[Video Description: There is a dark blue background. On the left of the screen, taking up 2/3 of the screen, is the 'Normal is a Construct’ video. On the right is a video of Natasha "Courage" Bacchus, a Black Deaf female with short salt/pepper hair. She is wearing an off-white shirt and is in front of a white wall. She is interpreting the video in American Sign Language. The 'Normal is a Construct’ video starts with a title card featuring a dark blue background. At the top is The Disability Collective logo. To the left is the No Body Left Behind graphic. Beside that are the words "Normal is a Construct by Megan Bent". Underneath is "thedisabilitycollective.com". All text is in white. This fades into a video featuring Megan's artwork, with various images of leaves with faces inside on a black background (for Image Descriptions of each piece, please visit our website). After she finishes speaking, this fades into the end card, featuring the dark blue background from before, the No Body Behind Logo in the middle, with the TDC logo on top, and "thedisabilitycollective.com" at the bottom]

Click here to access the Image Descriptions for Megan's artwork.

ASL Interpretation by Natasha "Courage" Bacchus

MEGAN BENT (she/her)

 

Megan Bent is a lens-based artist interested in the malleability of photography and the ways image-making can happen beyond using a traditional camera. This interest started to occur after the diagnosis of a progressive chronic illness. Drawn to image-making processes that reject perfection, accuracy, or any certainty in results, she is interested instead in processes that reflect and embrace her disabled experience; especially interdependence, impermanence, care, and slowness.

Her artwork has been exhibited in the U.S. at The Center For Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO; form and concept, Santa Fe, NM; The Halide Project, Philadelphia, PA; The East Hawaiian Cultural Center/HMOCA, Hilo, Hawai'i; Flux Factory, Long Island City, NY; El Museo Cultural, Santa Fe, NM; The Foster Gallery, Dedham MA; Soho Photo Gallery, Tribeca, NY; the Austin Central Library Main Gallery, Austin, TX; and internationally at F1963, Busan, South Korea; Alternative Space 298, Pohang, South Korea; Fotonostrum, Barcelona, Spain; and Festival Pil'Ours, St. Gilles Croix de Vie, France.

She is currently an artist in residence at Art Beyond Sight's 2021/2022 Art+Disability Residency and has been an artist in residence at the Nobles School in Dedham, MA, and the Honolulu Museum of Art, HI. Her work has been featured in Lenscratch, Analog Forever Magazine, Fraction Magazine, Too Tired Project, Rfotofolio, and Float Photography Magazine.

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Instagram: @m_e_g_g_i_e_b
Website: meganbent.com

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No Body Left Behind is an online campaign centred around the disabled community’s concerns regarding the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, including mask and vaccine mandates. We hope that this campaign will raise awareness around those who are being left behind as the world returns to “normal”.

 

We are currently raising money to go directly towards paying the artists and Deaf Interpreters who are featured as part of this project. We are relying solely on donations from our incredibly community to support this project!