YES! Onomatopoeia features the portrait of an autistic young man whose voice is categorised as ‘non verbal’. It is an interdisciplinary research project resulting in a 60-page graphic documentary (YES!) and a video installation (Onomatopoeia).

The project is funded by a Wellcome Art Award and an Arts Council Award and explores the political identity of autism within a society that categorises a voice as ‘non-verbal’.  

The work also tackles a number of issues such as the cultural specificity of autism, current research in psychology and neurotherapy, the role of social services, and, importantly, the role of the experience of families in the knowledge economy of scientific research. 

These issues are explored against the background of an observational documentary process filmed over the course of a year that evidences the complexity of the subject’s non-verbal voice when it comes to communication and self expression as well as a rich tapestry of family and friendship. The project has an extensive dedicated site: 

www.non-verbalautism.blogspot.co.uk