Beyond the Visual

Beyond the Visual was the UK’s first major sculpture exhibition in which blind and partially blind practitioners were central to the curatorial process and made up the majority of participating artists. The exhibition was the culmination of a 3 year AHRC-funded research project entitled Beyond the Visual: Blindness and Expanded Sculpture, a collaboration between UAL and partners Henry Moore Institute and Shape Arts. Professor Ken Wilder was Principal Investigator and Dr Aaron McPeake Co-Investigator. The exhibition was curated by Dr Clare O'Dowd (Research Curator at Henry Moore Institute), with Wilder and McPeake.

As the exhibition demonstrated, blindness is no barrier to creating ambitious, provocative and internationally significant sculpture. Incorporating touch, sound, smell and movement, the works were playful, poetic and often deeply thought-provoking. They challenged the dominance of sight in how we make and experience art, inviting visitors to encounter sculpture in ways that reach far beyond the visual.

Beyond the Visual brought together sixteen international artists and included both historical and contemporary works. Historical sculptures by Henry Moore and Barry Flanagan show the importance of touch for both artists, while new commissions by David Johnson, Sam Metz, Serafina Min, Aaron McPeake and Ken Wilder engaged sound, scent and touch to impart a variety of experiences. Other artists in the main galleries were: Lucia Beijlsmit, Lenka Clayton, Emilie Louise Gossiaux, Jennifer Justice, Collin van Uchelen. The exhibition continued throughout Henry Moore Institute, with a new sound and video installation by Fayen D’Evie with Georgina Kleege, Hillary Goidell and Bryan Phillips located in the Study Gallery. The Seminar Room included for a rolling screening of audio-described films.

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