By Nigel Gladstone
Imagine Me, a project that allows people with a spinal cord injury to express themselves through a self portrait created using new photographic technology, opens this Friday in Chatswood.
From Game of Thrones to a Machine Man, the artists’ inner strength and imagination shines through in work created by people who can, in some cases, only move their head.
Mark Tonga, a high-level quadriplegic, made Machine Man to show how important technology is for him to access and participate in the community and the world.
“I’m really lucky with the improvement of medicine and technology recently,” Mr Tonga said.
“Ten years ago, they would have rolled me into a room and I’d have watched paint dry.”
But now, using technology specifically adapted for people with limited mobility, he was able to control the photo studio via an iPad that adjusts settings on the camera and lighting in the studio.
“Art was used as a platform for everyone to share their journey and everyone had different perspectives of their disability,” Mr Tonga said.
“It gives what we call able-bodied people a glimpse of what we deal with on the journey.”
