Escape into Sound
A unique exhibition of tactile and sound art by a group of new artists who all have vision impairments went on display at the Dublin Art Mill last November and December — this was the culmination of a project begun by artist Siobhan Clancy and a group from NCBI’s Iona Centre in Dublin, over 12 months ago.
The work on show included 3-dimensional sculpture, sound art installations and an audio-visual documentary on the creative process. All the sculptural artworks are tactile and visitors were invited to touch them. The exhibition was opened by Pádraig Naughton, artist and Director of Arts and Disability Ireland.
The project began over 12 months ago when artist Siobhán Clancy began working with a group at NCBI’s Iona Centre, an activity centre for adults who are blind or vision impaired. For the project participants, this was the first time they had engaged in the development, production and exhibition of art in a contemporary context. Until then, most felt that their sight loss left art out of their reach, as one participant outlines: “I discovered that I’m capable of being an artist. I don’t mean I’m going to be one, but I never thought it was something I could do or that you wouldn’t have to have perfect vision to be an artist,” said Lorraine Donegan.
Developing an artistic experience that appealed to multiple senses was a fundamental element of the project, according to Clancy. “Very soon into the project, the group and I found that we shared a common interest in artwork that is tactile, engaging and interactive on a sensory as well as an intellectual level. We also discovered a mutual dislike for ‘Do Not Touch’ signs in galleries! So from the outset, we were determined to get our hands dirty and we explored a wide variety of materials and methods of 3-dimensional art making, including clay modelling, paint, plaster casting, alginate mould-making, wax casting, paper and card sculpture and sound production including recording, mixing, audio description and live transmission.”
Lorraine Donegan who has lived with sight loss since birth was surprised by how engaging creating art became. “I have tunnel vision. I didn’t expect this side of art so I was pleasantly surprised that I could do things with my hands. Every time I see a sculpture now I have to go over and check it out. It’s a whole new learning process for me and I’m enjoying every minute of it.”
Shane Byrne, a participant with a degenerative genetic eye condition remarked now the experience sparked other interests. “It has renewed my interest in other things as well. I’ve been to visit more galleries since I started. Every time I go to a new city, I look through the paper for exhibitions that might be on whilst I’m there. It made sense that an exhibition formed a natural conclusion to our project. Escape into Sound presents the highlights of the artistic voyage we made together.”
The exhibition, which was launched in November, complete with wine reception and Braille cookies, was a wonderful occasion for celebration. Speakers on the night included Pádraig Naughton, Elaine Howley (NCBI Director of Services) and Elaine Crossan (Manager NCBI Iona Centre). Participants were awarded framed editions of the Escape into Sound invitation by Siobhán Clancy and special thanks were made to creative collaborators Sven Anderson, Brian Dalton, Josephine May, Anne Walsh, Mark Larkin, John Lawlor and Tara Nichols.
The exhibition ran for six days with guided tours by project participants offered to groups. Among those who availed of this opportunity were staff and service users from NCBI Iona Centre and NCBI Training Centre. St. Joseph’s House for Deaf Blind Adults also took advantage of the tactile tour and even produced a plaster cast of their own made from impressions of their hands in clay to commemorate the occasion, facilitated by Siobhan Clancy and participant Shane Byrne.
At the closing talk, participants and artist made a series of presentations on the ‘The Art of Listening’ project process over the 14-month period that lead to the Escape into Sound exhibition at Dublin Art Mill in Dublin 8. Shane Byrne gave an eloquent overview of the experience;
“It was a process of evolution, I really didn’t know what to expect. I did think we were going to be doing painting and drawing and it just opened my eyes to the other forms of art that are actually out there and some that I wouldn’t have considered taking part it. The group all had different abilities and we all had different ideas of what art was. It was a journey and it almost fell into place alone. There were different levels of sight loss so ‘sound’ was something that everyone could participate in.”
Pádraig Naughton facilitated discussion on the issues raised with the audience. “From my perspective, running Arts and Disability Ireland, it was a significant achievement and a significant landmark in terms of disabled peoples’ engagement in a mainstream event.”
To learn more about the project, go to www.theartoflistening.wordpress.com.. For a copy of our DVD and Audio CD Presentation Pack featuring audio-visual documentary material and sound works, contact: ncbilistening@gmail.com
To all the many people at NCBI who contributed time, effort, ideas, energy and support; a heartfelt thanks from all the participants and artists.