The Never Seen project shows the talents of visually-impaired young people through photography. From left, are Grant Baiman, Mohummed and Nurjawaan Rawoot, Lois Strachan and Charlie Dyasi with their guide dogs. At the back are Carol Cornell from the Botanical Society of South Africa and Kirstenbosch branch committee member and botanist Rupert Koopman. Picture: Craig Strachan.
Blind and partially blind young people have explored the world of photography through a research project called Never Seen.
Funded by the British Council Sub-Saharan Africa Arts programme, it teaches new skills to adults aged 18 to 35 who are blind or partially blind to better their chances of finding jobs and participating more actively in social activities.
Karren Visser, a photographer from the UK who is partially blind, led the project, while Lois Strachan, a blind professional speaker, disability consultant, author, and podcaster from Muizenberg, served as the collaborating artist.
In an interview by email, Ms Visser explained how she was inspired to start the project when she realised the challenges she would face as her vision deteriorates.
“Never Seen came about during a walk when I was confronted with the impending reality of going blind due to degenerative myopia and glaucoma. As a photographer who relies on my vision to secure work, the constant anxiety associated with this condition weighed heavily on me,” she said.
She wondered what it would be like to be unable to see and how others would describe the world around her. With this curiosity in mind, she decided to involve blind individuals in exploring this subject.
“This was something I really wanted to explore with blind people as I live between the two worlds. I live between the blind and the full-sighted, and I'm very mindful of that,” Ms Visser said.
The three participants, Nurjawaan Rawoot, Charlie Dyasi, and Grant Baiman, were taught cellphone photography and created accessible digital stories to share online.
Two workshops were organised during the project: a virtual workshop on still-life photography using natural light and a hands-on workshop at Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, conducted by botanist Rupert Koopman.
Ms Strachan, who lost her sight at the age of 21 as a result of diabetes, played a vital role in organising and facilitating activities for the project.
“My role was to work with the participants, Nurjawaan, Charlie and Grant, to help them define the message they wanted to share in their short digital stories, craft their thoughts and words into a story that would be compelling to those who engaged with it, and fitted with the images they had taken on the Kirstenbosch visit,” she told the Echo
To ensure inclusivity, each digital story created as part of the project included audio descriptions and closed captions.
“This made them accessible to blind, partially blind, deaf, or hearing-impaired individuals,” Ms Strachan said.
The project had two exhibitions: one at Athlone School for the Blind and an online public event in partnership with the South African Blind Youth Organisation (SABYO) and the South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB).
Ms Rawoots, a participant from Bellville, who also chairs the SABYO in the Western Cape, lost her sight 12 years ago due to lupus.
Even though she was initially hesitant, she eventually got behind the idea of blind photography.
“As blind individuals, we constantly visualise our life, mapping out our pathways and identifying the locations we want to go, so I thought why not be involved,” she said.
Through the project, she aimed to show the world that blind individuals could lead fulfilling lives and participate in various activities.
“Many people mistakenly believe that being blind restricts a person's abilities. However, in our rapidly advancing technological world, there are very few activities that blind people cannot participate in. The Never Seen project demonstrated the potential of blind individuals to achieve remarkable things. If you set your mind to something, you can undoubtedly succeed,” Ms Rawoots said.
According to Ms Visser, there is significant potential for the Never Seen project to be rolled out across South Africa.
“Our collaborative group is open to funding opportunities, especially now that we have already laid the foundations and completed the preliminary work,” she said.
For more information about the Never Seen project and to view the digital stories created by each participant, visit www.karrenvisser.com.