A Tactile Fish Out Of Water

One hundred blind and partially sighted adults and staff from St Dunstan’s took part in an activity based on sound, allowing both the sighted and non-sighted to participate equally.

A workshop for the visually impaired on Kandinsky and the influence of music on his paintings, run by the Courtauld Institute of Art, had excited interest in drawing to sound.

Music evoking water inspired participants in Brighton, London and Sheffield to communicate their thoughts and feelings through drawings.

Blind drawers were able to feel their images by using a plastic that lifted along the line inscribed by a biro, and a paper which, when passed through a zy-fuse machine, turned the drawn line into 3-D.

The images were mounted on card to form the scales of a huge hanging fish collage that rippled when touched.

This tactile fish-out-of-water is a remarkable record of a rich collection of images expressing individual personalities.

The activities were linked to Art beyond Sight Awareness Month.