Eyes Wide Open with an Element of blind genius

Rochester Cathedral is proud to host Eyes Wide Open, an exhibition of work by members of Kent Association for the Blind (KAB) and the volunteers that work with them. The exhibition runs from 15th to 31st October 2010.

The work is the culmination of a nine month long partnership between the Cathedral and KAB, instigated by the Association's Medway Art Club, run on a voluntary basis by local artist and creative practitioner Wendy Daws, and attended by older people from the Medway Towns whose sight is impaired, and a number of volunteers who work with them.

The group met weekly for a six week period during the early part of the year, and using the Cathedral as inspiration, began to develop the body of work which has resulted in this extraordinary exhibition.

Wendy Daws at the Medway Art Club

It includes sculpture, paintings on canvas, pastel drawings and textile wall hangings and is sure to challenge the viewer's perceptions of the need for sight in making great art. This is an incredible journey through the Cathedral by the workshop participants capturing the magic of the ancient building in a wealth of colour, texture and bold lines.

Also featured will be new and original artwork by Wendy Daws responding to her time with the KAB and inspired by the windows of the Cathedral.

'Element' is a section of the exhibition focusing on creativity through the mode of Opera, writing and music. Interactive installations showcase the work of this other fantastic project which took place in the Cathedral in May and June as part of the Creative Campus Initiative and run by singer Tania Holland and her creative consultancy, Curious Planet.

The exhibition coincides with the national event The Big Draw which is designed to raise the profile of drawing among people of all ages and abilities. Annie Lucas, Interpretation Manager at Rochester Cathedral says:

"We are thrilled, not only to have been able to host both projects, but also to showcase the work for the enjoyment of the local people. There is an understandable misconception that the loss of one's sight is the end of enjoyment of anything visual. This exhibition blows that theory out of the water and shows that there is an incredible creative energy to be tapped in people of all ages and abilities."