Canon Europe, in partnership with the RNIB, has created a truly accessible photography exhibition designed for all with ‘World Unseen’, inviting visitors, blind, partially sighted and sighted to experience photography at Somerset House, Strand, London from 5 - 7 April 2024.

RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey attended the launch event of ‘World Unseen’ on Thursday 4 April 2024 and spoke with Lawrence Gunther, a Blind Conservationist who talked about meeting Brent Stirton the Photographer of ‘Rhino Wars’ which was videoed for the Canon View website, his reflections on the accessibility of the exhibition and being able to explore the photographs including ‘Rhino Wars’ through the raised prints. 

Canon believes images have the power to change the world - There are at least 2.2 billion people globally who have some form of visual impairment, for whom photography remains largely out of reach. Designed with the experience of blind and partially sighted people in mind, the exhibition features a series of photographs taken by world-renowned photographers. These are accompanied by elevated prints, audio descriptions, soundscapes and braille for a tactile experience that helps visitors connect with these powerful images and the stories they tell.

Sighted people will gain a better appreciation of the partially sighted experience. Each image will be obscured in different ways to convey different types of visual impairment, from glaucoma to diabetic retinopathy. While this raises awareness of accessibility in arts and cultural spaces, it also draws attention to how inclusive design heightens the experiences for everyone. 

The exhibition features works from world-renowned photographers and Canon ambassadors from around the globe, including multi-award-winning South African photojournalist Brent Stirton, renowned Brazilian Photojournalist Sebastião Salgado, Nigerian photojournalist Yagazie Emezi, sports photographer Samo Vidic, fashion photographer Heidi Rondak and Pulitzer winning photojournalist Muhammed Muheisen.  

An accompanying video series features partially sighted individuals, including British disability activist, Lucy Edwards, and Menna Fitzpatrick MBE, Britain’s most decorated Winter Paralympian, who have collaborated with Canon to tell their stories and show their reaction to experiencing this photography for the first time. 

‘World Unseen’ at Somerset House in central London is now fully booked up however, the photographs from the exhibition along with the immersive descriptive audio and more can be found by visiting the Cannon VIEW website - https://www.canon.co.uk/view/

Image shows the World Unseen logo, white text in block capitals against a black background with a diagonal red line on the left