I chose the lens of disability to explore the idea of what it means to wear a mask or to take one off. People with disabilities often do not feel seen in public because many avoid their gaze. It is as if they exist behind a mask.
For me, unmasking is looking past the disability or the mask and seeing the person for who they are. Sometimes it takes extra work to connect to people who look or act differently because of a disability.
I took a very medical-looking, though extremely important and functional object—the wheel chair—and transformed it into something to wear proudly. I support those who struggle to be seen because of circumstance. Self adornment to me is a way of saying, this is who I am, I am proud of it, and I’d like for us to meet right here.