Exchange: In Focus curator and artist talk

Blind photography offers views into different ways of being and knowing, and offers a material substance (photographs) to open up dialogue about less material things (blindness). By bringing some of the nuances about blindness into focus, photographs taken by blind and visually impaired people truly challenge visual expectations.

Join one of the curators of In Focus: Blind Photographers Challenge Visual Expectations, Dr. Megan Strickfaden (CAN), with featured artist, Sarah Boulton (AUS), for a lunchtime talk about this exhibition.

In Focus: Blind Photographers Challenge Visual Expectations, on tour from Canada, features 9 international blind and partially-sighted photographers depicting compelling narratives about inhabiting, negotiating and interpreting the built environment.

Dr. Megan Strickfaden is a Professor in the Department of Human Ecology at the University of Alberta (Canada). She obtained her BA Specialisation in Art and Design and Anthropology in 1987 (University of Alberta), her MDes in Industrial Design practice in 2001 (University of Alberta), her Engineering Diploma in design research in 2002 (Technical University of Denmark) and her PhD in design and sociocultural studies in 2006 (Edinburgh Napier University). Strickfaden has worked as a design practitioner and educator for twenty-five years where she specialises in people-centred design.

Sarah Boulton is a public speaker who shares about her journey towards vision loss and promotes independence for people with visual impairments. She lost most of her eyesight at the age of 25 due to having Type 1 Diabetes since the age of 3. The detachment of retinas, called Diabetic Retinopathy, is a complication in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. Boulton was born in Brisbane, Australia but grew up in Calgary, Canada where she, after losing her eyesight, was heavily involved in the blind and low vision communities and was an advocate for the rights of people with all disabilities. Now living in Brisbane for the last 7 years, Sarah continues her involvement and advocacy with the blind and low vision community.

This exchange is also a part of the week-long event series Design for All (DfA) Week, 8-12 April at QUT.