For at least a decade, Iâve been wondering what happens in the mind of absolute blind people that where born with the condition. It is a world where the term âImaginationâlosses its characteristics, as we take for granted that images happen in our minds, where speaking about images makes no sense, where the understanding of the world goes beyond what we can âseeâ.
I decided to endeavour on the idea I had in my mind, and to try to translate this world, entering a deep research process from a world where Iâm an outsider, understanding the limitations between language and its relation with visual reality, confronting the challenges of what is obvious for some people, but once you realise that the counterpart in the conversation has different references when encountering the world, references that people who can see, or have seen at some point in their lives canât understand or share.
From a personal point of view, this journey has opened many challenges on which way to approach the research, the process of developing these images, and my relationship with this new world.
During the first step of the research, Iâve met in Santiago de Chile 8 different blind people, sat with them and share some stories, thoughts and understandings from their world. It was a diverse group of people, where just three of them have been blind their whole life, and the rest became blind through different events that occurred in their lives.
My first impression once I was on my way to the meeting, was that it was my very first creative meeting, where I was not going to be able to show any of my portfolio, nor in a phone, nor in paper, not even a computer. Everything was supported by my speech, by my intention to start this project, and by trust.
There is a misunderstanding from our perspective when we imagine people with visual impediment by thinking they can âseeâ dark, light, or shapes, or some kind of images, etc. Everything we think about are just theories, as this people have never met these references, they do not have the same idea of dark as we know it, they do not have the same idea of light, as we know it and they do not relate to them in the same way people that can see or have been able to see with their eyes.
Iâve got to understand that it is a responsibility to take on this project and make it a reality, it is important to do a deep research onto the stories of what this people live in their daily life, to understand that sometimes, even they will not be able to see it, it is important for them that people that can see, will be able to meet their world, understand them, and live among them in a more welcoming way. This project is a long term project, in which I aim to describe the world of different born blind people, from different nationalities, different countries and environments. I intend to present it in an exhibition in Spring 2020 (NorthernHemisphere) followed by a printed photo book (with blind reading printing technologies).
I would be very grateful If you can support this project, by either introducing me to some blind people, follow my work, support it in any way.
There is a misunderstanding from our perspective when we imagine people with visual impediment by thinking they can âseeâ dark, light, or shapes, or some kind of images, etc. Everything we think about are just theories, as this people have never met these references, they do not have the same idea of dark as we know it, they do not have the same idea of light, as we know it and they do not relate to them in the same way people that can see or have been able to see with their eyes.
Iâve got to understand that it is a responsibility to take on this project and make it a reality, it is important to do a deep research onto the stories of what this people live in their daily life, to understand that sometimes, even they will not be able to see it, it is important for them that people that can see, will be able to meet their world, understand them, and live among them in a more welcoming way. This project is a long term project, in which I aim to describe the world of different born blind people, from different nationalities, different countries and environments. I intend to present it in an exhibition in Spring 2020 (NorthernHemisphere) followed by a printed photo book (with blind reading printing technologies).
I would be very grateful If you can support this project, by either introducing me to some blind people, follow my work, support it in any way.