Tale”, but thought better of it since this is not nearly as rude or funny as Chaucer’s original.