| 4Senses Education Report, September 2006 |
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4Senses is an innovative education project by BlindArt, inspired by Simon Hayhoe’s doctrinal research into the education of visually impaired children. The idea of the project follows BlindArt’s ethos of treating the sighted and visually impaired as a single audience rather than as two distinct groups. 4Senses therefore brings together sighted and visually impaired children to work in collaboration to produce a single work of art. The aim is to introduce visually impaired children to the world of the visual arts and to teach sighted children about visual impairment and how to assist the visually impaired. The approach is intended to give all participants the unique opportunity to learn from each others’ experiences and each others’ perceptions of art. In this way both groups will build an appreciation of and sensitivity to the talents and needs of differently-abled working-partners. Building on the success of last year’s collaboration between Dorton House School for the Blind and Orchard House School, a partnership was formed this year between RNIB Sunshine House School (a special needs school for children with multiple disabilities) and Frithwood Primary (a mainstream school) both located in Northwood. 1. The project started in July with a visit to each school from Bridget Crowley, the project leader, to introduce the project and provide visual impairment training. Eight children from each school then met at Sunshine House for the practical art workshop. The students worked in pairs, one sighted and one visually impaired, to make tactile, collaged panels on the children’s chosen theme of a journey. 2. Working with a variety of art and craft materials and found objects, each pair created a tactile panel varying in textures, pattern and colour. BlindArt staff were impressed with their creativity, imagination and teamwork, despite their differing abilities. 3. At the end of the day, the eight panels were joined together to form a single work of art. The children chose the title Touchscape Journey as the work represents a journey through a varied landscape (or dreamscape) experienced through touch. The work therefore, although visually striking and rewarding, yields up its meaning more through the experience of touch than sight. The sense of smell was also brought into play through the use of dried herbs, making it a truly multi-sensory artwork. 4. The final stage of the project was the exhibition. The Frithwood students brought Touchscape Journey to BlindArt’s Sense & Sensuality exhibition at the Bankside Gallery where they displayed the work for a day. The work was displayed with a label made by the students on a low table for ease of physical access. Several schools and community groups also visited the gallery that day, so the children were able to show them their work. Touchscape Journey will be exhibited in both schools so that all of their students can experience and enjoy the work. BlindArt hope’s to continue the 4Senses project in 2007 in connection to the next Sense & Sensuality exhibition.  4Sense making the artwork  4Sense Opening  Children at the opening of Sense & Sensuality 2006  Touchscape Journey |
BlindArt Collection Donated to
Moorfields Eye Hospital
October 2012
Link to press release
BlindArt Permanent Collection @ Banbury Museum
February - March 2011
Link to press release (word doc)
Link to press release (pdf)
BlindArt Permanent Collection @ Hove Museum & Art Gallery
June - September 2010
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BlindArt Permanent Collection @ RNC
June 2009
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BlindArt @ ART LONDON Fair
2 - 6 October 2008
BlindArt Permanent Collection @ Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro
26 July – 4 October 2008
BlindArt Forum
Exciting new Feature
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BlindArt Permanent Collection @ MOMA, Wales
March - April 2008
BlindArt Permanent Collection @ Catmose Gallery
January - February 2007
BlindArt Permanent Collection @ Menier Gallery
May 2007
Sense & Sensuality @ Richard Attenborough Centre
December 2006 - January 2007
Sense & Sensuality Debuts in New York
October 2006
Winners of Sense & Sensuality 2006
Joint First Prize
Mauro Perucchetti
Nick Hornby
BlindArt Purchase Prize
Andrew Senior
Sense & Sensuality 2006
Bankside Gallery
14 September – 8 October 2006
Link to leaflet
BlindArt in New York
BlindArt @ Art Beyond Sight
October 2005
Education Projects
Sense2Sense Education Project
4Senses Education Project
BlindArt Needs Volunteers
to help us TOUCH ART.
Please email info@blindart.net for details.
• Sense & Sensuality 2005 catalogue
• Sense & Sensuality 2006 catalogue
• BlindArt Permanent Collection catalogue
• Postcards
• Tactile images
available.
Support BlindArt
Please email info@blindart.net for details.
