iC2 Walk: The Blind Leading The Sighted

A slow observational walk down Swanston Street, visually translating public sculptures.

The iC2 Walk stops at four public sculptures on a slow observational walk down Swanston Street. The aim is to engage a visually literate group with initial testing of the forthcoming iC2 pilot program, which is designed to increase participation by people who are remote from art.

Starting at the State Library of Victoria, the walking group will stop at Bourke Street Mall, City Square, and finish at Federation Square near Princes Bridge. The walk will last for approximately one hour, and participants may join or leave the group at any point along the way.

Geoffrey Munck, the creator of Vislan (visuals translation system), will deliver some short texts from the iC2 Wiki, and will engage the group in conversation about each of the works, the experiences of vision impairment, and the challenges of accessibility and inclusion in the visual arts.

Participants will be given a card with a web URL to access the Wiki via their smart devices. Under each test translation is a feedback section where participants may leave comments or suggestions. Participants can comment at any time or location as long as they registered with an email, or they can access the read-only version if they prefer to remain anonymous.

The first iC2 Walk will be limited to 20 participants to keep it manageable, but if there is a high level of interest from the Assembly and PM participants, then the size of the group may be expanded, or another walk on a separate day and time could also be organised.

Start Location: Meet outside RMIT Gallery, then heading south we will walk across LaTrobe Street, and then slowly walk down Swanston Street. We may only get to a few works in the iC2 Pilot, depending on the depth of conversation.

Notes: Look for the large eye!

iC2 is supported by the City of Melbourne Art Projects 2015.

  • ic2 Walk, Performing Mobilities, 2015

  • ic2 Walk, Performing Mobilities, 2015