Art, Design and Neurodiversity

What is the role of contemporary art and design practice within neurodiversity? How digital media is engaging people who have a neurodivergent perspective (e.g., autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia) into creating new art? This paper looks at giving a brief overview of the topic whilst looking into project Art, Design and Neurodiversity that the author started in 2015 in conjunction with the Graphic and Media Design course at London College of Communication, University of the Arts London (UAL). A collaboration was also built on some case-studies with Tate Digital Learning and BBC Research & Development. Exploring areas of sound art, graphic design, video art and storytelling, art practices around different forms of neurodiversity are investigated and produced. In this paper, there is also a key area of inclusive visual material and artistic work created by the participants. The art-design pieces can “live” independently but in this project they are also part of a wider communication that is taken into consideration also in the overall structure of this paper itself. With this paper, the author also looks at describing the way the project started, what outputs and findings are coming from the first phase of the work, and what are the next steps.

Content

Author and article information

Contributors

Luca M. Damiani

Conference

Publication date: July 2017

Publication date (Print): July 2017

Pages: 183-191

Affiliations

[0001]London College of Communication

University of the Arts London, UK

Article

DOI: 10.14236/ewic/EVA2017.40

SO-VID: f998cc34-f494-4041-93e8-33885ee6e346

License:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Conference name: Electronic Visualisation and the Arts (EVA 2017)

Conference acronym: EVA

Conference number:

Conference location: London, UK

Conference date: 11 – 13 July 2017

Conference sponsor: Electronic Workshops in Computing (eWiC)

Conference theme: Electronic Visualisation and the Arts

History

Product

1477-9358 BCS Learning & Development

Self URI (article page): https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14236/ewic/EVA2017.40

Self URI (journal page): https://ewic.bcs.org/

REFERENCES

D. Appleyard 1997 Education: The art of being dyslexic. The Independent 27 February URL: http://www.dys-add.com/resources/RecentResearch/EducationTheArtOfBeingDyslexic.pdf 26 April 2017
T. Armstrong 2011 The power of neurodiversity: unleashing the advantages of your differently wired brain. Cambridge Decapo/Perseus
T. Armstrong 2012 First, Discover Their Strenghts. Educational Leadership October
H. Blume 1998 Neurodiversity on the neurological underpinnings of geekdom. The Atlantic
L. Damiani 2009 Can You Design Yourself? Art, Design and Psychology. Janus Publishing London
J. S. DarzentasJ. Darzentas 2014 “The Design of Accessible Self-service Products, Systems and Serives: Teaching Inclusive Design” in Design Research Society: Design’s Big Debates. Institute of Design, Umeå University Sweden
P. EllisL. van LeeuwenK. Brown 2008 Visual-Music Vibrations - Improving quality of life for the elderly and children with special needs. Digital Creativity Routledge
P. EllisL. van Leeuwen 2007 Facilitating the experience of agency through an intersensory interactive environment. Digital Creativity 18 2 Routledge
Gobbo 2010 Dyslexia and Creativity: The Education and Work of Robert Rauschenberg. Disability Studies Quarterly 30
T. Grandin 2006 Thinking in Pictures (and Other Reports from My Life with Autism). New York Vintage Books
T. Grandin 2004 Developing Talents: Careers for individual with Asperger syndrome and high functioning autism. Autism Asperger Publishing
T. Grandin 2009 How does visual thinking work in the mind of a person with autism? A personal account. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society 364
S. Hendrickx 2010 The Adolescent and Adult Neuro-diversity Handbook: Asperger’s syndrome, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and related conditions. London Jessica Kingsley
Keay-Bright 2012 Designing Interaction through Sound and Movement with Children on the Autistic Spectrum. Arts and Technology Springer A. L. Brooks
A. KimS. StembridgeC. LawrenceV. TorresN. MiodragJ. LeeD. Boyins 2015 Neurodiversity on the Stage: The Effects of Inclusive Theatre on Youth with Autism. International Journal of Education and Social Science 2 9 September
K. JacobJ. Malpas 2013 Material Objects, Identity and the Home. Journal of Housing, Theory and Society 30 3
P. Lindborg 2015 Sound perception and design in multimodal environments. KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, Sweden
M. MazurekP. ShattukM. WagnerB. Cooper 2012 Prevalence and Correlates of Screen-Based Media Use Among Youths with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 42
M. MorrisA. BegelB. Wiedermann 2015 Understanding the Challenges Faced by Neurodiverse Software Engineers: Towards a More Inclusive and Productive Technical Workforce
K. NieddererS. Roworth-Stokes 2007 The role and use of creative practice in research and its contribution to knowledge. International Association of Societies of Design Research Hong Kong Polytechnic University
T. OaklandJ. BackG. StanfordR. Balise 1998 An Evaluation of the Dyslexia Training Program: A Multisensory Method for Promoting Reading in Students with Reading Disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities 31 2
D. Pollak 2009 Neurodiversity in higher education: Positive responses to specific learning differences. New York Wiley
P. Rahmani 2011 The efficacy of narrative therapy and storytelling in reducing reading errors of dyslexic children. Procedía - Social and Behavioral Sciences 29 780 785
P. Rogers 2012 Culture of Autism, Neurodiversity, and Art Education. New York Art Beyond Sight
U. RosenhallV. NordinK. BrantbergC. Gillberg 2003 Autism and auditory brain stem responses. Ear Hear
J. Singer 1999 Why can’t you be normal for once in your life? In Corker & French’s Disability discourse. Open University Press
J. StreeckC. GoodwinC. LeBaron 2011 Embodied Interaction: Language and Body in the Material World. Cambridge University Press
G. Sullivan 2005 Art Practice as Research: Inquiry in the Visual Arts. Sage Publications
Tate 2015 Diggin’ the Gallery. Tate Britain 27 November URL: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/special-event/diqqin-qallery 26 April 2017
H. TimmemansG. van WolferenP. NewlandS. Kunath 2004 Mediate: Key Sonic Developments in an Interactive Installation for Children with Autism
N. Trotman 2015 Tangible Statistics Linguistics as part of Engineering the Future. V&A London
A. Zolyomi 2016 Connecting Tinkerers: Enriching Maker Communities through Neurodiversity

