Visualising Disability: Artist Showcase

Attwood is a visual artist working with moving image and photography. Her work focuses on illustrating and visually interpreting how living with mental and physical illness ‘feels’.

The three works above are works in progress from the series Maybe it was the chicken pox? which Attwood has been developing since being diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis in 2022. In the series, Attwood uses micro photography, painting and text to visualise the excess skin cells being created by her body. These are presented alongside images taken in nature, with Attwood using nature and its imperfections as a way to process her own illness. The result is a series of beautifully grotesque images, at times appearing almost crystalline in their details.

Emily June Smith is a Romford-based neurodivergent visual artist and recent graduate of Falmouth University. Her work diverges from traditional documentary photography to delve into personal and social contexts.

The images above are from the ongoing photographic project A Dissonant Past Unmasked which takes an autobiographical approach, exploring Smith's experiences with ADHD and autism and the impact this had on her family. Smith states: "Stigmatised by the community, and isolated without adequate support or training, my family and I had to learn to cope. By confronting my difficult past, I am looking for catharsis and closure within domestic scenes of dissonance."