Very Special Arts International Festival
The Royal Museum
Brussels May 94
In May 1994 I participated in the Very Special Arts International Festival, as part of a four-person delegation representing VSA Ireland. This biannual event was held at various venues in Brussels and involved participants from over 50 countries around the world.As part of the festival I exhibited two wall murals at the Royal Museum Brussels. Both murals were based on the use of massage techniques as forms of mark making. The aim of this work was to illustrate how a perceived disadvantage 'my visual impairment' could be turned to advantage. In practical terms, I wanted to show the understanding of touch I had gained through my visual impairment could be used in the making of sculpture.
The invitation to show work in Brussels was as a result of my participation in 'Celebrating Difference'. An exhibition, which examined and celebrated difference as advantage rather than disadvantage,