DASH Arts "Beyond the Frame" a turning point for my future practice...!

Beyond the Frame Symposium November 2016

The symposium was to reflect on the 'Tu Fewn' project involving the Ffotographers Gallery Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre and g39, set up by Disability Arts Wales to provide opportunities for disabled artists. At first I felt a bit of a fraud for blagging a free ticket, as I had not seen any of the final outcomes of the project and therefore felt I had little to contribute or gain from remaining. I planned my escape at first coffee break, until something strange and wonderful happened.

Zoe Partington spoke about herself and her work. As I listened I had a revelation about my own practice. I couldn’t quite believe that as a student of Art, health and wellbeing, it had never occurred to me to consider access to my work and the needs of those who find it difficult / impossible to access 2D paintings.

Zoe spoke about her sight problems, which are caused by the receptors in her retina not working. Only some of them function so her brain has to build up a picture where there are many blanks, i.e. the cones are no longer able to send electrical impulses needed to create a full picture.

The photos displayed in her talk were taken in 2015 as part of the Diffusion festival in Cardiff (centred around ideas about the “American Dream” and it relevance to contemporary living in Wales) and entitled “Turning it on Its Head”.

From this point on, I have been researching what painting is and can be for the blind and partially sighted and uncovered some quite startling information, such as drawing is as important for blind children as it is for children who can see…… check out future blogs!!