Culture
12:01, 14-Dec-2017
Miami Art Week’s ‘UnSeen’ shows how visually impaired interpret art
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The big takeaway from one art installation at this year’s Miami art festival was: “You don’t need your eyes to see.”
“UnSeen – Interpretations with the Visually Impaired” was an innovative effort to include blind people in the festival.
Four participants from the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind were read a description of the artwork of a Spain-based artist named Julian Smith.
They were then asked to imagine what the art piece would look like. Their words were recorded. Then, the artist created original pieces based on the words of the blind volunteers.
“But UnSeen is not only for the blind, it’s a chance for seeing people to experience how the blind community interprets art and ultimately how they imagine it,” says Stephen Roesler of Miniac Films, one of the collaborators that made the exhibition possible.
A visitor takes a photo at the "UnSeen – Interpretations with the Visually Impaired" at this year’s Miami art festival. /CGTN Photo
A visitor takes a photo at the "UnSeen – Interpretations with the Visually Impaired" at this year’s Miami art festival. /CGTN Photo
Even if your eyes are perfectly fine, the art cannot be seen with the naked eye. Using an augmented reality application, the artworks revealed themselves through one’s cellphone or tablet.
The art installation also adds one dimension to the average observer. Through headphones, one can listen to the narrative each visually impaired collaborator heard to understand Julian’s original piece and their personal interpretation of what they imagined it would look like.
This experience allows the viewer to connect further with each art piece and the person who imagined it.
For many of us just staring at the white wall we did not know what to expect. On hearing the voices of the artist and the participants while looking at the art through the phone, it felt as if another reality had opened to my senses.
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