As a former craftsperson and designer, creativity still sneaks in wherever it can in my life. Even though I don’t build all kinds of fantastical looks anymore for the stage, I like to put together an epic Halloween costume every year. Throwing out a lot of the principles I worked with for years (must be made to last, must be washable and re-wearable for a 1-12 month run of a show, must be comfortable) I try to make things inexpensively and from found materials.
On Halloween 2022 I had tickets to see Lizzo with three friends. My mind flipped around at the possibilities of a group costume–something I rarely get to do as coordinating people can be taxing. At the time, I was going through yet another medical ordeal–honestly today I can’t even remember what it was, they all blend together eventually. We landed on Systems of Oppression: the Medical System, the Judicial System, the Education System, and Inflation as our costumes for the show.
I had so much fun putting together the costumes and fielding questions from folks who guessed we were things like Capitalism (so close!). I thought about re-doing the costume for Halloween 2023 and beyond…perhaps this would just be what I was for Halloween forever: the Medical System cobbled together from all of the things I endured each year.
But instead, an opportunity fell in my lap through Meow Wolf: an all-trash fashion show at their Denver, Colorado location.
medTRASH is a re-imagining of the medical system made entirely of non-biohazard medical waste. This concept aims to start a conversation, provide a glimpse into the lived experience of disabled and chronically ill people, and visualize the ways in which the medical system treats people: from patients to healthcare workers.
Comprised primarily of single-use medical items, medTRASH shows the volume and crushing weight of being a multiply-marginalized person in the medical system.
Items used
- Medical bills
- Brochures
- Bandages
- Alcohol swabs
- Masks
- Gloves
- Pill bottles
- Shipping materials
- Medication packaging
Learn more about the people inside the medical system
Check out my ABCs of Disability Pride, Rights, and History to learn more about the medical system, people with disabilities, and how to be anti-ableist.