Computer Assemblage
Computer Assemblage by Samir Knego
A photograph of a “computer” made out of other objects. The screen is a pillow with a red and white striped pillowcase, the keyboard a multicolored pill minder, the mouse is part of a red apple on a white rectangle plate that serves as a mousepad. The whole arrangement is sitting on a bed with light red sheets. Behind the “computer” is a scrunched-up white bedspread and medium-blue wall.
“My disability makes trackpads difficult to use, and so an external mouse (usb, bluetooth, etc) enables me to use a computer. Computers are a huge part of many of our everyday lives that also present potential access pitfalls related to both hardware and software. I used everyday, cozy objects that are familiar in much the way computers are, and I also used objects that people might more traditionally associate with disability or health. I associate access with care and comfort, so I wanted to bring together objects that evoke those ideas in the creation of my semi-abstract “computer” assemblage. While this may not look like a disability aid, it allows me to navigate the digital world much in the same way my crutches and wheelchair allow me to navigate the physical world.”
-Samir Knego
Samir Knego spends his days photographing archival materials and thinking about the past. His essays, poems, and visual art have appeared all over the place, including in Religion Dispatches, Anti-Racism Daily, and Wordgathering: A Journal of Disability Poetry and Literature and he has had solo shows at the Hillsborough Arts Council Gallery, Art Therapy Institute of NC, and Eno Arts Mill Gallery. Find his art online at samirknego.wix.com/here
Artwork by Samir Knego
Object description written by Samir Knego
Objects of Access aims to start conversations about access, disability, D/deafness, chronic illness, and neurodivergence. It is borne from collective work, discussions on accessibility, disability justice, and is a living, breathing archive. Objects of Access invites reflection on a range of access needs, while provoking thought on accessibility as aesthetic and a continual process.