Stimming a Space Dancing at the Margins

Abstract

This presentation gives insight into artistic research Stimming a Space that explores stimming—auto-regulative behaviour—as a means to make and hold space for neurodivergent individuals within the art world. The umbrella term neurodiversity describes developmental conditions such as autism, ADHD or dyspraxia. Stimming can be done to soothe all senses, the more commonly known examples would be rocking movements in autistics or fidgeting in ADHD[1].

I argue that parallel to movements of queering public spaces (Ahmed, 2006) that results in increasing safety for all gender identities, cripping[2] spaces through adjusting them to neurodivergent needs can be beneficiary for everyone in a competitive capitalist environment.

[1] Stimming is not an exclusively neurodivergent behaviour, but neurodivergent individuals might resort to it in a much more pronounced way due to frequent over- or understimulation.

[2] Crip, from `cripple`. The term crip has been reappropriated by the disability justice movement in the 1980ies to question the compulsory framework of able-bodiedness and heteronormativity. Its use as a verb describes how institutions or concepts can be bent into frameworks that welcome disabled individuals instead of othering them. Cripping extends into language, e.g. crip time expressing how ´crips´ experience time differently not only due to their bodies and minds that might function differently, but also due to a society that excludes them. The term cripping has a certain link to the term queering (see Ahmed, S.) in its attempt to dismantle structures of power. See also McRuer, R. and Kafer, A.

Keywords: neurodiversity, neuroqueer, crip culture, accessibility