Beyond the Visual

Hear from a wide range of speakers reflecting on what blindness brings to the experience of art within cultural organisations and beyond.

Your speakers will include artists, creative practitioners, disability activists, historians, researchers and scientists.

This symposium goes beyond thinking only about facilitating access: speakers will also talk about what blind and partially sighted people can bring to cultural experiences for all.

There will be themed sessions with short individual responses to the session theme, followed by round tables where a facilitator will bring the speakers together to reflect on ideas. There will be time for you to ask questions during the round-table discussions.

There will also be sessions with key figures in conversation with a facilitator about their work, including Amanda Cachia and Fiona Candlin. These discussions conclude an Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project.

Day 1

Welcome and introduction to the symposium
Sensory Environments, Architectures and Performances
Lunch
Sounds, Scores and Words
Coffee break
The Art of Touch

Day 2

Multi-Modal Wayfinding and Storytelling
Lunch
Blind Aesthetics
Coffee break
Expanding the Beholder Experience
Keynote with Georgina Kleege: Reflections, Regrets and Resolutions after 20 Years of Advocacy