[Nfb-krafters-korner] coloring for the blind

Mon Jul 22 15:43:30 UTC 2013

I don't know any more about this, then what is written in this article.

Becky and Jake 

Eyecan - Colouring The World Of The Visually Impaired

 <http://www.thebetterindia.com/author/halabol/> Halabol | July 11, 2013 

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Don't we all have a soft corner towards people who aren't as blessed as us?
We all shed a few tears of empathy watching movies like Dosti, Black, Tarein
Zameen Pe; but a few like Swasti Rayactually use that moment to generate an
idea for the benefit of these children. This celebrated advertising creative
director talks about his initiative 'eyecan', which brought art and colours
in the life of the visually impaired.

It was a usual weekend for Swasti Ray when he observed a visually impaired
kid behind her mother trying to feel the shape of an apple near the fruit
vendor in Shahpur Jat's busy lane, which immediately brought a question in
his mind, "Will he be able to know the colour as well - 'red' - and should
we put Braille colour codes on every fruit?" The very thought motivated him
to work on something that helps the blind enjoy colours and painting. And
thus, 'eyecan' came into being.

 <http://www.thebetterindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/swasti1.jpg>
Swasti Ray's eyecan takes art beyond sight!

Swasti Ray's eyecan takes art beyond sight!

Eyecan' was conceptualized two years back. It was the time when I realized
my skills should go beyond what we call in advertising 'ye patli gali toh
award jeetaga.' I have to do something real using my academic and
professional skills, a complete form of trans-disciplinary art, based on
research and technical planning, an idea which would go to small villages
and across the country as well. And as I was completely inclined towards the
social form of art, I kept my emotional senses always open, which really
helped me to come up with the idea of 'eyecan'. My initial work of
developing a basic water painting strip with Braille identifiers (named
Colorise) ended in confusion and failure. But with technical inputs from the
Vice President of Amar Colony's Institution for the Blind and Helen Keller
Institute for Deaf & Blind (Mumbai), I was able to adapt a Japanese
colouring device 'Mitsuro Pen' (an electronic device which is heavy in
weight and uses wax strips to melt as wax ink) into 'eyecan 'pastels which
are being used by the visually impaired in India for realizing their ART
dreams.

 <http://www.thebetterindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/swasti2.jpg>
Swasti Ray at a workshop

Swasti Ray at a workshop

All this has not been easy; Swasti went to Japan to tap into the global
learning of educating visually impaired and their prospects. One of his good
artist friends from Japan, MiranRin, introduced him to Chiba School of
Blind, Tokyo and he was called to do a small workshop using the Japanese
'Mitsuro Pen'.

Japan was a great help for me in terms of learning all the emotional and
functional aspects of teaching the blind, to technically enhancing the
product. In my initial days of research, I also came up with an idea of
using mess net drawing boards. I always had in my mind 'Simple-mass
produce-spread across'. I fully used my Japanese experiences to get the best
use of my product. The continuous weekend classes were really fruitful.
'eyecan' now was not just a project or workshop. It was proved as a
revolution.

 <http://www.thebetterindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/swasti3.jpg> The
final product

The final product

These art workshops with the visually impaired have been the
<http://www.thebetterindia.com/7475/tbi-innovations-eyecan-colouring-the-wor
ld-of-the-visually-impaired/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campa
ign=Feed%3A+TheBetterIndia+%28The+Better+India%29> best moments for Swasti.
He has been touched by the innovative and imaginative sense of these
children.

Their eyes always wait for someone they could see, all the innocent
questions will make you think about what it feels like being blind oneself.
They learn and adapt very fast, their sensation of touch and imagination is
far superior to be called as super-enabled. It took me just two classes to
make them realize what wonders they can do. I gave them examples of
legendary blind artist Eseref from Turkey as well as the process of
exploring their imagination.

 <http://www.thebetterindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/swasti4.jpg>
swasti4Swasti's joys and involvement multiplied with each workshop and by
the end of November 2012, he had planned organizing an art exhibition to
showcase the brilliant work the students had done. Everyone from his clients
to his
<http://www.thebetterindia.com/7475/tbi-innovations-eyecan-colouring-the-wor
ld-of-the-visually-impaired/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campa
ign=Feed%3A+TheBetterIndia+%28The+Better+India%29> advertising company (JWT)
including Gallery Art Eterne came forward to support him. Shivani Bharatwaj,
a senior artist from Delhi joined the cause by teaching the children on week
days as well. Finally on February 21st, 2013, they did something
unimaginable - an art exhibition by blind students!

Apart from great response from children & audiences, the biggest incident
which touched me emotionally, happened on the 2nd day of our exhibition. A
lady with her visually impaired daughter (aged 20) came to me asking "I saw
your article in Hindustan Times; can my daughter paint as well?" She was not
the only one, many parents came to me asking if their kids could draw and
tested the instrument there. It was the biggest reward of making 'eyecan',
there I felt the power of media making a small pastel approach many
emotions. Can you imagine a visually impaired child, Umesh, was the centre
of all attention as he had made a portrait of Dr. Manmohan Singh! We still
have that work to gift it to our PM as it's a message to him from Umesh.

 <http://www.thebetterindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/swasti5.png> The
exhibition that showcased the paintings done by the blind children

The exhibition that showcased the paintings done by the blind children

This is great, but at this point we all must be wondering "How can the blind
see colour"? Swasti's device (pastel & drawing board) is the answer itself -
"feeling is viewing". For these children, the sensation of touch converts
the shape, size, dimensions and perspective as well into a form of
imaginative drawings in mind and then they are able to express it in their
own way by the use of Braille coded pastels over mess textured board. The
best thing was the students themselves were feeling their painting.

People like Swasti really take art beyond all limitations, and humanity
beyond all imperfections!

I think every individual has to do his bit. We in India devote/indulge most
of our time and money to what we call 'GOD'. We can spend a million rupees
to put our children in a good B-school but we can't pay a thousand rupees to
sponsor a poor kid's monthly education. It's not a responsibility; it's a
necessity for being a human to know a human. I would say disabled are those
who can't help others! And the solution is simple - be one of them and
think.

 <http://www.thebetterindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/swasti7.png>
swasti7Swasti's passion and persistence have earned him many laurels. He was
invited on the occasion of World Peace day by GEOC (Global Environment
Outstretch Centre) in the Tokyo UN building to host an exhibition of
selected work by the Chiba School of Blind. He was also invited by the
scientist, Mr. Takashi Tanaka, inventor of 'mitsuro pen' for a friendly
conversation about his 'eyecan' pastels.

Eyecan has also been nominated for the 'DoGooder' award. But more than
anything else, it is the joy in the eyes of those innocent children that has
made Swasti really proud of his work!

 <http://www.thebetterindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/swasti6.png>
swasti6

This post was written by Anu M for  <http://voices.halabol.com/> Halabol
Voices, which is an initiative of Halabol - a platform for initiating
change, and reprinted here with permission.

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