Blind photographers capture the world

The pigeons and the bicycle boy figure among a collection of 70 other pictures clicked by 40 visually impaired people who were trained in photography under the "Blind With Camera" project between 2006 and 2010.

The unique exhibition "The View From Here" is being shown at the Gallery Art & Soul here on October 2.

"The concept of the exhibition -that of visually impaired photographers - has been a global phenomenon for years. The idea is to engage and experience the process of creation where the picture is not the product of the camera but that of the photographer," says Partho Bhowmick, the brain behind the project.

The motley group of 40 participants aged between 12 to 55 years comprise majority of those who were born blind followed by those who lost their vision later in life and the remaining are those who have low vision.

Visitors to the exhibition would be guided by the visually impaired photographers who would share their process of creation, their feelings and explain their modus operandi of photography.

The exhibit features touch and feel raised pictures with accompanying footnotes in Braille and large print along with accessible catalogues and audio descriptions. Sighted visitors are even blindfolded, if they so desire, to enable them a view from the other side.