Beyond Seeing
Art Meetings
October 2023 - June 2024
BATMAN
Beyond Seeing: Art Meetings is an equity-based project with its primary focus on inequality of access to art; its main philosophy is that art should be accessible to and inclusive of everyone. It is observed that individuals with visual disability are disadvantaged in access to art, as they are so in many other social areas. This becomes even more evident when it comes to visual arts. Beyond Seeing: Art Meetings is a step taken with the intention of highlighting said disadvantage and turning it into an advantage to the extent possible. Within such context, an art workshop was organized for young people with visual disability, which was fueled by historical and cultural aspects. Beyond Seeing: Art Meetings comprised of museum visits, a creative drama workshop and three-dimensional applications workshops.
The project aimed to have different audiences on a shared platform, establish a bridge between them, and create an environment which became a field of new experiences and discoveries for everyone.
Exploration of the tactile experience area of the Batman Museum, an accessible museum, provided an experience that resulted in artistic creation upon being inspired by the region’s cultural and historical heritage. On the other hand, closer relations were encouraged via the creative drama workshop, which created an environment based on mutual trust with the target audience. Subsequently, theoretical and practical information on new possibilities of art was shared in the three-dimensional applications workshop, where discussions took place on possibilities for individuals with visual disability to interact with artistic expression and gain a place in creative processes. A multi-sensory workshop environment was attempted to be achieved through utilization of audio, smell and other sensory stimulants in addition to tactile experience.
Details and meanings of art work were discussed using special tactile materials as well as methods such as audio explanations, interactive activities, etc. The three-dimensional applications workshop included demonstrations of various materials as well as technical training, which ensured each participant to discover the method he/she can best express himself/herself. Volunteers who had received or are receiving academic education accompanyed all processes.