Art Class for the Blind

PARK Chanbyul has glaucoma, cataracts, and ocular concussion (a condition in which eyes move quickly regardless of it’s will). She can hardly see anything during the day when the light is strong. However, when she was young, she entered a general school like any other children and went to an art academy. The first and second graders of elementary school were immature, so they were able to spend it well, but as the grade went up, they were neglected because they could not take classes with low vision, so they were gradually alienated.

Therefore, in her 3rd grade, she transferred to Hanbit School for Blind, a special school for students with difficulties in seeing. She started to stay curious while taking art classes at her new school, with her new teacher EOM Jungsoon, who ran the art education business for the blind.  Two large tables were piled with fine soil on one side, creating a chance for us to play with the soil. On the other table, there were various art materials, where we could draw the pictures that we desired. It was like a game to paint, but the touch of the paint felt by the hand gave an unknown pleasure.

Art class was a great pleasure in my school days. I had to choose a career path when I became a sophomore in high school, but the career path of a blind student was very limited. Most of the departments that could be chosen were social welfare or special education majors, even if they chose to go to school on the two-pronged path of going to college and employment.

 

 

Going to Art School

Chanbyul said she wanted to study art while receiving career counseling. However, as a blind student, there were cases where students followed their dreams to music, but not much went to art, which puzzled the counseling teacher, which led to another council with teacher Um.

Teacher EOM Jungsoon replied, "We'll do it." without a second of hesitation. Teacher Um is a painter and director, and is currently the first person to start art education for the blind in Korea as a representative of "Our Eyes."

When teacher Um asked, "What's your dream?" during the art class, I was heartbroken by the silence that passed. Our society was not giving hope to blind teenagers to the extent that we could not think of a dream.

When Um consulted with Chanbyul about going to art school after hearing about the career counselor, Chanbyul was afraid that she was going on a path that no one had gone through. This was exactly what teacher Um said to Chanbyul at that time.

“Chanbyul, trust your eyes."

Blindness is a socially created disorder, but the parties do not think that this cannot be performed due to their physical absence. Art is a tool for expressing oneself, but disability does not cause you to fail to express oneself.

This is when teacher Um, and Park started their project in getting accepted to college of arts., I have attended to cram schools since April for college entrance exams, but no matter how hard I tried, I faced  practical difficulties due to my visual impairment. Negative thoughts have been told over and over again, however although she was depressed, she overcome those words with teacher Um’s words, and prepared for her future in arts. 

I went to Daegu in search of a university with an understanding of the disabled. In the interview for the entrance examination for the Department of Contemporary Art at Daegu University, interviewers were worried about whether they could get along well with students rather than difficulties in class due to blindness.

 

Since students from elementary school to high school do not have a chance to make various friends, Chanbyeol made it clear that she wanted to interact with non-disabled friends when she goes to university.

 

 

Way of becoming an artist  

Overcoming criticism beyond the concerns, Chanbyeol challenged the art college for the first time as a blind student, and eventually entered the Department of Contemporary Art at Daegu University in 2015. Chanbyeol enjoyed the practical skills that made up most of her art classes. In the meantime, she discovered a picture in an invisible state, and if it was a process of finding how to draw, and express picture.

People wonder how Chanbyul paints in a blind way, and Chanbyul picks up a very small canvas to the left, puts it close to her eyes, holds a brush in her right hand, and draws the canvas almost on her face. When she draw a slightly larger work, she bend her back and put her face to the canvas.

 

Chanbyul’s confession on her note

 

 

I have a triangular visual field. I think the range is about 5 centimeters. Since I was young, my hobby has been to take pictures of the moon and stars that I can't see easily and take a closer look. The light in the night sky has no shape and has no specific color, but it has natural colors.

I wanted to express the subtle light and numerous colors that fall behind a mountain or building. This is because I can stay in the dark and see comfortably, and because there is no form, I felt relieved that I could accept what I see without matching.

It was meaningless for me to paint the form in detail in this painting. The pleasure of remembering when and when this was a landscape was the reason for painting, with hints that only showed the beauty of the chaotic daily life that was divided and spread even though it was not clearly visible.

