Beyond the Visual

For the first time in the Institute’s history, we’re hosting an exhibition of contemporary sculpture designed to be experienced using multiple senses that move beyond the visual.

The exhibition celebrates the work of blind and non-blind artists who challenge the dominance of sight in the making and appreciation of art.

All of the work in the exhibition can be experienced through more than one sense, including through the often-forbidden act of touch. Beyond the Visual proposes that everyone gains from an enriched sensory experience, where accessibility is integral to the creative process. The exhibition will challenge the physical, cultural and societal conventions that usually shape art galleries and exhibitions.

Beyond the Visual marks the culmination of a ground-breaking three-year collaborative research project led by Professor Ken Wilder (Professor of Aesthetics, University of the Arts London), Dr Aaron McPeake (artist and Associate Lecturer at Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London) and Dr Clare O’Dowd (Research Curator at Henry Moore Institute), together with Shape Arts, the UK’s leading disability-led arts organisation. The project is the recipient of the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC) inaugural Exhibition Fund, a major grant supporting innovative, collaborative exhibition approaches.

The exhibition has been developed in close collaboration with blind and partially blind artists, curators and audiences. All the multi-sensory works will also be audio described, the descriptions generated by an inclusive process working with the artists.

Between October 2024 and April 2025, a research season will lead up to the exhibition, featuring a major conference, symposium, discussions and hands-on sculpture workshops. These events aim to address the under-representation of blind and partially blind arts practitioners, while also rethinking the relationship between artworks and audiences. The focus is on exploring what is gained from creative practices that emphasise a broader approach to sensory experience.

Beyond the Visual will be accompanied by a lively programme of public events and a multi-authored, open-access publication published by UCL Press.