Bringing Sydney’s Vivid Festival to the visually-impaired
Vivid might be Sydney’s time to shine, but it’s not only those of us lucky enough to have decent vision who get to enjoy the sights and sounds of this incredible festival of light – the visually-impaired can experience it, too.
The festival has enlisted the help of commentator Emma Bedford, who two nights ago took a group of 50 visually-impaired visitors around the city, describing the exhibits to them in great detail. “Behind these pink, bent over tentacles that could reach all the way to the top but they flop forward, the sails are a greenish-blue,” she narrated.
It might not sound like much, but for the attendees, it’s the difference between immersing themselves in the city’s most colourful festival and missing out. “I’m very short sighted and have no night sight,” festivalgoer Jaci Armstrong told the ABC. “But I can occasionally see a little bit of colour."
“Without the audio description and the detail that’s provided I wouldn’t be able to tell what’s happening on the sails, and I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the experience of Vivid as others can.”
But Vivid isn’t all about the lights. Most exhibits feature strong audio components, and some have even included tactile elements. In fact, the visually-impaired attendees were even given models and tiles from the iconic Sydney Opera House to pass around and get a feel (literally) for the structure.
“When we started doing this and passing around the models of the Opera House, people were for the first time saying, ‘Now I know what the Opera House feels like,’” explained the venue’s Accessibility Manager, Jenny Spinak. “It’s really about everyone coming together, feeling part of the community and accessing the arts which otherwise they wouldn't be able to do.”
Have you been to this year’s Vivid yet? It runs until June 17, so get in quick if you can!