Guest Post by Mathilde PavisFrom the beginning, the InVisible Difference project decided to focus on physical disability in connection to dance and law. Though many factors came into play in deciding to narrow down our investigation to physical disability, the absence of ‘problems’ to fix regarding the practice of artists considered as mentally disabled was not one of them. We do acknowledge that there is much to do in terms of research, support and appreciation of the art made by mentally-disabled individuals. There is also much to learn from the historical evolution of what was once called the 'art of the insane'.[1] The cross-overs between our work with differently-abled dancers and the evolving status of 'mental art' in our society will thus be a theme running through this blog post and future ones.
