Artist Finnegan Shannon's There's no me without you invites visitors to consider how accessibility shapes the experience of art. Presented at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, the installation centers on a 12-foot-square conveyor belt displaying objects for people to explore by touch.
The room offers a mix of seating and open space, alongside accessible text, descriptive audio, masks, hand sanitizer and DIY air purifiers. During the exhibition's first month, artist Ariana Martinez contributes tactile pieces--including ceramic strips and rope forms--arranged for visitors to handle.
On one visit, the belt was initially inactive. After staff were unable to get it moving, a visitor gently shifted a plate, and the conveyor started. The unexpected moment brought the installation's focus on interdependence into view: access can depend on systems working, as well as on people noticing and responding to one another's needs.
By making participation tangible, Shannon's work encourages museums to treat accessibility as an essential part of artistic experience. The exhibition continues at Pioneer Works through December 20. Such approaches could help cultural spaces become more flexible, welcoming and responsive to the people who use them.
