Deep Sea Diving In A Wheelchair
When Sue Austin got a power chair 16 years ago, she felt a tremendous sense of freedom — yet others looked at her as though she had lost something. In her art, she aims to convey the spirit of wonder she feels wheeling through the world. Includes thrilling footage of an underwater wheelchair that lets her explore ocean beds, drifting through schools of fish, floating free in 360 degrees.
I started using a wheelchair in 1996 after an extended illness that affected my mobility. Later, when I first used an electric wheelchair, I felt an amazing sense of exhilaration at being free to speed through the streets, mobile again. However, I found that people’s responses to me changed. Through artistic research, I came to understand this arose from the negative preconceptions many people attach to the wheelchair.
The idea for the underwater wheelchair came to me when I trained as a disabled diver in 2005, using fin gloves. I noticed that scuba equipment extends one’s range of activity in the world, just as a wheelchair does. However, the feeling of freedom and adventure associated with scuba equipment is far from how people generally view the wheelchair. So I wondered what would happen if I put the two together.
In the underwater wheelchair my body is completely supported and I have motors that give me an amazing range of movement. I can perform acrobatic manoeuvres, which many people have likened to an underwater ballet. The shape of each performance is improvised as I intuitively feel for the most expressive and graceful shapes that I can find in that moment.
Coming up with a new concept like this can be challenging, but it also creates the most unexpected, mind-expanding experiences. Myself and co-producer Trish Wheatley have developed a team of dedicated specialists, volunteers, supporters and sponsors to make our ambitious plans possible, and I couldn’t have done it without the help of Plymouth University, where I am studying for an MA. It has been a long and complex journey, at times requiring a great deal of patience and resilience from all involved, but humour has helped us to get through everything.
MailOnline