the blind photography as art concept
In my half sleep I remembered this up for the first time:
There are none so blind as those that can't see. Makes you think yes ?
Blind Photography should make you think even more ...
Photography is the last visual art. Blind photography is therefore the last bourgeois taboo. A medium apparently controlled by light cannot
Photography requires composition and technical competences in order to both see and extract a scene or image onto the storage medium. it is this latter which is insurmountable to those lacking in the visual sense.
Those of serious visual impairment must first stumble upon a subject worthy of capture, set up their equipment, compose the shot, optimise their settings, and take the shot. Having captured the masterpiece they must then develop it by whatever means. How can they critically review their work without the ability to observe it. The chances of achieving a masterpiece in this way are minimal.
And this is exactly why is should be considered an approach in its own right. In a more real sense the blind photographer is 'free' from the bounds of traditional photographic practice, in terms of how they use their camera, how they compose their subjects and what the final results look like.
We can harness this creative release through the process described herewith:
[insert process here]
note1: I am assuming 'blind' to mean total blindness. I know this isn't always the case. The RNIB are the experts on such thing. I'm certainly not trying to make fun of blind people.
note2: there should always be more than one footnote on a document
note3: digital or analogue photography is equally valid here. Added fun can be had by developing photos by hand.
note4: this is a photo of a blind and not blind photography:
see update here
good site-it got me thinking.
Brian Woods
Harwich,Essex UK
Perhaps you thought about this concept a little earlier than I did, but I've executed it in Melbourne, Australia! Its called "4sight: Photography by People who are Blind or Vision Impaired." Check out www.rvib.org.au for more details.
thanks christopher. I've thought your competition so good i've produced a seperate entry: here
Hi, my name is Nicola Loder and i am an artist currently working on a project working with 5 blind students from the Royal Victorian Institute for the Bllind. The project is going to be exhibited at ArtPlay in Melbourne, Austalia and I will keep you posted for web address information.
For the project the kids are photographing people special to them and then recording theri ideas about the pictures and the process of taking them. These recordings will be accessible at the exhibition from ipods with headphones attached. The pictures will be on the wall covered by a flap that can be lifted.
hi nicola - is this the same project as the 4sight one ? It sounds most excellent. i look forward to a weblink in due course !
Hi ?...no it's not the same as 4sight but we are both working in melbourne. I found out about Christopher from the blind school where the kids I am working with go because the headmaster Gary Strichken is blind and was involved in the 4sight project with Chris.
I read an artice from the LA times today (01/06/05) on a blind photographer named Michael Richard. Beginning Jan. 23, his works will be display at UC Berkeley Art Museum
There is a vibrant flickr group for
blind and visually impaired photographers at
http://www.flickr.com/groups/blind_photographers/ with an attendant
blog at http://bestofbp.blogspot.com/.
thanks oberazzi. there's some amazing photos there, especially on the blog. thanks for leaving the link