Design for Darkness - Design for the Visually Impaired

June 16 - September 9

Opening reception: June 16, 6:30–8:30 pm
at the Czech Center New York

Curated by Dr. Lenka Žižková



The project invited students of design to address the basic needs of the visually impaired and to develop new models or adapted objects for their daily life. It ran from June 2004 to March 2005. All Czech, and Slovak schools of design became involved in the project, as did organizations, institutions, and other groups which support and help the visually impaired in various ways.

DESIGN FOR DARKNESS – DESIGN FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED

Design is a democratic discipline intended for all social classes and groups and must also be able to react to problems which concern the margins of society.

It is estimated that 4–8% of people in every society have problems with their vision. In the Czech Republic there are an estimated 100,000 people who are visually impaired, have weak sight or are completely blind. It is immediately clear when you look at the demographic make-up of our population that the number of people impaired in this way will significantly increase in the next few years, as the baby boomer generation grows older. Our society is not prepared for this situation, either from the point of view of our social system or the material world which modern-day man cannot do without. It is enough to visit a shop selling aids for the visually impaired to realize how much contemporary design owes this area. It is not a question of designing new and unnecessary things, but of responsible design of items needed for everyday life. Some items already in existence can be improved, others newly created. The functional and design value must also be attractive to the sighted.

PhDr. Lenka Žižková, author and curator of the project