BEDSCAPE
Paula Knight has been bedbound since 2018 as a result of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) (aka CFS), and Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS). Her photos start in 2017, and document how she sees the world - from wheelchair to 100% bedbound living a half-life in one room. They explore her exile from the outside and natural world, and her disability. Some are taken by John Austin under her direction. Some are taken remotely using a static camera-to-laptop interface. Paula now requires full-time care, and is unable to feed or wash herself, type or use a computer, and often has periods of being unable to speak due to the severity of her condition. Bedscape is an ongoing creative project.
If you are able to support biomedical research into the disease ME, please donate to Open Medicine Foundation.
Whiffle
Flying high with my flock
It came as such a shock
to tumble
The mitochondria misfired
My vitality expired
and down I went
I tried hard to recover
as I plummeted at speed
towards a world that couldn't quilt me
in my time of need
If only I could whiffle
with a lapwing's landing flair
Manoeuvres would have saved me
in a torsion through the air
But I'm not a bird possessing skills
or wings to let me fly
Just a woman trapped within one room
trying to survive
