Neuro-Disco-Corn at Unicorn Fest

NEURO-DISCO-CORN IS… … a magnificent stellar creature celebrating and acknowledging the differences and struggles that so many people live with. Neuro-Disco-Corn is adorned with shiny paint, mirror tiles and quotes from the community about their experiences with neurodiversity. Like a disco ball, but on a friendly unicorn! Neuro-Disco-Corn was installed at Clifton Suspension Bridge for summer 2023, and auctioned for £2600 in October for Leukaemia Care. Find out more at theunicornfest.co.uk. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Background: I wanted to celebrate and acknowledge the differences and struggles that so many people live with, and explore my own personal experience with neurodiversity. Some of the stickers on the unicorn are my words, but most are other peoples'. I asked: - "What do you wish more people knew about your experience with Neurodiversity?" - "If you could tell your younger self something helpful or encouraging what would you say?" - "What is the most irritating or funny thing about your brain?" - and I collected a range of different responses! Some quotes include : - "I wish more people knew that when I wobble I’m not drunk. It’s just my disability, that’s my reality!” - "I wish others could live in my brain for a few days... it's very noisy, messy and very rarely quiet." - "My whole brain is full of the technicolour life! None of this comes with a control button to dial down- so please be calmer when you speak. I’m listening to the whole darn beautiful world!" The most poignant/ironic one was me adding this to a sticker, and then completely forgetting - "It can be so debilitating and exhausting… sometimes I have to congratulate myself on eating a meal, having a shower and keeping myself alive". I put a huge amount of pressure on myself while I was completing the unicorn, and it resulted in burnout. So after remembering about 'glimmers' being the opposite of triggers and something that can really help with burnout and sensory overload, I added 'Find the Glimmers' as a message on the unicorn. Then happily noticed how appropriately shiny that was for a disco unicorn! Find out more at www.kazzhollick.co.uk