Abstract
Service animals are a valuable tool used by individuals to help mitigate their disability, however the false representation of pets as service animals in public spaces is a problem that continues to create access issues for legitimate teams. With Strings Attached is a data-driven sculpture that utilizes visual and tactile markers to understand the inconsistent penalties for misrepresenting a pet as a service animal throughout the United States. The sculpture serves as a timeline displaying not only if and when states made this action illegal, but also the punishment associated with committing this crime. The ADA law in the United States requires handlers who utilize service animals to keep constant control of their animal for civilian safety, often through the use of leashes. However, through inconsistent state laws, United States as a whole has disregarded the safety of individuals with disabilities and their service animals.
Key
The leash creates a timeline starting with the approval of Title II and III of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1991 and spans until 2020. There are fifty paper dog tags, each associated with one of the fifty states. Their placement corresponds with when each state appended a law that made it illegal to falsely represent a pet as a service animal in public spaces. Each dog tag is connected to the timeline with a crochet chain. Dark blue yarn or double dots on the tag represent a misdemeanor, while light blue yarn or single dot on the tag represents a civil infraction or petty crime. Each crochet chain represents $5 USD that would be fined to the individual who falsely represents a service animal in that state. This sculpture was completed in December 2021.
Currently on display at the Edith O'Donnell Building of Art and Technology
