Radio prog - Four Thought on public resting places

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09pmbdp

This programme is on at 1900 today, but it can be listened to already:

Dreams of Public Resting Spaces

Four Thought

Theatre maker Raquel Meseguer, who lives with chronic pain, has a vision for public resting spaces. Challenging our etiquette and perceptions of people lying down, she imagines how our cultural spaces might embrace 'Cloudspotters', her euphemism for people with hidden conditions like her own.

"It was a lightbulb moment to realise that I am able, but I am also disabled by a built environment and vertical culture that is simply not designed for me... my lying down invariably proves problematic, and reveals strict etiquettes of our public spaces, and prejudice towards the simple act of lying down." "It was only by challenging etiquette that my world got bigger again."

Recorded in front of a live audience at Somerset House in London.

Presenter: Olly Mann
Producer: Sheila Cook

http://www.ovalhouse.com/whatson/detail/a-crash-course-in-cloudspotting

https://uncharteredcollective.com/a-crash-course-in-cloudspotting/

Release date: 31 January 2018

 

I listened to this when it was first broadcast. I thought it was really good. Obviously lying down places is not the answer for many with ME as light, sound, movement etc. would still be too much, but it would certainly help some of us, some of the time.

I really liked her attitude of getting out there anyway and trying not to care about other people's judgements. I think the more that people with different needs make themselves visible, the more normal it will become (well obviously it's already normal, but I mean the more normalised it will become) and that can only help everyone is society. I can't help but think that the huge levels of anxiety there seems to be amongst young people at the moment has to be connected to the narrowness of what we define as 'normal'.

Anything that makes society more inclusive and that helps to normalise the wide spectrum of bodies and abilities is a good thing imo.

 

I would expect lying down places to be put in 'out of the way' places where light, sound, and activity would be reduced. Is that too much to expect?

 

Probably.

My, and I expect other, UK council has been steadily removing decades old sitting places, even bus stops which used to be covered, enclosed with benches now, if you're lucky, have angled perches, which if you aren't just the right height and shape and also fairly strong are actually worse than nothing if you need to rest.

In the last 10 years in a mile walk to get to the nearest supermarket there used to be 15 benches (not including a war memorial). Now there is one, and the war memorial. I can no longer do that walk, even on a good day, and TBH I'm not convinced I could even if the benches were still there, but their removal is indicative of an attitude to such things, to people resting. Apparently cleaning bird shit off benches is simply too expensive or some other twaddle, and as for getting a seat and being protected from the elements while waiting for a bus, which is frequently a 30 minute wait (for a 12 minute service).........

....and people want safe places to lie down? Some hope around here.