Speculative Proposal for Year 2

My original proposal, a year ago, was to research Palaeolithic Goddess figures, Goddess theories, how women’s work was the basis for human development and how this was downplayed by the patriarchy. However, due to my deteriorating vision and the difficulties it causes, I had to abandon that project in January 2023. 

As I struggled to adapt to the limitations I was experiencing, it was apparent to me that the amount of reading I had planned was not going to be feasible.  I made a start on my art making and this proved to me that my vision was going to make doing what I had decided to do potentially hazardous.

After completing the Printmaking Studio induction, I was excited to discover a new medium that I could use without needing normal visual acuity.  As printmaking is a new process to me, I don’t have to deal with the frustration of not being able to do it “how I used to.” I can bring in my skills sets and knowledge from other media and experiment continually with the different processes – monoprinting, collagraphy, offset press, linocuts, etching, etc. 

For the research component for Year Two I have a two pronged plan. Firstly, I am going to look into visually impaired artists and creatives – both historic and contemporary. My initial research has surprised and impressed me. A surprising (to me) number of the “greats” appear to have had some form of visual impairment. I was aware of some, such as Monet and Matisse, but there are many others who are known or suspected to have visual issues and other issues, such as Degas, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Picasso, O’Keefe, Kahlo, even Michelangelo and Da Vinci!

There are many well-known contemporary blind/visually impaired artists covering a wild range of visual impairment/conditions from totally blind from birth, to diabetic retinopathy (my condition.)  I’ve joined groups for blind artists and have connected with a few on social media. It is proving fascinating to discover how they have each adapted to working in their chosen medium while not being able to clearly see what they are doing. I will continue to try to connect with other visually impaired artists to talk about the issues and how they have navigated through adapting their practises to continue with making and creating, or have learned to create after developing their condition.

I’ve assembled a list of books that I hope to be able to access (in a suitable format) that discuss adapting to physical changes (not just vision) by creatives. There are a surprising number of publications dealing with the issue – from biographies to academic research. There are also thousands of academic papers and journals to mine for additional information.

A partial list of the books I’ve found include:

• When Walls Become Doorways: Creativity and the Transforming Illness, 2016, by Tobi Zausner, PhD. This book was highly recommended by a friend.

• Art Beyond Sight: A Resource Guide to Art, Creativity, and Visual Impairment, 2002, by Elisabeth Salzhauer Axel (Editor), Nina Sobol Levent (Editor).

• Arts, Culture, and Blindness: A Study of Blind Students in the Visual Arts, 2008, by Simon Hayhoe.

• Blind Artist: Introspective and Memory Recollections: Introspective and Memory Recollections, 2014, by Gary J. Haun.

Once I know the formats that the books are available in I can plan my reading accordingly.

The second concentration of my research will be into what aides are available to deal with the issue of visual impairment, where can resources be located, how easy to access, what are the costs, etc.  For example, what equipment is available to assist with losing your vision, from where, how accessible it it? Also, what do institutions, art museums for example, offer for the visually impaired to enhance their experience? 

I will be using RNIB’s resources and library to hopefully access much of this information and the publications I want to review, as well as the University library. I will also be checking out the museums I will be visiting on my upcoming trip to Prague and Vienna at the end of October, to see what they offer for visually impaired visitors. When I return I will also check out local venues, such as The Box, to find out what they offer. Up until now I have just managed on my own, it never occurred to me to ask for assistance from the museums.

My physical art work will be a continuation of my experimentation with print making methods and incorporating with mixed media. I have used the offset press in the Print Studio to create an A1 sized work which turned out very well. I also have purchased my own press (it has an A3 bed) and have started doing gel printing (have three different size gel plates and plan to acquire a larger one.) 

One of the contemporary blind artists I’ve discovered is Arthur Ellis who has diabetic retinopathy (as I do) and Charles Bonnet syndrome (again, as I do). He recreates the visual hallucinations he experiences with the condition. I had thought of doing that myself when I started learning print making – printing the backgrounds and then adding the details manually. I haven’t actually done that as of yet, but think it is worth exploring. 

I have been utilizing my prints in other work.  I’ve included prints in journals I have made, and will be using them with collage and paper crafts as well. I’ve also been doing bookbinding and think I would like to create a large format art book of original works for my year end presentation – this is my initial concept which may, of course, change as the year progresses.

In feedback from my presentation, Anya suggested I could incorporate touch into my final work. I had not actually thought of that in this context, even though I was planning to experiment with texture paste and dimensional embellishments. I’d not connected that the final work being accessible to the visually impaired was, or should be, part of my overall research. Of course, that will be my plan now. I’m feeling very excited about starting to see what I can do with that goal in mind.