The Blind's Art Beyond Sight

The opening ceremony of "Art Beyond Sight - Non Visual Photography" exhibition was held on Monday in Beijing, displaying over 30 photos taken by the visually impaired in Tibet, on International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Organized by Handicap International and sponsored by the French Embassy in China, the one-week exhibition provides an opportunity for those without or only limited sight to share their experiences with the seeing world.

Also, the event is a joint activity of One Plus One (Beijing) Disabled Persons' Cultural Development Center and the Tibetan Blind Association.

The concept of a photography exhibition by visually impaired people provides a unique opportunity to explore ideas around vision, blindness, sensory experience and imagery. Sight, for photographers who can see, is their principal working tool, to recognize and interpret the objects that surround them.

For blind or partially sighted people, therefore, photography goes beyond its technical and visual aspects. Furthermore, partially sighted people often utilize what sight they have extremely effectively, and with an attention to visual details that fully sighted people can not necessarily demonstrate.

"As this exhibition demonstrates, the concept of what is reflected in the photos is not limited by what we can physically see but can be experienced by the use of all our senses, " said Deborah Bickler, Country Director of Handicap International in China.