Blind Visionaries Collaboration

THE DANIEL KELLY TRIO &

The Seeing with Photography Collective

See and hear the world in a new way through the lens of blind photographers and live music inspired by their stunning and thought-provoking images. This multimedia collaboration explores the nature of sight and blindness, light and dark — and what it means to truly see.

“Blind Visionaries” is a stunning multimedia performance between innovative composer and pianist Daniel Kelly and The Seeing with Photography Collective, a pioneering group of blind and visually impaired photographers whose work is exhibited around the world.

The haunting and poetic images of The Seeing with Photography Collective are created in a dynamic process called “light-painting” and transport the viewer into a unique dream world of surreal portraits. The captivating images are projected on a video screen throughout the performance. Audiences will hear the recorded voices of these blind and visually impaired photographers reflecting on their personal experiences with blindness interwoven with the images while the Daniel Kelly Trio performs riveting original music composed in response to these compelling stories.

One of Kelly’s core values as an artist is engaging with audiences and communities. He wants the audience to have the experience of creating a light painting photo, so the performance of “Blind Visionaries” includes a segment where audience members are selected to come on stage to create a photo with members of The Seeing with Photography Collective while the trio continues to play. The images are created on digital cameras, and the newly made photos are projected on the video screen, transporting the audience members into the visual world they have been experiencing throughout the performance.

The “Blind Visionaries” touring cast consists of three members of the Daniel Kelly Trio (piano, bass, and drums), Mark Andres, director of The Seeing with Photography Collective, and one visually impaired photographer from The Collective.

These images are so powerful, and so provocative, and have so much energy emitting from them. It’s a joy to score music to them.

— DANIEL KELLY

Composer, pianist &

Blind Visionaries creator

To learn more about Daniel Kelly and The Seeing with Photography Collective, visit DanielKellyMusic.com and SeeingWithPhotography.com.

Lakewood Cultural Center 470 S Allison Parkway Lakewood, CO 80226

Friday, April 21 | 7:30 p.m.

Tickets start at $25 Lakewood.org/LCCPresents or 303-987-7845

SEEING WITH PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTIVE

On view in the LCC Lobby April 7-21

Daniel Kelly created “Blind Visionaries” because of his passion for the stunning images made by the blind and visually impaired photographers of The Seeing with Photography Collective, a collaborative group of visually impaired and sighted photographers who use a unique process to create their photos called “light painting.” The Collective’s work has been exhibited worldwide and can be seen in the book Shooting Blind, published by Aperture. Their collaborative portraits will be on view for a limited time in conjunction with the performance of “Blind Visionaries.”

SEEING REQUIRES NOT SIGHT EXHIBITION

Inspired by the “Blind Visionaries” LCCP performances, “Seeing Requires Not Sight” is an exhibition featuring blind and sighted artists working in mediums of touch and sound. Emily Zimmermann, a blind ceramicist whose touch-friendly clay objects have embedded Braille and touch mapping, is a featured exhibiting artist whose work is created through a meditative and exploratory method. Learn more about Seeing Requires Not Sight on page 4.

We had an opportunity to visit Emily in the studio and discuss her artwork and vision.

What do you love about making artwork in clay?

So many things. I love the outcome, but it’s so much more than that for me. I fi nd I just enjoy the texture and the feel of the clay; I experience physical relief as well as stress relief and so many outcomes that are just very benefi cial.

What do you want people to take away from their experience with your artwork?

I want them to take it as inspiration into their own life. See, if you have the desire to do something, if you want to try something, don’t let the initial diffi culties of trying it make you stop. When I fi rst started working with pottery I came out with nothing, and you know… it was pitiful. But you stick with it, you keep trying, and if it’s something you love and are passionate about, it’s worth every challenge to overcome to get to the point where you want to be.

Emily was interviewed by Laine Godsey, arts program curator for Lakewood Cultural Center.

Feel your way through Emily’s work in this inclusive exhibition.