Machine Paralysis - A Different Kind of Mobility

The Mechanicos (meaning ‘machinic’ in Greek) is a folk dance performed by the sponge divers of Kalymnos island, recording the crippling effects of decompression sickness and paralysis caused by increasing industrial exploitation. Today, a disproportionate number of persons with physical impairments and debilitating conditions remain largely invisible.

The writing in this book points to different experiences of movement, time, and space: Whether through the creation of a vernacular sign language; a different pacing of time and projection of futurity; exchanging forms of care around a healing spring; recording the ways in which 3 generations navigate everyday interactions through a ‘broken telephone line’ of connection; or the friendship between a woman with visual impairment and her dog, Mercy, who helps her navigate the narrow busy sidewalks of central Athens. These stories contribute to imagining a different kind of mobility.

contents:

Crippling Depths
by Camille Pradon

The Emergence of a Common Language
by Christos Papamichael

The First House
by Menelaos Karamaghiolis

Rehabilitating the Diaspora
by Jasbir Puar

Broken Telephone
by Tom Nóbrega

An Hour Behind and One Day Ahead
by Shuruq Harb

Aging Icarus
by Lydia Xynogala

Mercy Athena
by Andrea Applebee