Yimei(Emair) Zhu
Give me some time
- 2020
- Performance experiment
I covered both eyes and stood on the side of the road waiting for passersby to take me to a random place until the end of 12 hours. While many people guided me patiently, others brought me to the edge of a dangerous lake.
This work seeks to draw attention to the challenges visually impaired individuals face in navigating public spaces and the importance of establishing trust in a well-established social system. The idea comes from my previous experiences of being teased for their visual defects and a desire to develop confidence. I want to draw attention to the challenges visually impaired individuals face in navigating public spaces and the importance of establishing trust in a well-established social system.
Also, the work highlights issues such as the preliminary design and use of blind tracks, the lack of tolerance for guide dogs in public areas, and varying attention to eye care services across different regions in China.
Related Topics:
According to the data from China Disabled Persons' Federation, the number of blind people in China exceeded 20 million in 2020. However, the occupancy of blind tracks and unreasonable design are still not taken seriously. On some streets, the floor tiles used for the blind path are used as decorative patterns; Some blind paths were not modified according to the actual situation; Some were privately occupied as parking spaces. These issues make it harder for the visually impaired person to go out alone. In fact, there is not enough tolerance for guide dogs in public areas in China.
In addition to problems such as blind tracks and guide dogs, the attention of eye care services varies from region to region. Relevant resources and data are scarce in China; I can only find a few on the Chinese website.
