Sparkle

The installation employs the Braille writing system – the dotted word “sparkle” is written with the aid of round semi-flat lamps. The work was carried out at the former Cooperative of the Blind GRYF in Bydgoszcz, in the factory room with preserved original sound-proofing facilities. The whole installation was accompanied by the sound of the tape recording of the first issued in Poland audiobook (Jerzy Andrzejewski’s Ashes and Diamonds).

The brooms, brushes and small household appliances were the basic assortment produced by the blind people in Poland. In Bydgoszcz GRYF workshops it was likewise. Paradoxically, this kind of work allowing people with disabilities to function in society deprived them of their only tool for reading – the touch. Therefore, in the early sixties of the twentieth century, the first edition of audio books recorded on tapes emerged as an alternative to books written in Braille.

Photos: Zachary Larysz

Translation: Hanna Piątkiewicz