Touching art, touching you

Get past the schmaltzy, Alan Partridge-like title and Touching Art Touching You offers a revolutionary experience of visual art

Painting, sculpture, prints and installations from the BlindArt Permanent Collection are available for the public to gawp, grope, grasp and sniff at. The collection contains work from both blind and sighted artists, all chosen with multi-sensory experience in mind.

Former artist Harry Carter, who is visually-impaired, says: “It offers a completely new dimension of pleasure as the sense of touch is so varied. And the artist touched it, so you get an empathy that you don’t get from just looking.”

Harry believes touch is an evocative way to experience art. His first touch tour was of the Barbara Hepworth sculptures at The Tate St Ives. “When I got to touch a bronze cast of Hepworth’s hand it was emotional.”

Bobbie Bownas was a painter until she lost her sight and took up sculpture.

“Touching paintings didn’t do much for me but I could pick up the sculpture pieces and put my hand in them; that was excellent. I could feel the slippyness of the porcelain and something added to make it furry to the touch.”

Being allowed to touch art works is an exhilarating freedom. I was immersed in this new way of exploring a gallery and there is certainly an added frisson from pleasures verboten, as Max Mosley would no doubt testify.

•Touching Art Touching You, Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro, until 4 October

• For a longer review, visit www.disabilitynow.org.uk

Kelly Mullan