Able to Disabled: My Changing Landscape

A spoken word soundscape, 25 minutes in length. This audio work has been three years in the making. A great deal of learning, a shift in my art practice, an affirmative process.

Rheumatoid Disease arrived in March of 2014, significantly altering my ability to continue to work in the media I had cultivated: painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media – always with an emphasis on the environment surrounding us here in Northern Ontario. Fortunately, I was diagnosed quickly and referred to a Rheumatologist. The severity of the disease took hold and for the following three years, I was bedridden, using a wheelchair for outings.

During this time, a dear friend who visited often gifted me a handheld audio recorder and encouraged me to record my daily insights and to capture sounds of my environment. It was meant as a way for me to stay engaged creatively through an extremely difficult time.

In 2017, a new treatment began to show promise. Now able to function I decided to apply for a grant with the Ontario Arts Council aimed at a mentorship year with Darren Copeland, an accomplished soundscape artist. Darren came to my home every two weeks instructing me on the techniques of capturing, editing and composition. We began extracting pieces from all I had captured during those years, pieces we felt were strong in creating the story.

In 2019, I again applied and was awarded another Ontario Arts Council grant that would see Able to Disabled: My Changing Landscape to completion. With the skill and support of Benjamin Hermann, sound technician and confidant, this work ready for publication. It will live and be accessible to all on the web via my website. I encourage you to use headphones as the work has been configured to be an intimate, mindful listening experience.

In 2020 the final piece of this project was produced: a translation video with both American Sign Language and close captioned. I invite you to watch and appreciate your sharing. 

If you require more information please do not hesitate to contact me. I am open and interested in all avenues to promote and share this work. My hope is for rehabilitation centres, oncology centres, chronic illness associations/groups, those experiencing loss, transformation, new ways of navigating the world, will have the opportunity to engage with this work.

Sincerely,

  Kim Kitchen, Artist                                                                                                         www.kimkitcheninthestudio.com