top of page

Loading Video . . .

This is my second entry for Spark and Echo Arts. I will outline how things are going for my proposal project, When We Walk.

Find the complete progression of the work linked below.

Romans 12:2

Artist in Residence 2015: Jason DaSilva Part 2

By 

Jason DaSilva

Credits: 

Curated by: 

Spark & Echo Arts, Artist in Residence

2015

Image by Giorgio Trovato

Primary Scripture

Loading primary passage...

Loading Passage Reference...

This is my second entry for Spark and Echo Arts. I will outline how things are going for my proposal project, When We Walk.


It has been a fulfilling several months since my last entry where I explained the project, When We Walk. One of the more defining points that I decided upon is to feature other countries from around the world in the video piece. Within this entry are a couple video clips that I edited for inclusion in the final piece. The first one is of myself driving through the streets of Tbilisi in Georgia. I was grateful to be able to travel with the American Film Showcase to show When I Walk in Georgia. I quickly found out that sidewalks and stoplights are things that are not guaranteed – I presumed that these would be available because of living in North America, in New York City.


When We Walk Video Journal #1 - Georgia


The second video is of my travels in Turkey where I showed my previous film, When I Walk, and promoted AXS Map (http://www.axsmap.com/). In all my world travels thus far, I’ve been graced to have so many people helping me as I navigate and try to spread the word about the importance of accessibility. There have been several challenges along the way, and that will continue to be the case. The first one is pretty obvious. These cities are not all set out to be disability-friendly.


When We Walk Video Journal #2 - Turkey


I recently attended the UN Enabled (http://www.un.org/disabilities/) conference where I was able to present AXS Map along with the World Disability Union. The whole conference was an eye-opener for me because I got to see how the world’s disabled community got together to share their voices and work together to raise awareness of their similar issues for our community. I was able interview several people from the disability community on the specifics that they are concerned with. There were several topics that came to the forefront: education, accessibility, and intersection with other minority communities (for example: gender and race, law, and even ageism). While moving forward with the film, it is easy to follow the different threads. One of the biggest challenges will be to remain focused.


During this time, I’ve been writing lots of grant proposals and will continue to do the same along with being consistent with writing for Spark+Echo Arts and the When We Walk blog (https://www.tumblr.com/search/whenwewalk; http://www.sparc.bc.ca/). Writing grants and proposals are the biggest ways to stay focused. I am thankful to Spark+Echo Arts for keeping me grounded and I look forward to continuing the project and presenting it to the world. Another big focus of the piece will be to document MAPATHONS, where we will spread around the world how to use AXS map to find wheelchair accessibility data quickly and efficiently with lots of people in any vicinity. As my vision and hands get worse, I am most thankful for everyone rallying together to support me and AXS Map.

Spark Notes

The Artist's Reflection

Jason DaSilva has been a prolific filmmaker for the past 10 years. He has directed four short films (OLIVIA’S PUZZLE, A SONG FOR DANIEL, TWINS OF MANKALA, and FIRST STEPS) and two feature-length documentary films (LEST WE FORGET and WHEN I WALK). Many of his films have won awards; OLIVIA’S PUZZLE premiered at the 2003 Sundance Festival and qualified for an Academy Award. Three of his films have had national broadcasts on PBS, HBO, and CBC. He also produced Shocking and Awful, a film installation on the anti-Iraq war movement, exhibited at the 2006 Whitney Biennial. Each one of these works advanced Jason’s objective to give voice to those on the periphery of society. In 2006 Jason took a short break from filmmaking to earn his MFA in Applied Media Arts from Emily Carr University.


He recently produced and directed an Op-Doc (opinion documentary) for the New York Times called ‘The Long Wait,’ published in January 2013. DaSilva’s latest film, WHEN I WALK, was an Official Selection of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and won Best Canadian Feature at HotDocs 2013. Following the film’s theatrical release this fall, it will air on POV on PBS in 2014. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.


Interested in learning more about Jason’s creative process? Visit his website at: http://wheniwalk.com/

Jason DaSilva

About the Artist

Artist in Residence 2015: Jason DaSilva Part 3

Artist in Residence 2015: Jason DaSilva Part 1

Artist in Residence 2015: Jason DaSilva

Jason DaSilva

Other Works By