Finding Access Intimacy Through Art

Rachel Elena Tng

Can we truly understand and empathise with another person if their lived experience differs from ours? Do our lived realities intersect, or are we always and only bounded by the limits of our subjective perceptions? These questions are as much about phenomenology as they are about intimacy. Phenomenological interpretations of a shared experience often differ due to the way individuals process sensory information, such as colours, textures, and sounds. How we make meaning from these subjective perceptions and experiences informs how we navigate the world and relate to others. The diversity of human experiences mirrors the vast range of perceptions that exist. Yet the behaviours and embodied perceptions, for example, of neurodivergent and/or disabled persons, are often misunderstood or stigmatised in the wider society. This live presentation combines sensory experience, audience participation, and artmaking to address issues of inclusion and interdependence in relation to Mia Mingus’ conception of “access intimacy”. Above all, it is an artistic exercise in being-with one another and experiencing connection beyond conventional notions of empathy.