Susan Austin (UK) a British disabled artist working in multimedia, performance and installation. Austin is best known for her work "Creating the Spectacle!" in which she uses a specially modified wheelchair (Patent granted 2013) to move underwater, using SCUBA diving equipment. Performed as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, Austin and her underwater wheelchair has been seen by more than 150 million people worldwide. Other works include "360 Degrees – A New Angle on Access" (2015-ongoing) which uses 360 degree technology to create digital artworks. "Flying Free" (ongoing) is a digital artwork co- commissioned by Unlimited and The Space which features footage of Austin and her wheelchair taking to the skies in a Flexwing Microlite vehicle. Exhibitions of Austin's work have been featured at Faith House at Holton Lee, University of Plymouth, Empire Gallery, London, Tate Modern, London and through on the BBC Big Screens and site-specific work in Plymouth City Centre. In 1996, she began using a wheelchair after an extended illness limited her mobility. She trained as a disabled diver in 2005, and has certifications from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). She is working with NASA to perform in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, and she dreams of adapting her freewheelers to one day join crews onboard the International Space Station.
Supported by the British Council | Disability Arts International
Photo: The Australian
