Windows of the Soul
Windows of the Soul is a grassroots art project, which seeks to communicate the perspectives of those living with visual impairment.
This project started as a collaboration between Dr Siegfried Wagner, MRC Clinical Research Training Fellow, working at the NIHR Moorfields BRC and Caroline Kilduff, Ophthalmology Trainee and Topol Digital Health Fellow. They were both struck by how patients use artistic language to articulate their changing visual symptoms and the visual experience as described by patients.
Caroline had an idea to interpret visually impaired people’s descriptions of artwork. Lindsey Whitelaw, a painter, and landscape architect joined the team as the artist. Seigfried secured funding through UCL Culture to start a community-based art project.
Together working with Jane Clipston from NIHR Moorfields BRC and Moorfields Art Committee they explored these ideas and recruited people to work alongside Lindsey. The idea was to have Lindsey paint a picture. The person with the visual impairment would look at the painting then describe back to Lindsey what they could see. Lindsey would then take the description from the person and paint that as a new picture. The results of these conversations and paintings were a real triumph, as you can see.
This work led to working with visually impaired artists. It brought them together to discuss their experiences and then produce new work. The work was varied and well executed.
This in turn led to an exhibition of 80 pieces of work by 16 artists. There was an evening with the artists to learn more about the process. This took place at a space called the Lumen Church in central London.
The art was exhibited for a week receiving 350 visits.
The exhibition culminated in an event attended by 90 people, an evening of conversation with some of the artists and organisers. Talking about both the work they had done with Windows of the Soul and the experience of being an artist with a visual impairment. The artists included people who had lost their sight in single events, like a stroke, to people who were born with their condition and people who have had their symptoms change over time. They spoke about how their art had developed with the changes.
One of the speakers had not made any art before becoming involved with Lindsay and the project and was happy to have been inspired to do so. The overriding feeling from the event was that it was a positive thing for all involved.
One of the artists had been working in their field, braille art, for some time. He said he felt like windows of the soul was about his art and not his condition.
Another artist said that coming into London as a person with visual impairment had been daunting before. But that by working with the wider group she had learnt that there was support in public places. Now she is more confident in doing so.
One of the artists shared the experience of her partner telling her the place that she liked visiting was brown and grey. She explained to us that to her it was shining bright and blue. This difference inspired her in her work. She works to show that a visual impairment is often perceived as a loss, but for her it was something beautiful.
The initial Windows of the Soul project is now an art collective. They have a permanent website, have featured on the BBC and have held further exhibitions including at “The Wandsworth Arts Fringe”. They continue to work together to find outlets for their work.