Welcome to the altbods blog

We use this blog as a resource to discuss the notion of "alternative bodies" in the marketplace and how to design for them/for us. We critique Euro-centric ideology pressed into design and research methods to make room for "alternative bodies" as the focus of artistic creation.

This blog represents the thoughts and art work of our studio class -- by students in architecture, design, illustration, sculpture, graphic and visual arts. We are a hybrid group with many talents.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Following the blind

This past weekend, for my interiors studio we had gone to Seattle, WA to observe the Seattle Public Library. Not only is this a phenomenal library to go to, but it handled accessibility issues extremely well. There is a section for ESL as well as providing technology for physical disabilities such as blindness and deafness. The floor that this area is on is a relief sculpture of words, similar to a letter press. What is interesting about this is that the floor boards act as a guiding system that I don't believe the architect planned for. They lead people toward the walls where the technology for deaf and blind people were.

In observing this area for quite sometime, there was someone who was blind who guided themselves fairly well through the space, with a great quickness speed and agility that I would not have initially assumed. This made me think about how (if they have had blindness for quite sometime) they are fully functional and do not appear to be inhibited whatsoever. The only indicator was the blind stick that this person was holding.

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