David Johnson

This installation is a triptych of scaled down 3D printed figures of the artist moving through a delineated space. Using the accuracy of digital technology, this piece grants access for the first time for the blind artist to his own body. The figures are framed with layers of scaffolding that are a parody of gallery casements. Through granting every visitor, sight disabled or otherwise, access to the touchable figures, it offers something close to equality of experience.

David Johnson is a UK based, blind artist. He says he is “unashamedly a blind artist rather than an artist who is blind”. In his art practice he uses a wide range of materials and processes including concrete, plaster, found objects and sonics. He produces a wide range of cast objects, 3D print objects, assemblages and installations, all of which provoke, challenge and upset beholder expectations. His pieces range from the monumental to the hand-held and often involve familiar, everyday objects and references. His art mission is not to overcome the barriers that blindness undoubtedly puts in the way in our visually biased world, but rather to show that experiences of beauty and knowledge are core elements in a blind person’s life just as much as they are in anyone else’s life.