Finnegan Shannon

In/With Chelsea

In/With Chelsea

A small metal sign bolted to a pole. It reads, “Kumhee: I grew up around non-disabled people so I’ve learned how to deal with their discomfort” in my handwriting. Parked cars and buildings are in the background.
A sign in a similar style that read, “Mario: Public benches, how wonderful, you know. You can actually walk and sit and catch your breath and have a sandwich, soda, or cup of coffee.”
A screenshot of a SoundCloud widget on the High Line’s website. Text above reads, “We invite you to listen to an audio tour of the signs below. You can also read a transcript.” The tracks shown include Intro, Making The Signs, Common To All The Sign…

Description:
In/With Chelsea was commissioned by the High Line. I was asked to connect with disabled people in the Northern Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen neighborhoods and showcase some of their history and stories. I was specifically interested in what makes the city, and these neighborhoods in particular, accessible or inaccessible to disabled people. I connected with people through Fountain House and Center for Independence of the Disabled New York (CIDNY), talking to a total of about 50 people for this project. I created a series of five signs featuring snippets from those conversations and an audio tour of the project.

Year: 2018–2020
Materials: Audio tour, metal signs (fabricated and installed by the Department of Transportation)
Size: Audio is approximately 15 minutes and the signs are 10” x 8”

Top two photos by Timothy Schenck.