Osorio and Despointes Turn The Spotlight On [dis]ABLED Inside Out

New York City photographer, JR deeply believes in the “the people’s art project” -a global art project transforming messages of personal identity into works of art.

Through social media, humans have the ability to publicize their ideas and beliefs in whatever medium they please…this is some real Freedom of Press and Speech stuff.  New York actors and filmmakers Leopoldine Huyghues Despointes and Diego Osorio are fronting their own people’s art project, [dis]ABLED Inside Out, a photography project branching off of the international Inside Out project, founded by JR.

[dis]ABLED Inside Out’s target goal is to take close to 3,000 portraits of disabled individuals in New York City through a series of pop-up events, gatherings and private sessions over the next several months. They hope to eventually host events in all five boroughs of Manhattan.

During these pop up events Huyghues Despointes and Osorio will be filming a documentary of JR’s work. The goal is after interviewing and speaking to these disabled people the public will not only see the faces, but also the personalities of the very people who have overcome great struggles. This is where their project diverges from JR’s initial works. “The idea is really to reunite everyone,” Huyghues Despointes told Mashable.com at [dis]ABLED Inside Out’s coworking space in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood. “Reunite every foundation, every organization, every person with disabilities possible. We really think that if we gather all these portraits these humans can actually call for a change.”

Huyghues Despointes was born with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) disease, often known as brittle bone disease, usually categorized by fragile bones and other bone and muscle issues. Although she’s always used a wheelchair, her mother raised her and her sister, who was also born with OI, to be incredibly independent. She was encouraged as a child to live her life just as any other person would— she went scuba diving and horseback riding, she’s traveled the world and has done other things people might not expect. Huyghes Despointes had never stood up for the camera out of her wheelchair until she and Osorio began collaborating on [dis]ABLED Inside Out.

The first pop-up event for [dis]ABLED Inside Out was this past Saturday downtown in Brookfield Place. JR’s Inside Out truck was present (think the contemporary art version of a food truck) to set the artistic stage for the many disabled people photographed at the event. The events will all lead up to a special commemoration of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)’s 25th Year in October – Disability Awareness Month – when the portraits will be publicly posted on the sidewalks of a currently undisclosed, symbolic place in New York.

To keep up with JR’s work with [dis]ABLED Inside Out and stay updated on the pop up events around New York City follow the community page Disabled InsideOut on Facebook and DisabledInsideOut on Instagram.