Zoyander Street: redefining accessibility and inspiring change in the art world

Their journey has been marked by the challenges of multiple sclerosis (MS), a condition that has recently become a part of their life.

Born and raised in Rotherham, Zoyander’s artistic pursuits have taken them across continents and through various mediums, from interactive media and games to interactive theatre.

Now, with a focus on accessible design and a burning desire to make their work inclusive for all, Zoyander aims to create a lasting impact in the art world.

Their personal experiences have led them to recognize the power of disability insights and the importance of creating a society that embraces diversity and inclusion.

Through their art and research, Zoyander seeks to challenge ableism, redefine accessibility, and pave the way for a more inclusive future.

Zoyander grew up in Rotherham and had the opportunity to live and work in various places, such as Cambridge University, the V&A Museum in London, Japan, California, and Canada.

Eventually, they returned to South Yorkshire in 2015, residing in Sheffield for a period before moving back to Rotherham.

Zoyander has been actively involved in the world of interactive media and games for more than ten years. Their interest in non-linear, systemic thinking is what draws them to this field, and games are the ideal medium for this kind of thinking.

Zoyander appreciates the freedom games offer to let storylines branch out and encode multiple possibilities within a single sentence.

One of their recent significant projects is Cis Penance, an interactive documentary exploring the experiences of transgender individuals in the UK. In this project, Zoyander represented 45 interviewees as 2D video game characters, highlighting their experiences of waiting, particularly in relation to long waiting times for gender-affirming healthcare within the NHS.

In recent years, Zoyander has shifted their focus towards interactive theatre, collaborating with Canadian artist Squinky on a web app that allows audiences to shape an actor’s performance through mechanics such as voting on dialogue options or contributing short messages to a stream-of-consciousness rant.

Their aspiration is to create a series of interactive online plays that resonate with audiences who may have limited access to traditional theatres due to health reasons.

Through comedy and speculative fiction, these plays aim to express the pain of existing in a world that seems to undermine one’s survival while also transforming that pain into solidarity and determination.

In addition to their artistic pursuits, Zoyander is pursuing a part-time PhD in sociology, specialising in the social and cultural aspects of science and technology. Their PhD program follows a practice-based approach, requiring the submission of video games they have created alongside their dissertation.

Zoyander has recently been awarded Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) funding from the Arts Council UK. This funding will support their project, which involves learning about accessible design for the web and games.

Zoyander’s experiences over the past year have heightened their awareness of the challenges that can make interactive work difficult to access. This has motivated them to enhance the accessibility of their own work.

Zoyander was recently diagnosed with MS, and their journey has been ongoing for about a year. However, they believe they may have had the condition for a few years prior to the diagnosis.

MS is a condition characterised by immune cells crossing the blood-brain barrier and causing damage to the protective coating surrounding nerves in the brain and spinal cord. It is often referred to as a “snowflake condition” because each person with MS has their own unique profile of symptoms they experience. 

Zoyander’s experiences with MS have heightened their awareness of the challenges that can make interactive work difficult to access. This has motivated them to enhance the accessibility of their own work.

They aim to learn advanced screen reader software, design with accessibility in mind, and incorporate text-to-speech capabilities into their projects.

Zoyander also plans to explore other aspects of accessibility, such as creating plain English versions of texts and implementing accessible design principles for video game interfaces.

They will revisit their previous projects and make necessary reforms to enhance their accessibility.

Zoyander acknowledges their relative position of privilege as someone who primarily became disabled as an adult and whose preferred mode of communication aligns with societal norms.

They humbly express that their perspective may not be the most insightful on issues related to accommodating and including individuals with MS or other disabilities.

They highlight the valuable resources and information shared by organisations like Unlimited and Disability Arts International and emphasise the importance of paying attention to the experiences of disabled people, particularly during the ongoing mass-disabling event caused by the Covid pandemic.

Zoyander advises aspiring artists with MS or other disabilities to value their own perspectives and experiences, recognizing that what they have learned can benefit everyone.

They believe in the value of the insights gained from living with a disability and stress the importance of setting boundaries, prioritising well-being, and creating supportive environments for one another.

Zoyander Street is an artist-researcher who navigates the challenges of multiple sclerosis while redefining accessibility in the art world.

By valuing their own insights and the experiences of disabled individuals, Zoyander aims to inspire and empower fellow artists and contribute to a society that embraces diversity and accommodates a wider range of bodies and minds.