So, I usually draw a views with a small canvas in my hand, and I wanted to make it look like a picture, so I wanted to sand it and smooth it, and make it look different with a little bit of spumato technique and brush touch. While learning oil painting in college, I fell in love with oil painting, which makes my night sky darkness and light stand out more, but I am imitating acrylic oil painting because I think I will have more problems with my eyesight with drugs.

I once took a class with the theme of expressing myself. From that class, I started to think of my difference as a special strength, and it is a concept of painting that has been solidified. In addition, these days, it is trying in a new direction with diversity in texture expression along with color.

 

Chanbyul explained that she draws pictures while looking for traces of the past. When asked why there are so many skies in the painting, she answered like this.

"I've always liked the sky. For me, yesterday's sky and today's sky are different. The location, shape, and color of the clouds are different. I always take pictures with my cell phone camera like the diary of that day.

There's a reason why my painting has a lot of night scenery. I'm born with no iris, so when the light comes in at once, it's bright and invisible. It's easy to see in the evening. That's why I liked to see stars and the moon since I was young."

Things that are nothing to others are so precious to Chanbyul. So when you look at her work, you discover the precious things that we've been missing.

 

 

Towards her Dreams

Four years later, in 2019, Park graduated. After graduation, she became a resident artist at Jamsil Creative Studio in 2020, and when she had a studio, she was able to do her work properly.

In addition, the reason for participating in crowdfunding to support blind artists conducted by Chungang University student club was explained as follows.

"Visually disabled people have endless creative possibilities, but they can't challenge what they want because of the prejudice. So I want to give, are the chances."

We participated in the elephant project which helped the blind school students touch elephants than teach them to draw the elephants into actual pictures. 

 

 

I overworked my eyes while attending school, so I had a corneal transplant surgery in 2020. A doctor tells you not to let your eyes get tired, but how can a person do nothing and stay still? Her belief is that she will plant an apple tree today even if the earth collapses tomorrow. When asked what she is doing these days, she says she is a job seeker, but Chanbyul wants to draw for the rest of her life. Currently, she is living independently from her parents, but there is no separate studio, so she draws at home, so she uses her cell phone to complete the work with simple lines. You don't have to close your eyes because the cell phone emits light.

 

 

PARK Chanbyul is a 27-year-old young writer born in 1995 who can expand his dream by drawing stories.

 

 

 

A Death-like Practical Room

 

 

A Search for the Light of the Snow

 

 

A Night of Freedome

 

 

Cell Phone Work

 

PARK Chanbyul

 

2019 Graduated from the Department of Convergence Arts, Daegu University

A Member of ‘Our Eye’

 

Awards

2019 13th Young Artist Award at the National Art Competition for Disabled Students, (G) Our Eyes

2012 23rd National Paper Sculpture Contest Excellence Award, Amos Co., Ltd

2010 5th National Blind Student Art Contest FGI Korea Award, (G) Our Eyes

 

Group Exhibition 

2021 Listening Project JCC Art Center, ArtL Co., Ltd

2021 Writing me - The first tactile book of my life, Insa-dong KOTE

2020 Joint Creative Workshop Seosomun Holy Land Museum, Seoul Cultural Foundation

2020 Joint Creative Workshop

2020 Good Morning Studio "Value Value" In the, Exhibition Seosomun Holy Land Museum, Seoul Cultural Foundation

2019 National Art Contest for Students with Disabilities Award-winning Work Exhibition

2018 Seoul (Ara Art Center) / Daegu (DADC Gyeongbuk Design Center) Graduation Exhibition

2018 exhibition of works for students with disabilities majoring in art in school

2014 Coco Brunei

2010 5th National Art Contest for Blind Students

 

Project Collaboration

2021 Vans Custom Made Campaign, Our Eyes x Vans

2020 Education Instructor Training Program for the Disabled (Our Eyes)

2019 Prism Prize: Workshop on Shining Eyes Exhibition - Invitation to a Narrow View (Seocho-gu Banpo Library)

2019 Chiang Mai, Thailand, participates in "Touching Elephants" to support art education for blind students

Collaboration of the 2018-2019 Chungang University Club

2017

2013-2014 Art School Project