Aaron Williamson: Hiding in 3D

Saturday 2 July 2022 marked the 102nd anniversary of the 1st Dada International Exhibition in Berlin. For one day, 31 d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists staged Dada inspired interventions in museums and galleries across the Plus Tate network as part of We Are Invisible We Are Visible (WAIWAV).

British artist Aaron Williamson performed Hiding in 3D as part of this intervention. The project was curated by DASH, the disabled led visual arts organisation, and was awarded the 2021 Ampersand Prize.

For 30 years, Williamson has created over 300 artworks that use ‘crip humour’ to address the in/visibility of disabled people. His work often refers to the absurdism inherent to Dada as an international movement, producing interventions within and beyond institutional spaces.

“To be awarded the Ampersand Prize for this surreal intervention will not only have a massive impact on disability arts but will show that the visual arts institutions are now open and willing to change. DASH has a long history of producing provocative interventions that continue the legacy of Dada, Absurdism and Surrealism into the 21st century.” Mike Layward, DASH Artistic Director

Hiding in 3D combined anaglyph 3D, which required the viewer to wear 3D Spex (with red and blue lenses), and a ‘dazzle’ camouflage developed by artists associated with Dada and Vorticism during WW1. The first aim was to create a heightened visual experience, whilst the second served to hide something from the viewer. Anaglyph 3D exaggerates visibility, whereas camouflage affords invisibility.