I am a neurodivergent, white, nonbinary person. My practice and discourse are based in activism and often happen in queer subcultures, nightlife and collectives. I have a bachelor’s in applied science of hospitality & business management and work a lot in theatre and festival production. I am working with the neurodiversity paradigm, which is based on the social model of disability. Collective practices, knowledge transfer, community-building and network creation are pillars of my practice.
Masking refers to a social practice of intentionally, or unintentionally, hiding aspects of yourself to avoid harm in neurotypical environments. Long-term masking can lead to neurodivergent burnout and mental health issues. Not only neurodivergent people put on different masks to go through life, but masking is a vital tool for neurodivergent people to be able to maintain work, school, friendships and partnerships. Nevertheless, I find it important to ask in which moments un//masking can release new resources - energies that are otherwise used for masking. For this master thesis I focused on connecting theories around un//masking to the performing arts. I am interested in un//masking as a countermovement to conforming to a standardised, ableist society and the associated pressure to perform - values that are often conveyed through masking. In a series of LAB sessions with experienced neurodivergent performers, I examined practices that they already use to ‘unmask/mask’ their work – from the creation process, over collaboration and administrative work, up to the performance itself.