Overlooked Histories Of Disability Discrimination Revealed In New Interactive Game, The Mine

On The Table Read, “the best arts magazine in the UK“, The Mine by Jay Price, launching on November 10th, is a subversive memorial To the ‘people no-one remembers,’ revealing the histories of disability discrimination.

The Mine

Available as an interactive game, an audiobook, and a film, The Mine by Jay Price, immerses the user in the derelict, underground venue of ‘The Mine’. Through this disused space found underneath, and locked out of, the art gallery upstairs, the work explores historical and contemporary examples of the structural marginalisation of disabled communities.

A visceral unravelling of ableist social tropes, from faeries as scapegoats, to forced sterilisation, right up to the ongoing pandemic, The Mine explores human rights violations, and grassroots resistance.

Jay Price

The Mine builds on Jay Price’s reputation for shining a light on the marginalisation of disabled people in society today. Canaries, from 2021, was commissioned as part of the Adam Reynolds Award shortlist exhibition, and with the work Empty When Full, Jay went on to receive the 2022 Adam Reynolds Award itself, which provides a £10k bursary and a creative residency opportunity to a mid-career disabled artist.

The Mine incorporates full foley sound design, traditional stained glass work, and metal work in the form of brass sculptures. Through the use of wax rubbing sticks, users of The Mine are able to uncover and download an artwork of their own.

Shape Arts

Continuing Shape Arts’ innovation around accessibility and digital delivery, The Mine is the latest in a series of collaborations with Hot Knife Digital Media. The work will be publicly available for free through the App Store and Google Play Store from 10 November, with the audiobook and filmed experience released online simultaneously.

In line with the themes of the work, Price is keen to amplify the stories of The Mine as wide and far as possible, including a billboard campaign up and down the country. Future, physical iterations of the project are planned for 2023, continuing the development of the universe of The Mine and Canaries.

About Jay Price

Jay Price They/them

Jay Price is a London based artist, with a Masters from the Royal College of Art, and Bachelors degree from University for the Creative Arts. They have exhibited in the UK, USA, South America, and Asia.

Price’s practice seeks out original insights into the audience and methods of production that address urgent challenges facing both artist and artworld, contributing to the evolution of the industry, and adding an alternate & controversial perspective to ongoing debates.

About Shape Arts

Shape Arts is a disability-led organisation breaking barriers to creative excellence. We deliver a range of projects supporting marginalised artists, as well as training cultural venues to be more inclusive and accessible for disabled people as employees, artists and audiences.

Running alongside this portfolio is the NLHF funded National Disability Movement Archive and Collection (NDMAC), a radical collecting and retelling of the Disability Rights Movement’s heritage story; and, until recently led by Shape, Unlimited, which, largely supported by Arts Council and British Council funding, provides a platform for disabled artists to develop, produce and show ambitious and high-quality work, and which aims to transform perceptions of how the work of disabled artists is received in the mainstream art world.

Donate to support The Table Read
We strive to keep The Table Read free for both our readers and our contributors. If you have enjoyed our work, please consider donating to help keep The Table Read going!