There are a multitude of methods in which an individual living with a disability can produce their stories of living with a disability. I am particularly interested in the modern methods that artists have used to incorporate technology into a way of transforming their life into a work of art. In particular I would like to look at the way that Jason DaSilva has created an emancipation memoir, by using his illness with multiple sclerosis to enhance his creativity in his short film titled “When I Walk”.
According to G.T Couser in Signifying Bodies, an emancipation disability memoir is written to describe how the author can connect with others by displaying their abilities rather than their disabilities. DaSilva’s short film has created a new type of emancipation memoir through film, in the way it displays his struggles with having a disability but also how he is still able to complete challenging tasks and create a work of art. “When I Walk” puts DaSilva’s audience into perspective, as he displays how he has accommodated himself into a world that is not build for people with disabilities. For instance, in a small excerpt of his film, featured in an interview conducted by The Lip TV, DaSilva documents his struggle to hold a camera steady and uses his shaky clips in his film to demonstrate how he sees the world and how he mobilizes through it. It is also apparent that it is difficult for him to see the shots that he is filming because of his deteriorating vision, however, he uses this challenge to capture unique clips that create and artistic film that embodies his disability. In other words, instead of marveling in the fact that he cannot get a clear shot, he uses the shakiness of his hands and loss of vision to create a unique film that represents how he is living with his condition. Additionally, DaSilva’s narrating during the film allows for him to express his emotions and thoughts verbally to his audience. As told in the interview with The Lip TV, DaSilva narrates in his film, “everything is getting slower and slower but inside I’m racing” (DaSilva, Jason). In this part of his film, DaSilva is verbalizing how he refuses to slow his work and activities in life even though it is getting physically more difficult to complete simple tasks such as talking, walking and holding a camera. This allows him to convey how he is not letting the severity of his condition impact his desire to follow his passion of filming. Overall, Jason DaSilva uses his art both in speaking and unique filming, to connect with his audience and display what he can do with his challenges rather than what he cannot do.
To conclude, Jason DaSilva has created a different platform for the emancipation memoir. Through his display of artistic narrative and filming, DaSilva has shown what he is capable of, despite his condition. Thus, he has created an emancipation disability memoir that allows for his audience to connect to how he has accommodated himself to move through life, through his art of filmmaking.
Works Cited
Couser, G. T. “Rhetoric and Self-Representation in Disability Memoir.” Signifying Bodies: Disability in Contemporary Life Writing, University of Michigan Press, 2010, pp. 43–44.
DaSilva, Jason, director. When I Walk. When I Walk, Cine Mosaic, 2016, wheniwalk.com/about-the-film-makers/.
“WHEN I WALK Documentary with Filmmakers Jason DaSilva and Alice Cook.” Youtube, TheLipTV, 23 June 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_1ot-TNA0U&feature=youtu.be.