“Elevated print technology is making a real contribution to increasing inclusivity in society.”
Daphne Wageman
Pioneers
Anyone who has visited an exhibition of photography, will not fail to appreciate this fascinating form of art. But how can someone with a visual impairment access the message the photographer is wanting to convey? In this third article in our series about how elevated prints are creating an inclusive art experience, we talk to professional photographer Daphne Wageman. A pioneer in using this unique technology in photography, her work demonstrates how tactile relief pictures bring the two worlds of the sighted and the visually impaired together as part of a multi-sensory experience.
What’s it like to be blind?
As a result of her own medical condition, Daphne spent almost a week unable to see. She used this time to explore what it was really like to be blind and, in particular, how this would affect her work as a photographer. “Because we already have a digital image,” she explains, “making an elevated print on the basis of a negative made a lot of sense.” In 2014, Daphne was introduced to Clemens Weijkamp from Canon during a project of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. “Little did I realise then what we would be able to achieve during the years that followed.”
Layer-by-layer
Daphne outlines the approach she adopted: “We looked at how we could use different layers to form the background and secondary aspect of the photo, and then highlight what’s important with a third elevated level. The result mustn’t be too complex, because you need to communicate the main message in the image. For example, in a photo of a couple on a beach watching the sunset, the beach and general scenery are background and less important than the couple. So that layer is printed at 1mm thickness. The sunset would be secondary, and is therefore printed a bit higher. The couple – as the main focus of the image – can then be printed at 4mm. ” Layer-by-unique-layer Daphne creates her design, which can then be printed on the Arizona flatbed printer using PRISMAelevate XL print technology.
For the first time, sighted and visually impaired visitors to an exhibition of photography can now experience an image independently of one another.
Independent and equal
“This technology is making a real contribution to increasing inclusivity in society,” Daphne points out enthusiastically. ”Elevated prints have given visually impaired people an increased level of independence. They too can now experience a photo for themselves, without the need for someone having to explain it to them. For the first time, sighted and visually impaired visitors to an exhibition of photography can now experience an image independently of one another. They can then discuss what they experience as equals. The visually impaired visitor is no longer told what there is to see.” Feedback from both visually impaired and sighted visitors has been poignant: “Sighted visitors tell me that the input from visually impaired visitors adds a new dimension to how they see an image.”
The input from visually impaired visitors adds a new dimension to how sighted visitors to the exhibition see an image.
Recreating sadness
Daphne recalls a particularly poignant experience with one of her photos: “I’d taken photographs of a lady in her 80s. They weren’t sad images, but I could sense that emotion during the photoshoot. A blind visitor to the subsequent exhibition also sensed the same sadness in the lady. It was incredible how the elevated print captured and reproduced this emotion, and how the blind visitor was also able to sense this sadness.”
Elevated print captures emotion in a unique way
What’s next?
Daphne is excited about the possibilities elevated prints offer for her work: “Following 10 years researching and exploring the possibilities, I’m already really proud of what Clemens and I have been able to create. The reactions we’ve had from both sighted and visually impaired visitors have been so inspiring. For example from Berry den Brinker, a scientific research who has just 1% vision (see below). But there is so much more to discover. I can’t wait to expand on what we’ve done and make elevated photographs more widely available.
“I can ‘see’ so much by dancing my fingers over the relief image. It blows me away.”
Dr. Berry den Brinker, scientific researcher,
Faculty of Human Movement Science, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
1% sighted
Elevated prints offer a uniquely tangible way of experiencing a photo
Married couple by Eddy van Wessel,
Dutch national Miliatary Museum
Not just for the visually impaired
This technology is not only suitable for people with a visual impairment, children and adults who are sensitive to stimuli will also appreciate being able to experience images by being able to touch them. And we already know that sighted visitors will also gain an additional dimension to their experience of my photos. I’d really like to explore the possibilities of using elevated print to open up the world of photographic images to visual impaired children. It would be wonderful to create photo exhibitions with them, for example, and design accessible photobooks.”
Discover more
Discover more of Daphne’s work on her website and on Instagram
For other articles on elevated print, see:
- Indistinguishable likeness – graphiPLAZA
- Ode to Joy – graphiPLAZA
- How elevated print created new dimensions to special photo exhibition – graphiPLAZA
- Experience Rembrandt’s brushstrokes like never before – graphiPLAZA
About Daphne Wageman
Daphne Wageman (1982), is a visual artist and fine art photographer. She focuses on conceptual and portrait photography and specializes in 19th century glass negatives. She researches innovative applications in photographic processes and traditional techniques in analogue photography such as dry plate photography and carbon printing. Her love for craftmanship is reflected in Daphne’s innovative designed and handmade elevated 3D installations.