“Points of View”

Self Portraits made By Visually Impaired People.

Book Published by Contrasto and W.E.A. Italy 2004
Exhibited at The Camera Club. London 2002
Palazzo La Triennale. Milan 2003
Palazzo Terragni. Lissone 2004
Valle Lunga. Rome 2004
GP Autodrome. Monza 2004

Each and every person has a different point of view about himself and others. The value of photography is often taken for granted by those that can see. A picture captures a moment in time and creates a visual memory forever, not for the visually impaired. They have a different kind of memory, that is made out of smell, touch and sound.
For them a picture is no more than a piece of paper.
Deborah wanted to share her passion and love for photography with the visually impaired; she thought a great way to do this, was to give them a chance to photograph themselves. Deborah handed over her camera, and invited them to enter her world. Using a remote control or holding the camera towards themselves they clicked. They created a “piece of paper” with an external “eye”, a camera, which gave them new self-expression and joy.
A magic moment began, now photography was part of their lives, and therefore she was too.

This project on Visually Impaired People’s Self-Portraits is precious because it is an exchange and the coming together of two very different worlds, the visual and the non-visual.
It provides access to a new and enriching experience that acknowledges different points of view in which people perceive themselves.