Art and touch: a conceptual approach

Abstract

This article concentrates on the work of three students, all of whom were born blind. It raises issues which may pose problems for those whose ideas on art are relatively conventional, and highlights the difficulties we have in applying conventional terminology to the art of blind people. Addressing these difficulties provides insights into aspects of art which have universal application in a century in which traditional visual conventions have been continually and effectively challenged, the work of those who have never seen has special significance. Like the work of many modern artists, it is often as much conceptual as perceptual in its origins. In a time obsessed with future directions it is surely appropriate to drop preconceptions and begin viewing the work of blind people in its own right