Finishing Up and Reporting In

(Relief of central Edinburgh constructed specifically for those with visual impairments)

It is so hard to believe the summer is almost over and that I have to leave the UK tomorrow! I am definitely going to miss being abroad and doing research. This week I was able to go to a phenomenal talk called "The Work of Many Hands" at the National Gallery though. The talk basically discussed how Tony Cragg's sculptures were constructed and the process behind the design as well as the purpose of his work. It was very informative and afterwards I was able to go and be inspired by his newly opened exhibition.

Apart from the lecture and exhibition, this week has also been a time of focusing on how to condense all of my information and experience into a summary and powerpoint for the Office of Undergraduate Research and APPLES. I honestly think this has been the hardest part of the research so far. Once this is finished though, all that is left will be implementing the research into my independant study course and putting on the exhibition in the fall, which has it's own difficulties to sort out.

So, in conclusion of my research on Art for the Visually Impaired, I just want to thank all of the people that helped fund and support my travels as well as all of the amazing people that have helped me here in the UK. I appreciate it all so much and this has definitely been an encouraging and life changing experience that I hope to have the opportunity to do again!

Edinburgh Research and more

Wow, it has been awhile since I updated this... sorry for the neglect. Things have been going good. I made it to Edinburgh just fine it was a beautiful trip up the east coast of the UK. I have been moving around a bit between host people here in the city so that has been a little chaotic but other than that the city has been amazing, the people are great, and the accents are wonderful!

I have been to all of the museums here in Edinburgh, except the Queen's Gallery which has been closed for a royal wedding, but I will be headed that way soon now that the wedding is over. Research wise it was been good I have found some helpful information and have been able to go to some arts lectures. I will be going to a visual description tour later this week which should be a great experience for seeing the practicals of how something is run when catering for audiences with visual impairment. The one thing that I am finding quite difficult here is that a lot of the information I find is similar if not the same as the programs they had in London. It's still interesting and nice to know that these are good programs that are successful here as well.

I plan to go to the Edinburgh College of Art in the coming weeks in hopes of using their library and archives as well as possibly talking with some of their professors if they are still in town for the summer. At the end of this week the Edinburgh International Festival starts up so, not only will there be chaos across the city but there will be many new art venues to look into and new programs for the visually impaired to investigate.

Connections

This last week in London has been wonderful. I have been traveling around a good bit exploring some new museums. Also, I was able to connect with the Helen Hamlyn Center in the Royal College of Art through a off chance conversation with a student at a bus stop. How amazing is that! At the Helen Hamlyn Center they have research on all sorts of topics including much work with Inclusive Design a program that examines the functionality and feasibility of many products and designs new products for whatever needs arise. I sat down with one of the senior researcher fellows who had actually done exhibitions in the field of art for the visually impaired. She was very helpful and I learned a lot. She gave me several new leads into areas I will be looking into. The only drawback was the book she had written on the topic is in Japanese! Nevertheless, I was glad to have some more face to face time with the people here in London.

This week I am off to Edinburgh, Scotland to continue researching with the galleries, museums, and universities up there! I am definitely going to miss the London scene; the people, the city, the weather! However, I don't think this will be my last time in the great city of London; I'm sure I will be back before I know it! Plus, with such great friends, who are now more like family, it will be hard to stay away... So, one more month to research and collect information then it's state side for me to wrap this project up!

Art... and More Art

In this last week or so I have been traveling around London visiting museums and collecting information. It has definitely been an experience! Between getting caught in the rain, running into some very interesting people and in general, the sensory overload of these museums themselves, I have had a lot to take in. I really have enjoyed it though and I'm glad I chose London over some of the other European cities that were possible research locations.

I am still in the process of setting up a meeting time for a Touch Tour with the Tate Modern. I am definitely looking forward to that experience in the coming week though. I will also be meeting again with a local art student that I met, just to examine ideas with her and discuss the London art scene and all of that. I plan also to begin the arduous journey of exploring the British Museum this coming week. It is the biggest and farthest away of all the major galleries and museums here in London, but, with that I hope to uncover the most helpful information. Also, I am finding that the Tate Archives have interesting possibilities for gather information. Further research that I have begun is looking at the artistic side of "Art for the Visually Impaired" in which, I am assessing the qualities and attributes that work well for individual pieces of art in respect to their non-visual sensory stimulation.

Research Commences

Here in London things have been pretty hectic. My location is a bit farther from the city center than I expected so travel times are having to be adjusted into my schedule. Deciding on a day to day schedule has been a difficult part of independent research. Also, organizing gallery memberships and organizing transportation overall has been a bit challenging. I think I have also misplaced the map I bought the other day... unfortunate.

I have been able to do some research looking into audio tours and the Tate touch tours. I'm still waiting to hear back from the coordinators of the touch tours to pin down a time for interviewing them. It has been overall just great being in the UK most of the people I talk to about this research are really interested and intrigued by the concept of art for the visually impaired and it has just been very encouraging having so many people offer to help in anyway they can. Now I just have to figure out what ways they can help!

On a personal note, I'm glad that homesickness hasn't kicked in and I'm hoping that it won't anytime soon. I have 7 more weeks and I don't plan on letting up before the end! Too much to do, too much to explore, too much to uncover!

Just Arrived!

So, here I am in the UK just arrived yesterday. I absolutely love this place! I can't wait to get started on some real research and I am definitely glad to finally have all of my IRB and ethics training accomplished. So, I feel prepared and ready to dive in!

My host family has been great so far! They are a wonderful couple with an adorable baby girl whose name is actually Liya which is pronounced the same as mine... how cute! Well, I guess it's time to get started... keep an eye out for more to come as things begin to unfold here in London and later in Edinburgh, Scotland!

All the best,
~Leah