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] D. Appleyard 1997 Education: The art of being dyslexic. The Independent 27 February URL: http://www.dys-add.com/resources/RecentResearch/EducationTheArtOfBeingDyslexic.pdf 26 April 2017

[2] T. Armstrong 2011 The power of neurodiversity: unleashing the advantages of your differently wired brain. Cambridge Decapo/Perseus

[3] T. Armstrong 2012 First, Discover Their Strenghts. Educational Leadership October

[4] H. Blume 1998 Neurodiversity on the neurological underpinnings of geekdom. The Atlantic

[5] L. Damiani 2009 Can You Design Yourself? Art, Design and Psychology. Janus Publishing London

[6] J. S. DarzentasJ. Darzentas 2014 “The Design of Accessible Self-service Products, Systems and Serives: Teaching Inclusive Design” in Design Research Society: Design’s Big Debates. Institute of Design, Umeå University Sweden

[7] P. EllisL. van LeeuwenK. Brown 2008 Visual-Music Vibrations - Improving quality of life for the elderly and children with special needs. Digital Creativity Routledge

[8] P. EllisL. van Leeuwen 2007 Facilitating the experience of agency through an intersensory interactive environment. Digital Creativity 18 2 Routledge

[9] Gobbo 2010 Dyslexia and Creativity: The Education and Work of Robert Rauschenberg. Disability Studies Quarterly 30

[10] T. Grandin 2006 Thinking in Pictures (and Other Reports from My Life with Autism). New York Vintage Books

[11] T. Grandin 2004 Developing Talents: Careers for individual with Asperger syndrome and high functioning autism. Autism Asperger Publishing

[12] T. Grandin 2009 How does visual thinking work in the mind of a person with autism? A personal account. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society 364

[13] S. Hendrickx 2010 The Adolescent and Adult Neuro-diversity Handbook: Asperger’s syndrome, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and related conditions. London Jessica Kingsley

[14] Keay-Bright 2012 Designing Interaction through Sound and Movement with Children on the Autistic Spectrum. Arts and Technology Springer A. L. Brooks

[15] A. KimS. StembridgeC. LawrenceV. TorresN. MiodragJ. LeeD. Boyins 2015 Neurodiversity on the Stage: The Effects of Inclusive Theatre on Youth with Autism. International Journal of Education and Social Science 2 9 September

[16] K. JacobJ. Malpas 2013 Material Objects, Identity and the Home. Journal of Housing, Theory and Society 30 3

[17] P. Lindborg 2015 Sound perception and design in multimodal environments. KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, Sweden

[18] M. MazurekP. ShattukM. WagnerB. Cooper 2012 Prevalence and Correlates of Screen-Based Media Use Among Youths with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 42

[19] M. MorrisA. BegelB. Wiedermann 2015 Understanding the Challenges Faced by Neurodiverse Software Engineers: Towards a More Inclusive and Productive Technical Workforce

[20] K. NieddererS. Roworth-Stokes 2007 The role and use of creative practice in research and its contribution to knowledge. International Association of Societies of Design Research Hong Kong Polytechnic University

[21] T. OaklandJ. BackG. StanfordR. Balise 1998 An Evaluation of the Dyslexia Training Program: A Multisensory Method for Promoting Reading in Students with Reading Disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities 31 2

[22] D. Pollak 2009 Neurodiversity in higher education: Positive responses to specific learning differences. New York Wiley

[23] P. Rahmani 2011 The efficacy of narrative therapy and storytelling in reducing reading errors of dyslexic children. Procedía - Social and Behavioral Sciences 29 780 785

[24] P. Rogers 2012 Culture of Autism, Neurodiversity, and Art Education. New York Art Beyond Sight

[25] U. RosenhallV. NordinK. BrantbergC. Gillberg 2003 Autism and auditory brain stem responses. Ear Hear

[26] J. Singer 1999 Why can’t you be normal for once in your life? In Corker & French’s Disability discourse. Open University Press

[27] J. StreeckC. GoodwinC. LeBaron 2011 Embodied Interaction: Language and Body in the Material World. Cambridge University Press

[28] G. Sullivan 2005 Art Practice as Research: Inquiry in the Visual Arts. Sage Publications

[29] Tate 2015 Diggin’ the Gallery. Tate Britain 27 November URL: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/special-event/diqqin-qallery 26 April 2017

[30] H. TimmemansG. van WolferenP. NewlandS. Kunath 2004 Mediate: Key Sonic Developments in an Interactive Installation for Children with Autism

[31] N. Trotman 2015 Tangible Statistics Linguistics as part of Engineering the Future. V&A London

[32] A. Zolyomi 2016 Connecting Tinkerers: Enriching Maker Communities through Neurodiversity

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