Dyslexia, 2018

gouache on paper, PVC roofing, sound, and video

I was diagnosed with dyslexia in the 8th grade. I have spent many years understanding how dyslexia impacts my relationship with words. For this project, I began by drawing each letter of the alphabet as it appears to me through my brain. (this is installed on the blue door) As you walk into the room, I painted the first half a few sentences of Pride and Prejudice as they appear to me. The viewer is invited to read the black letters that follow the book while the red reflects a visual interpretation or simulation of my dyslexia. I chose this book because Jane Austen employs long, complicated sentences that become difficult to unwind.

When I read, I listen to the audiobook and follow along with the physical text. For the video, I have the audiobook playing, yet I have it playing faster than the text to force the viewer to focus on the written words and process faster. This demonstrates my daily reading experience. Additionally, I layered my foley sounds (sounds that I generated by myself) to mimic my experience of reading with APD. There is the loud background noise of people talking and sounds I associate with each character from the novel. The triangular background is also meant to suggest my Auditory Processing Disorder working in tandem with my dyslexia. Next, I created an installation using roofing material that vaguely mimics pages on a book, and I created a video to project onto this structure. ​

Though I have struggled with dyslexia and APD over the course of my high school experience, I feel like it is an aspect of my identity that I have begun to understand and am ready to share. I have learned healthy habits to successfully navigate the classroom. This creative simulation and interpretation of my learning disability aims to create empathy and understanding in able-minded viewers.