All Things Being Equal is an ongoing project in collaboration with JD Derbyshire, Catherine Frazee and other Crip artists. This project attempts to engage in critical discourse about the very real and unequal social context of Canadians with disabilities, and how this intersects with Medical Assistance in Dying, specifically Track 2 (MAIDT2)

MAID (Track 1) was legalized in Canada in 2016 and was initially designed for people whose natural death was foreseeable - people typically in the final stages of their life. In 2021 the legal code expanded MAID eligibility, despite forceful and continued opposition from Disabled Canadians. MAID Track 2 provides a pathway for state administered death, offered uniquely to disabled people, who are not dying.

Care Quilts

Care Quilts are data portraits of two possible realities - The first is the current social context of Canadians with disabilities, demonstrated through actual facts and statistics, and how this reality intersects with MAIDT2. The second interpretation of this data set is a speculative fiction of what our social context could be instead. This data has been translated into quilt patterns, sized to cover one body.

The data portraits are still in development < here is a slide show of the early drawings which are not yet complete. You can also check them out more closely here.

CALL FOR Quilting COLLABORATORS

I’m currently seeking Deaf, Disabled, Crip, Sick, spoonies and Mad collaborators (and allies) to help sew the quilt tops (or more if you are keen). I can offer a fee of $250 CND per quilt top plus I’ll provide all of the shipping, thread and fabric (or you are welcome to use your own if you want to de-stash). International artists are welcome. All that is required is an ability to sew (by hand or machine). Beyond that, I can offer online help and send links to tutorials for those who are newer to quilting. Finished works do not need to be expressions of harsh precision - just care. Please email me if you are interested in participating at premiseshift@gmail.com