{"id":192822,"date":"2016-11-18T10:56:44","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T15:56:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=192822"},"modified":"2016-11-28T09:17:54","modified_gmt":"2016-11-28T14:17:54","slug":"installation-shows-beauty-in-inclusivity-192822","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/installation-shows-beauty-in-inclusivity-192822\/","title":{"rendered":"Installation shows \u2018beauty in inclusivity\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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See On Display at the Medical Center
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Another installation of On Display\/Rochester is planned from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday, December 3\u2014 the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.<\/p>\n

The performance is part of the Disability Studies Cluster’s (DiSC) annual conference<\/a><\/strong> in Helen Wood Hall. This year’s theme is \u201cIt Takes A Village: Disability, Interdependence, and Empowerment.\u201d On Display will be presented in the building’s atrium.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Memorial Art Gallery atrium is filled with the ambient static of its fountains as nearly a dozen people\u2014physically different in many ways but alike in their all-white attire\u2014file in one by one and fan out through the large space.<\/p>\n

Arms raised in a \u201cv\u201d to start, the performers change positions gradually before finding a pose to hold momentarily. Their movements are slow, but purposeful. They close their eyes as they move. The audience is invited to look, take photos, and share them on social media with the hashtag #OnDisplay.<\/p>\n

On Display is a \u201cdeconstructed art exhibit\u201d that showcases a diverse range of bodies and addresses our tendency to judge people if they look different than ourselves. The project was conceived by New York City\u2013based choreographer Heidi Latsky, who has been connected with the University\u2019s Program of Dance and Movement for years. Latsky is an advocate for disability rights and her company often focuses on themes of redefining beauty and inclusivity. On Display has been performed around the country and around the world and premiered at the Memorial Art Gallery on October 20 and 23.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn Display is not just about disability, it\u2019s about inclusivity,\u201d says Missy Pfohl Smith, director of the Program of Dance and Movement, who helped organize the Rochester performances. \u201cIt\u2019s about anybody\u2014any race, any gender preference, any gender identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s beauty in inclusivity,\u201d she says, adding that she hopes that by watching On Display, the audience realizes that beauty is not narrowly defined.<\/p>\n