Sensory Practices in the Context of Dis/abling Media
Since the turn of the 20th century, media that store sensory data have expanded and supplemented human perception, mobility, communication and knowledge by constantly pushing or re-exploring borders and enabling us to develop new skills. Especially for those living with media-technical assistance systems, such as prostheses or implants, (although this is also true for others) this results in a complex interplay between human senses and specific sociomaterial constellations. The key is to investigate these constellations ethnographically. I ask how this interplay can be made describable? Looking at the projects in our network and my own case study, I will focus on the media practices that dis/abled persons have developed. At the same time, I would like to highlight one’s own dis/abilities and how research methods and research media co-constitute these. Along the way I will explore the potential for cross-pollination between disability studies and media studies.
