AUTISTIC JOY IN CONVERSATION

Autistic Joy is a series of recorded conversations with artists, writers, makers & philosophers, that affirms the joyful aspects of neurodivergent, and specifcally autistic, experience.

Rather than see these conversations as interviews, or a “podcast,” they are framed as live peer-to-peer support . . . a kind of solidarity, where we can celebrate the joyful intensity of neurodivergent sensory experience, and by that I mean; autistic joy.

Autistic Joy was kindly supported by public funding through Arts Council England.

EMMA FRANKS & VICTORIA GRAY IN CONVERSATION

Emma Franks (b. 1972) is a visual artist and feminist, raised in Essex, now living and working in London. She is a multidisciplinary artist who creates paintings, costumes, performances and artist books, with themes of pregnancy, motherhood, the menopause, and illness. Her deeply personal practice combines lived experiences with strong imagery and personal symbols of power, as well as feminist icons, in rebelliously humorous works.

In this conversation we discuss Emma’s artistic journey, exploring the connections between her art, autism, and sensory experiences. She reflects on how her painting practice serves as a form of self-regulation and sensory joy, while also addressing themes of vulnerability, oversharing, and the significance of tactile elements in her work. The discussion delves into her Asylum Women series, the influence of Lilith as a symbol of rebellion, and her future artistic endeavours, highlighting the importance of mirroring and connection in her creative process.

EMMA FRANKS & VICTORIA GRAY TRANSCRIPT

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Correction: Please note that at 47:34 the reference to the incantation bowl, viewed at The British Museum, should have stated Iraq, not Iran, as place of provenance.

MORGAN KULAS & VICTORIA GRAY IN CONVERSATION

In this conversation Morgan Kulas interviews me about my experiences of autism and being an artist in relation to home, internal and external forces of influence, the role of the artist in society, as well as my video work 'Welter' made in collaboration with artist Sam Williams.

Morgan is a dance artist, writer, and teacher whose work explores the poetry, potential, and phenomena of embodiment. Her creative and community led research contributes to the web of inquiry taking place at the intersection of decoloniality, ecology, and performance studies. Ensuing in contemplative artworks that perform embodied acts of resilience. Morgan earned a BFA in Acting and Dance Performance from Chicago College of Performing Arts and an MFA in Art & Regenerative Culture from University of New Mexico.

The conversation was originally recorded for Kulas's Synovium Podcast and is published here with kind permission of Morgan.

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ERIN MANNING & VICTORIA GRAY IN CONVERSATION

Erin Manning studies in the interstices of philosophy, aesthetics and politics, concerned, always, about alter-pedagogical and alter-economic practices. Erin has written extensively about autistic perception and neurodivergence, always with a thrust towards thinking neurodivergence through process, movement and relation.

In this conversation we discuss autistic perception, neurodivergence in relation to education, academia and health, and the 3 Ecologies Institute, an exploration of the transversality of the three ecologies; the social, the environmental and the conceptual. An iteration of 3e is a land-based project north of Montreal where living and learning is explored; particularly the question of how collectivity is crafted in a more-than human encounter with worlds in the making.

Content Warning: This conversation includes discussion about mental health, mental health services, and sensory trauma.

ERIN MANNING & VICTORIA GRAY TRANSCRIPT

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LOUISA MARTIN & VICTORIA GRAY IN CONVERSATION

Louisa Martin is an artist working with immersive installations, sound, sculpture, live performances, text and videos. She explores sensorial, affective and sub-linguistic modes of communication to speak to embodied realities that don't fit in existing representational systems.

In this conversation we discuss The SOLA System, created by Louisa, which is a system of self-returning for late identified autistic creatives, and the "limits of normal" and techniques by which bodies that resist static and dominant forms of representation, can evolve their own means of self-definition.

Content Warning: This conversation includes discussion about Hans Asperger, the classification of autism in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the origins of autism in Nazi Vienna, and eugenicist practices.

LOUISA MARTIN & VICTORIA GRAY TRANSCRIPT

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MADELEINE RYAN AND VICTORIA GRAY IN CONVERSATION

Madeleine Ryan is an Australian writer and director. A Room Called Earth, her first novel, is an immersive account of the embodied experience of a young neurodiverse woman, attending a party.

In this conversation we discuss the symbiotic relationship between Madeleine's own late-diagnosis, and the writing of the book, as well as sensory experience, imagination, fantasy, trust and energy, in autistic bodies.

Content Warning: This conversation includes discussion about mental health, diagnostic assessment processes, and eating disorder.

MADELEINE RYAN & VICTORIA GRAY TRANSCRIPT

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ELINOR HAYES AND VICTORIA GRAY IN CONVERSATION

Elinor Hayes is a Creative Producer at Shape Arts, a disability-led arts organisation removing barriers to creative excellence, delivering a range of projects supporting marginalised artists, as well as training cultural venues to be more inclusive and accessible for disabled people as employees, artists.

In this conversation we discuss 'Welter' (2021), a film made in collaboration with artist Sam Williams, launched on 6 December with Shape Arts. Through an in-depth Q&A we delve into the ways in which language can simplify and obscure the complex and diverse sensory encounters that autistic people experience, and in response, how 'Welter' exploits ambiguity of language, form, and meaning.

Content Warning: This conversation includes discussion about mental health distress and eating disorder.

ELINOR HAYES & VICTORIA GRAY TRANSCRIPT

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MEGAN RHIANNON AND VICTORIA GRAY IN CONVERSATION

Megan Rhiannon is an autistic illustrator based between Reading and London. Megan’s work is inspired by day-to-day life and varied special interests. This and being autistic heavily influence Megan’s love and attention for detail, colour, texture and observational drawing.

In this conversation we discuss Megan’s self-published book ‘Existing Autistic’ (2020) which documents and explores her experiences as an autistic individual.

Content Warning: This conversation includes discussion about diagnostic assessment processes, autistic burnout, and concepts of high/low functioning.

MEGAN RHIANNON AND VICTORIA GRAY IN CONVERSATION TRANSCRIPT

[No audio, this conversation was conducted via email]