I have never experienced the loss of sight in such a public area. Going to the Moma at 3:30pm on a regular week day is overwhelming within itself. Pushing through crowds, seeing small glimpses of masterpieces sliced by heads, distraction from the “gallery experience” often pulls me out of a head space suitable for viewing art. Now imagine the chaos of the gallery doing this without your vision; gives a completely different insight. As a walked through the gallery it began to be a moment of anxiety leading up to being blind folded. I saw all the people and was wondering what theyd think as I was walking through this place. Would I be harassed? Would folks call the police? Once the blindfold went on through everything changed. All my senses were heightened..I felt as though I was being looked at from every direction like some sort of spectacle. As I walked through the space I felt the breeze of folks walking past, heard snickers and laughs. Conversations seemed to stop as I came into their vicinity. It was interesting as I felt like I began to hear everything at a slower pace. The different languages and accents. The smells too..everything so intense. As Audrey described the pieces I tried to block out everything. At first it was so hard because I felt self conscious of everything around me. I would try to imagine colors and shape but when I just couldn’t keep my mind off the idea of being a specfical. 20-25 minutes in though I began not to care. I accepted the fact that people saw and just delved into the experience, that’s when the fun started. Audrey first started with color, I remember her using the comparison to a spinach salad. My mind immediately draw to the idea of a deep green sea of something. I couldn’t imagine what but my mind was now rolling. She then talked of shape, explaining it was a organic and natural shape. I then began thinking of rolling hills. I could see images of great mountains of green and huge pastures. I wondered what exactly I was standing in front of, was it a painting of some sort, a sculpture? What. It was beautiful what I saw and I only hoped I wouldn’t be let down by the reality. Audrey told me the mood was like the stillness after a summers rain. I thought of everything under the sun. What could have that green natural color with an organic shape and stillness. I knew it must be a painting but of what? I was feeling every ounce of frustration as well as inspiration. Because I had a been blind folded so long all I could use was my imagination. I blocked out all others thoughts, all the sounds and smells around me. Just me and what I was Imagining. I almost wish I could of recorded what I was thinking because it was so magnificent. When the reveal came I was surprised but also very relieved. It was very much so what I thought. Audrey did a great job at clueing me into what was happening. I saw all of the deep spinach like colors, and the organic shape. Louise Bourgeois Work was truly stunning and beautiful.
The experience as a whole was nothing like I had expected. Going into it I thought I would have just felt lost and confused walking through a public space blindfolded I expected to feel like a fool…but this was far from true. The moment of acceptance that I didn’t have sight was the moment when I actually became most clear. It was as if I could actually see anything I could picture in my mind’s eye. It was nothing like regular visual sight, more like an debilitating reality I was able to feel the cues that Audrey had given me, and further understand what was actually in front of me without actually seeing it. This now begins to make me think of our everyday way of moving through space differently. The way we rely so heavily on our senses without understanding the importance of what we’re really doing. I would like to be able to use this tactic of removing my reliance on sight to understand objects in my craft. I believe that it could prove beneficial in my art especially. In the way of being able to dissect specific ideas and facets of what I am trying to create and translate it into my work. What makes a creation power in my opinion is being able to understand it in more than just a visual realm. I strong piece consist of something that resonates with its audience on multiple levels. I look to be able to create work that can speak to someone who doesn’t necessarily have to see it to get it. 
