Exploring accessibility and allyship through art

Exploring accessibility and allyship through art

A 4.2-meter-long textured fabric artwork with accompanying vinyl decal has been installed at the City campus as an expression of accessibility, belonging and allyship through the lens of students who are d/Deaf, Disabled, and living with disability.

Named Metropolis, the public artwork was co-created by RMIT alumnus Rachel Shugg, a d/Deaf / disabled interdisciplinary fashion designer, as the third and final chapter of Art for Social Change, a series of participatory artworks exploring social justice issues that impact the student experience on campus.

Rachel, who uses a wheelchair, was inspired by the idea of interrupted journeys after a school art trip to Venice where, despite her love for the city, she faced significant barriers.

“I was besotted with all of it, especially the design of it. But I was in love with the city that did not love me back. It was inaccessible, it was hard to navigate, and it took a lot of effort on my behalf and my friends,” she said.

18 March 2025

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Long artwork covered in colourful paint

Metropolis is a realisation that these interrupted journeys are an everyday occurrence, everywhere.

“An unexpected flight of stairs when promised a ramp, a broken lift at a train station, an accessible bathroom in the basement with no way to get down there.”

“Occurrences so every day, so often unnoticed by those who have the privilege, in a city made by those people, full of those people, for those people,” Rachel said.

Across two years and several stages, Rachel worked with 200 RMIT students to bring her concept to life, guided by the principle “notice the marks you make.”

“My intention going into this project was to create a connection and belonging with the students through creativity.”

The first stage invited students who identified as being part of the Deaf and Disabled community to immerse themselves in a room on the City campus that had been covered in calico. They used paint to create marks with their whole bodies, documenting their movements in an explosion of colour. 

Reflecting on the experience, one student said the environment gave them freedom they’d not experienced.  

“At first, it was confronting to be in an environment where I didn’t have to think about overcoming barriers. But then I realised I could move in a way that was true to me, and it felt like I could finally be my true self.”

“It allowed me to earnestly drag my body, no pretending in movement, no frustration I left my mark, with the elongated smudge of my body on the ground and on the wall,” the student said.

The second stage was open to all students and introduced barriers, along with an incomplete map. They were encouraged to respond by navigating through, over and around the barriers to complete the map.

Echoing the insights of student participants, Rachel said that the approach showed how it’s not possible to build a city out of only one perspective.

“Instead of making singular places accessible, and claiming the whole area to be, why not take a holistic view and connect places with each other through accessibility?”

“I was struck at how the students began to rethink inclusion collectively, rather than in a fixed way.”

Person in wheelchair in room surrounded by objects that have been splattered with colourful paint

Speaking at the launch event, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education, Professor Sherman Young said the significance of Metropolis lies in its ability to do what words sometimes can’t and make an important statement about who we are as a university.

"Being able to help launch this artwork, for me, is an opportunity to really affirm our embrace at RMIT of inclusion, diversity, equity and access.”

The project was delivered in partnership with RUSU, and Disability and Carers officer Samuel Coombes said that the project and final artwork is a true representation of belonging.

“From a disability perspective, belonging at university is not just about academics – it's also about connections and social life.”

“The joy I saw on people's faces as they got to explore the space was fantastic. It's that human element behind the artwork that I think is awesome,” he said.

Metropolis will remain on display at the City campus, in building 10, level 4, until 2027.

About the artist

Rachel Shugg is an Australian research and interdisciplinary fashion designer. Examining the relationship between art and fashion, her work stems from a desire to disrupt and change the current way the fashion industry operates, particularly its current approach to designing for disability and inclusivity.

 

Story: Loretta Clancy

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18 March 2025

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