How Judith Scott escaped a life in institutional isolation to become a great sculptor

Deaf and with Down syndrome, Scott endured horrific conditions in institutions for 35 years. Then, when her twin enrolled her at an arts centre, a remarkable artist emergedBundles of fibre wrapped around shapes as if mummifying something sacred. Bicycle wheels tied tightly to a chair with scraps of kaleidoscopically coloured cloth. Supermarket trolleys filled to the brim with ropes, tubes, tassels. Forms evoking wings, animals or body-parts that seem to be conversing with each other. This is the