An Hour of Light, An Hour of Darkness

How does the human body react when its perception of sight is distorted? Do we live in a predominately visual world? How are we manipulated by the visual? These were only a handful of questions our students were confronted with last week during two workshops that challenged us to think about our understanding of sight.

We stepped into the world of Black Mirror with our first workshp and explored Virtual Reality.  With VR, the player is transported into a simulated reality or, unreality. When they reach out their hand, the player reaches out its hand. When they turn their head to the left, the screen turns to the left. This activity gave us a better glimpse of what 3D graphics can accomplish, a complement to the art instruction for the week. While virtual reality gave us insight into what could be, the second workshop, the Invisible Exhibition, gave us a glimpse of the absence of.

During the Invisible Exhibition, blind or visually impaired tour guides guided us through complete darkness. No longer were we able to rely on sight to complete everyday tasks. Instead, we had to trust in our other senses and experience the world in new ways—through scent, touch, and sounds. What would we realize in this hour of darkness? As our students reflected, many were impacted in huge ways. For example, many realized that the foundation of our world is built on sight and that many institutions are inherently exclusive to visually impaired people, for example museums. We also reflected on our perception of time and how it may differ by culture, region, or able-bodiedness.

This week’s activities were eye-opening (pun intended), and encouraged the students to think critically about sight and how art can change our understanding of it.