SHAPE 2017 TateExchange Book FINAL Draft - Flipbook - Page 16
awe. Psychologists Keltner and Haidt 7 (2003) argue that awe-eliciting stimuli
are characterised by two features: perceptual vastness and the need for
accommodation. What is critical is that the stimulus dramatically expands the
observer’s usual frame of reference in some dimension or domain”
Artist and designer, Olafur Eliasson, claims that Art has the power to change
the world: “One of the great challenges today is that we often feel untouched
by the problems of others and by global issues like climate change, even
when we could easily do something to help. We do not feel strongly
enough that we are part of a global community, part of a larger we. Giving
people access to data most often leaves them feeling overwhelmed and
disconnected, not empowered and poised for action. This is where art can
make a difference. Art does not show people what to do, yet engaging with a
good work of art can connect you to your senses, body, and mind. It can make
the world felt.” 8
Surely it is the work of audio describers to help our audience connect, to feel
part of the larger “we”?
Finally, Grayson Perry proposes that artists are always questioning and
worrying about what they are doing. In my experience, so too are describers.
Here if nowhere else is where the parallel between Art and AD is to be found.
12
