Sight Unseen presents work by the world’s most accomplished blind photographers as they explore ideas about the nature of seeing. It is the first major museum exhibition on this subject, exploring disability and inclusion. The artists of Sight Unseen brought their inner visions into the world of the sighted and revealed a rich visual and emotionally complex blending of the physical and conceptual worlds.

The represented artists span a wide spectrum of sight impairment: most are completely blind, some are legally blind but nevertheless perceive an attenuated image of the physical world in varying degrees. The act of making a photograph has provided them new ways of seeing.

Over the 15 years that the exhibition has traveled with Curatorial Exhibitions, it helped break down stereotypes surrounding the visually impaired, initiating conversations in schools, differently abled communities and serving as a vital case study in museum practices. Championed by its curator, Douglas McCulloh, the show has involved multiple charities and societies attending to the visually impaired artists, for instance, Ophthalmic Photographers’ Society and a UK charity VocalEyes.

In some venues 3-D technology allowed those with vision loss to feel select photos with their fingertips while touch sensors in the prints set off descriptive audio. Other work was embedded with braille and accompanied by a topographical printout of the photo which could be touched by visitors.