It Possible for Blind Photographers to Only Produce Windows
The blind have participated in photography for many years but their inclusion into the subject has raised many an interesting debate, not only to the restrictions they face physically but also how they and the more able sighted, interpret their images. Photography as a medium is an investigative visual art. The notion that blind photography is included into this field may seem implausible to some. Can this wonderful practice which is dominated by the awareness of composition, light and subject matter, be controlled by someone who has no visual instinct? In 1976 the then Director of Photography at New York Museum of Modern Art, John Szarhowski, made one of the most profound statements pertaining to contemporary photography. He designated photographs as either ’windows or mirrors.’ The ‘window’ relates to the subject matter being of prime importance - a straight recording, and the view of the photographer is secondary. Opposite to this is the ‘mirror’ where the photograph’s main purpose is to reflect a viewpoint: for instance, a self conscious conceptual art photograph. Without doubt, it is possible for a blind photographer to record ‘windows’ but surely if there is an inability to critically review your own work purely because of the inability to observe it, can we say with sincerity, that a credible piece of art production is inconceivable? Christine Leahey is founder of ‘The View from Here’, an organisation that supports blind artists. She argues “because we live in a visually dominated world, people think that when you go blind your cognitive world goes too.” But what if you are blind from birth, how can cognitive thought be contextulised without visual experiences. Could this unconventional approach to constructing an image be the ‘mirror’ to the blind photographer?
Keywords: Blind, Photography, Windows, Mirrors
Paul Lander
Technical Demonstrator(with lecturing duties), Photography Department |
Ref: A08P0108
