Support Relay
In reflecting on their time together during the MAG Exchange Artist Mentor program, mentee Max Elwood and mentor Aislinn Thomas realized that many of their conversations revolved around accessibility and support—in fact, even before the pair met they needed to figure out how to do so given their access needs!
Support Relay grew from the team's many conversations about access, and their desire for interdependence to be acknowledged and normalized. It began with Max asking Aislinn to record herself reading an article they’d like to experience in audio. Aislinn passed the “baton” to her neighbour by asking them to print some documents for her, inviting her neighbour to pass the support relay along in turn and to share an image or story of the process.
Max and Aislinn would like to invite you to take part in Support Relay! If you are interested in expanding your network of care and models of support, email Max and Aislinn at arelaynotarace@gmail.com
Despite its name, Support Relay is not a race. It will unfold in a time frame that respects the needs and well being of the people participating in it. You can experience its unfolding here, and through the MAG's social media and newsletter.
A photo of two young gay people embracing is overlaid on a black background with the words "Together Alone" framing it. On the left side of the photo, in smaller font is "The Epidemic of Gay Loneliness". There is an orange sticky note over the article, written by Max that reads "send article to Aislinn"
A screenshot from the audio recording Aislinn sent Max of her reading "Together Alone".
“The first leg of the support relay is done! I have a really difficult time focusing while reading, so I asked Aislinn to read an article that I've been wanting to read for a while now. She was kind enough to record it in her closet for better sound quality!
Both as a queer masculine person and as someone who works in the 2SLGBTQ community, talking about the ways in which gay men relate to one another and seeing the loneliness that exists within these interactions is (unfortunately) not new to me. But being able to hear this article and know that this is a problem that doesn't solely exist in conversations with my friends and co-workers who feel comfortable acknowledging it is very affirming.”
— Max Elwood
A large, heirloom tomato is cut into slices on a white plate with a teal border.
Paperwork addressed to Aislinn Thomas, dated August 19, 2020, that her neighbour helped print out.
“I'm moving from Ontario to Cape Breton this summer. The Atlantic provinces require travellers to register and bring documentation with them. Unfortunately my printer has not been talking with my computer for years. I typically go to the library to print things, but the pandemic has narrowed my options. So I asked my neighbour, Jackie, if she would print some documents for me. She was kind enough to not only print the registration, lease, and letter of employment for my partner and I, but sent me home with so much goodness from her garden! I joke that I can now leave Ontario in peace having had a beautiful, ripe heirloom tomato this season. (When I last lived in Cape Breton the only tomatoes we had were green, given the shorter growing season. Many of the Cape Bretoners I know love ‘chow-chow’ a green tomato relish, but I can't stand the stuff!)”
— Aislinn Thomas
Max Elwood is a non-binary creator, educator, and activist who primarily works within the context of their 2SLGBTQ+ and disabled communities in Edmonton, Alberta. In all of their work – artistic or otherwise – they seek to follow an anti-oppressive and trauma-informed practice in the hopes of building safe, strong, and accessible communities. Their passion for community building and engagement is shown not only through a variety of artistic media, but through hosting community conversations and facilitating educational workshops. They are currently a Fine Arts student at MacEwan University.
Aislinn Thomas is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice includes video, performance, sculpture, installation, and text. She culls material from everyday experiences and relationships, creating work that ranges from poignant to absurd, and at times straddles both. Her recent works explore the generative nature of disability while pushing up against conventional access measures.
Recent exhibitions include Draft Systems WRO Media Arts Biennial in Wroclaw, Poland; Holding Patterns with Art Spin and Tangled Art + Disability in Toronto, Ontario; TALK BACK at Flux Factory in Queens, New York; and A distinct aggregation / A dynamic equivalent / A generous ethic of invention: Six writers respond to six sculptures commissioned by the Walter Phillips Gallery at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Banff, AB. Aislinn is a settler of Ashkenazi and British descent. She currently lives and works near the Grand River, on land promised to the Six Nations.
website
Credit headshot: Sylvia Pond, courtesy of Ontario Culture Days