[Art_beyond_sight_learning_tools] Blind Alphabet C and Artsense

[Lisa Yayla]

 Forwarding an article from another list about a touring
tactile exhibition.Also link to sight

http://www.aptronym.co.uk/art-sense/pages/alphabet.htm



The Times Higher Education Supplement
 Tuesday, February 15, 2005

 Can You Feel It In Your Art?
 By Thomas Watson
> >>
> >> An exhibition of sculpture has restricted visitors to their sense of
> >> touch. Thomas Watson reports
> >>
> >> The very idea of an art exhibition in which you are not allowed to see
> >the
> >> exhibits may seem an odd one, but the Blind Alphabet C show encourages
> >> visitors to ditch their preconceptions and explore artwork exclusively
> >> through the medium of touch.
> >>
> >> Each of the 77 sculptures in the "show", lovingly crafted by South
> >African
> >> artist Willem Boshoff, resides in a box that bears a Braille
> >description
> >> of its contents. This ensures that the only way sighted people can
> >> possibly experience the sculpture is to feel their way around it, while
> >> the visually-impaired visitors get a little more information.
> >>
> >> Another twist from the norm is that the sculptures represent a range of
> >> archaic words, ensuring that visitors have no preconceived meanings or
> >> definitions.
> >>
> >> "People not only cannot see the pieces, but they don't know the meaning
> >of
> >> the words either, so they are forced to use their sense of touch," says
> >> the exhibition's co-ordinator Bob Wright.
> >>
> >> Blind Alphabet C has been touring the country since 1998, two years
> >after
> >> the foundation Art-Sense, its parent company, was formed with the aim
> >of
> >> providing educational art that could be appreciated by sighted and
> >> non-sighted alike.
> >>
> >> The involvement of schools was a major part of the Art-Sense plan right
> >> from the outset.
> >>
> >> "We've had everything from Key Stage 1 pupils to adults with special
> >> educational needs getting involved," says Bob.
> >>
> >> "Visitors love to handle the pieces. It means so much more to people
> >than
> >> looking at pictures."
> >>
> >> Teachers are briefed before all visits so that they are aware of the
> >> dynamics of Blind Alphabet C. The wide range of wooden pieces, for
> >> example, offer pupils a variety of figurative and abstract objects to
> >> experience.
> >>
> >> Pupils are always "interested and amused" by the exhibition, says Bob,
> >> although the challenge of using touch as the main sense leaves some
> >> bewildered.
> >>
> >> "Encouraged to feel the pieces with their eyes closed, some people are
> >> hopeless at properly examining them," he says.
> >>
> >> It's a welcome change to visit a museum where the rules steer well
> >clear
> >> of "Do not touch".
> >>
> >> Blind Alphabet C is on show in the following museums: North Somerset
> >> Museum, Weston -Super-Mare, March 12-April 9; Museum of Reading, April
> >> 23-July 23; Prestongrange Museum, Haddington, September 5-October 30
> >>