‘In Plain Sight’ at Wellcome Collection explores the different ways we see and are seen by others. Questioning the central place that sight holds in human society through the different experiences of sighted, partially sighted and blind people. 

‘In Plain Sight’ unfolds across four themes: symbolism of the eye, bias in visual perception, eyewear and identity, and the interconnection between senses. It examines the tools that shape how we view the world through historical and contemporary artworks and objects, including examples of eyewear from the 1600s to the present day, and scientific and medical items investigating visual perception.  

The exhibition brings together new commissions from artists Emilie Gossiaux, Nina Manandhar and Alexandra Zsigmond, as well works by Jo Bannon, Hassan Hajaj, Carmen Papalia, Jon Rafman, Seana Gavin and Phillip Warnell. It also presents the collaborative practice, Keiken (Hana Omori, Isabel Ramos and Tanya Cruz) and another collaboration by Georgina Kleege, Fayen d’Evie, Katy West, convened by Whitney Mashburn and Carmen Papalia.

RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey recently visited ‘In Plain Sight’ at Wellcome Collection and chatted with Laurie Britton Newell one of the Co-Curators of the exhibition.

Laurie and Toby first chatted about the starting point for ‘In Plain Sight’ and the main aims of the exhibition as well as talking about some of the commissioned art work by blind and partially sighted artists that feature in the exhibition, and how Laurie and Wellcome Collection worked with a number of groups of blind and partially sighted people on the accessibility of ‘In Plain Sight’, including a tactile path that takes visitors through all the exhibition rooms.

‘In Plain Sight’ continues at Wellcome Collection until 12 February 203 and more about the exhibition including details about the recorded guide with audio description, dates of the lights up events and more can be found by visiting the Wellcome Collection website-

https://wellcomecollection.org/exhibitions/Yv95yBAAAILuCNv6

Image shows a scene from the collection: A man interacting with one of Aaron McPeake's sculptures (a bronze cast of an eye chart which can be struck to make a resonant sound) alongside a Snellen eye chart which is backlit.