Sandwell Visually Impaired

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Seeing in Isolation

Seeing in Isolation is a creative collaboration with SVI, arts organisation Multistory and photographer Karren Visser. It shares stories from SVI members and aims to challenge people’s understanding of sight loss.

Created from July 2019 to August 2022, the final project resulted in a digital exhibition that features seven digital stories from SVI members. This includes photographs, animation and embedded audio-description narrated by the person telling their story. The exhibition also features portraits taken by Karren and stories from additional participants involved in the project.

A middle-aged British Asian man, listening to music through headphones, is seated on a bed next to a white teddy bear.
Mr Lal is happiest listening to music, especially songs by Elvis Presley. He does not allow his sight impairment to hinder his wish to help others, as he did me when I photographed him. He invited me into his daughter’s bedroom, which had the best natural light in the house, insisting, “You take your time. This is not about me. You must be pleased with the results”. © Karren Visser, 2022

SVI Development Worker, Sandra Troth said: “Seeing in Isolation was completed ‘against all odds’. Just as workshops were starting, we were plunged into lockdown and our initial plans were stopped in their tracks. However, we adapted the project by developing a new remote way of working together.”

We shared the work with local and international audiences through a series of events. The digital stories, along with photographs made by Karren Visser and stories from other participants involved in the project can be found on Multistory’s website.

A woman with pink hair holds out her arm for a man, who holds it at the elbow. The man wears glasses that look like cut outs from an egg box painted black.
Student, Ellie from Sandwell College is receiving training on how to guide a visually impaired person. Stephen from Sandwell Visually Impaired is wearing sight loss simulation glasses, 2020 © David Waldron.

If you would like more information about the process of making this project, read Multistory’s blog about the project.

In a small backyard garden, a middle-aged white woman is positioning her bow showing what she would do to release the arrow
Blind competing archer, Trish generously offered to set up her equipment and show me her medals, she had won in archery competitions. She is the only blind archer representing Walsall Archers in the West Midlands and is a 2022 Merlin Archery Ambassador. Trish has her sights on the Paralympics. © Karren Visser 2022

About our creative partners

Karren Visser is a photographer who is constantly adapting her practice because of the possibility of her going blind due to degenerative myopia and glaucoma. She is interested in approaches to gathering stories so that individuals and communities are instrumental in this process and its outcome.

A white woman with short blonde hair stands in front of entertainment equipment and sings into a microphone.
Former hospital nurse and singer, Sarah wanted me to photograph her singing karaoke in her local pub. She mistook my camera for the microphone when I was setting up making us both laugh. Unable to see the lyrics on the display, she sang two songs by heart. It touched me that her dress was bought especially for the occasion. © Karren Visser, 2022

Multistory is a community arts organisation based in Sandwell since 2008 and the people and place shape our work. We build meaningful connections between local communities and artists to produce creative projects that tell stories of everyday life.

Thanks to our funders

Thanks to funders SCVO Vision fund, Sandwell Council, ACE without which this important work wouldn’t be possible.