The Scales That Fall From Our Eyes

“Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes”- Acts 9:18

The Scales That Fall From Our Eyes borrows imagery from the Biblical story of Saul (before renamed as the apostle Paul), using the scales as a metaphor to represent the change that takes place when shedding prejudiced or inaccessible traditions in order to support justice and inclusivity for marginalized communities. Additionally accessible through touch and sound, the artworks are intentionally obscured visually or translated into the Braille language, drawing attention to the necessity of including non-sighted audiences in the art community by changing the way we ‘view’ art. The use of abstracted visuals and the Braille language exhibits a relationship between the activation of one’s senses and their perception, inviting visitors to interact with art in new ways and to learn to interpret their experiences in ways that do not necessarily depend on vision.

This exhibition was first displayed in June 2022 at Centre[3] as a result of the Emerging Artist Residency program. Exhibition images courtesy of Lesley Loksi Chan.

 

 

Since the Centre[3] show, this exhibition was expanded with additional artworks and displayed at Tangled Art + Disability from September to November 2023. The audio-activated artworks can be interacted with on Tangled’s website. Exhibition images courtesy of Felicia Byron Photography.

 

This exhibition was partially funded by Ontario Arts Council.

 

The technology for the Soft-Spoken series was generously funded by Hamilton Arts Council, Centre[3], Canada Council for the Arts, and Ontario Arts Council.

 

The volunteers from Soft-Spoken have been given an honorarium for their time thanks to the Hamilton Artist’s Inc and Factory Media Centre microgrant, and Canada Council for the Arts.