For the Drift: Art as Dark Matter exhibit, the Carleton University Art Gallery (CUAG) developed an audio description tour designed for gallery visitors who are blind or who have low vision. It was intended for in-gallery use, but was also able to be used remotely.

 

The tour provided an overall description of the exhibition, a description of the installation n-land: the holographic (principle) by Jol Thoms, and a description of Blank Spots by Nadia Lichtig. The descriptions were accompanied by interpretations and further prompts for connecting with the themes of the exhibition.

 

This tour was produced by CUAG, in collaboration with Carla Ayukawa and eight members of the Ottawa blind and low vision community. It features the voice work of Ian McMullen, Fiona Wright, Frederick Imad and Anne-Marie Iemmolo. It was developed as a Creative Access Working Groups project, funded by a Canada Council for the Arts Sector Innovation grant, in partnership with Critical Distance Centre for Curators and Tangled Art + Disability. It was also supported by the Mame Jackson Experiential Learning Fund.

 

These recordings were captured during the 2021 COVID lockdown using the voice artists’ home setup while connecting and recording via an online platform.

 

Featured on CBC’s All in a Day April 7, 2022!