Not so long ago, we reported on new technology that Canon made available for low-vision people to experience photography through touch. This is something that felt not only groundbreaking but game-changing. This technology involves processing software—PRISMA elevate XL—and a flatbed printer—Arizona—able to deliver large-format prints with texture, elevation and even text written in Braille by their side, so people with low or no vision can experience the printed images with their fingertips. It’s similar to how certain books have raised textures on cover art. But now, this technology is coming to prints.
As someone whose vision has always been far from perfect, this felt like something I would love to experience someday, and I filed it in my head as such. And if you’re not aware, our Editor in Chief/Founder, Chris Gampat, is also legally blind. Currently, he’s undergoing a procedure that will let him see 20/20 again.
I was pleasantly surprised by the news that Canon had partnered with ONCE—a Spanish foundation for people with severe visual impairment founded in the first half of the twentieth century—and its business branch, Ilunion, to bring Canon’s World Unseen to Madrid, the place I call home at the moment.
The exhibition was there only for the weekend, so I picked up an invitation and headed there as soon as possible.
The World Unseen Exhibition
World Unseen relies on Canon’s raised print technology, immersive audio descriptions, and Braille to bring these images to everyone, bringing a change that can be felt through the fingertips.
Translated from the Spanish leaflet
As I witnessed it, World Unseen was not only a showcase of Canon’s latest technology. It was also a way to get low-vision individuals in touch with photography and to make the rest of us more acquainted with their struggles. For this purpose, there were twelve pictures in total. Ten photos by renowned photographers, an AI-generated image by a fashion photographer, and the most practical of them all, an ultrasound taken by an expert in the field.
Each picture was shown in its own stand: vertically, a small print showing the original picture to the right and a larger version to the left with an overlay to signify different vision problems: cataracts, glaucoma, retinitis pigments, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and others. On an inclined shelf at waist level was the textured image next to an apparently very detailed description inscribed in Braille.
Next to the main room where the exhibition was being held, there was a small auditorium showing four videos about four pictures, with the original photographer sharing the story behind the picture with a low-vision individual and guiding them over the textured print.
Each of these videos and transcripts is available at Canon View and at Canon’s YouTube channel. For better access, here’s a list of all the photographers and visual artists behind the exhibition, with direct links.
- Rhino Wars, by Brent Stirton (on YouTube)
- Darko Đurić, by Samo Vidic (on YouTube)
- Saturday Night Pandemic Style, by Ilvy Njiokikjien
- A smile in the rubble, by Muhammed Muheisen
- Acropora, by Jamie Craggs
- Munganau Walks Home, by Ulla Lohmann
- Prayer to the Yanomami Goddess, by Sebastião Salgado
- Love, by Aleksander Nordahl
- Future, by Ian Treherne
- The Process of Relearning Bodies, by Yagazie Emezi (on YouTube)
- Imagine the Future is Watching (AI), by Heidi Rondak
- Baby Scan, by Bill Smith (on YouTube)
The In-Person Experience
Believe me when I say this: if Canon’s World Unseen comes to your town, you have to pay it a visit. You will not only appreciate photography in a new way, but you will learn about visual disabilities and their impact on our lives. There were at least a couple of printing mistakes in the exhibition, and the most glaring one was present in the picture by Sebastião Salgado. If I’m not mistaken, the software makes an initial elevation assessment based on the color values, one you can adjust later.
Somebody forgot to adjust this elevation, so every part of the Yanomami man slathered on paint was completely sunk. His face seemed to come out of the darkness as if it were a ghost coming out of a wall. It definitely felt weird to my fingertips.
The Technology and How It Works
If you’ve been on the Internet for longer than a week, you may have heard that those “As seen on TV” products are truly made for disabled people, and that their advertising on late-night TV is just there to sell them on a large scale so they can be profitable.
As I see the videos for PRISMA Elevate XL on YouTube, I’m inclined to think this is such a case. They’re catered to marketers and designers, with plugins for Photoshop and Illustrator, and they conveniently forget to mention visual disabilities — even though they have pushed out a lot of material regarding them, as you may see above.
Of course, this doesn’t diminish the product’s potential for disabled people worldwide: a new way to interact with reality and art for people who wouldn’t be able to, otherwise. It may not be as good as reality, but now I think I know how the skin of a rhinoceros feels.
I can’t wait for this technology to become ubiquitous. Everyone deserves to appreciate art and photography —or an ultrasound of their new baby— regardless of their disabilities.