How the blind see the world

Entitled "Art Beyond Vision, Non Visual Pictures", the exhibition is dedicated to the International Day of People with Disabilities.

These pictures may not seem special at first sight. But what if you were told the photographers were blind? This exhibition gives blind people an opportunity to share their experiences and their vision of the world. They explore the art of photography beyond merely its technical and visual aspects.

Kyila, blind photographer, said,"You know even if you are blind, the world you live in is not necessarily in the dark. We can see a lot of colors. Like this young girl. She doesn't see anything, she is totally blind, but she is in the middle of all these beautiful and colorful Tibetan flags, she is happy. That's why I wanted to take this picture. Our sense of vision is maybe not the same as yours, but our world is full of colors and full of hope."

Drolma is one of the volunteers who helped these blind photographers take their pictures. This experience helped him to discover another way to feel the world.

Drolma, assistant, said,"For example, they touch the grass, but they don't know that the grass is green, or what we call green. But it seems that the color green brings them happiness and joy. They can feel this color, and link it with their emotions."

This exhibition shows some pictures taken after one week of training taking non-visual photographies. It was organised by the One Plus One organization of Beijing and the organization of the Blind People of Tibet, with the financing of the French embassy in China.

Valerie Baraban, Cult. vice-adviser of French Embassy in China, said,"What is important is to show that the vision of these people is a wealth for our society. It's another way to see and feel the world around us. Finally, it's a good opportunity to prove that our society needs to give equivalents rights to these people, to help them to play a role in society."

Liu Fang, Beijing, said,"Nowadays, disabled people are the victims of discrimination, and their incomes are only half that of others. This exhibition helps us re-evaluate our own judgements. It helps us understand them. It helps us see something special, to be treasured, where others see a handicap."