The Braille Book

The Braille Book exhibition revolved around the installation of a single art work by Nola Farman with writing by Anna Gibbs which, through the use of sound, occupied the cubic volume of the gallery. The terms of the 'usual exhibition' were reversed to paradoxically advantage the unsighted within our community and yet, The Braille Book was accessible as a visual and audible art installation. The visitor became the reader and encountered a page printed in Braille. It was a book made of polyester resin constructed in such a way that it contained electronic devices which were controlled by the movements of the fingers of the reader across the photosensitive cells embedded in the surface of the page. With this action, light was blocked which caused switches to be activated. These released sounds from a sound storage system visible beneath the book in the drawer of the clear acrylic desk. The sounds were short and enigmatic. The sighted reader can only guess at the possibilities of meaning within the text while the unsighted reader was privileged.