An audience of both deaf and hearing visitors was recently taken on a different but enthralling gallery tour at IKON.  Artist Linda Bagnall who is Deaf, guided the visitors round an exciting exhibition by world renowned artist and sculptor Guiseppe Penone, one of the central figures of Arte Povera, an Italian art movement of the late 1960s and 1970s.

BSL Gallery Tours elsewhere in the UK, some as far as London and Bristol have been in existence for some time.  This was not the case in the West Midlands until quite recently.

DANUK (also known as Deaf Arts Network UK) previously worked with Birmingham’s IKON Gallery last year on an EXPLORE Project with young Deaf People bringing creative opportunities otherwise not accessible to them.  DANUK member, Sunny Chana himself a Deaf Digital Artist, worked alongside Frances Bossom and delivered interactive workshops with a couple of young Deaf people.  During this project, both parties realised that art at galleries throughout the Midlands were not as accessible to Deaf people as previously assumed.  Before long, the first BSL-led Gallery Tour at IKON was set up.  Now, one year later, BSL Tours are still taking place coming with each exhibition every 3 months.

James McLean who is Deaf and a regular visitor, explained: “Museums and Art Galleries are informative places to visit but more often than not, basic displays on the walls are the only things that tell you about the exhibits which is not always enough.  I want to ask someone a bit more about the exhibition but when they don’t sign themselves, it’s frustrating. For a BSL native user such as Linda who gives a deep explanation in BSL, it always helps as the guide’s presentation is really visual! We are also able to ask questions.  Debates are now the norm and many of us often leave at the end of the tour feeling inspired with much more to talk about!”.

The next exhibition at IKON is by Cuban artist Carmen Herrera whose art is a striking formal simplicity and attention to colour.  The BSL Gallery Tour for this is scheduled for Wednesday 9th September 2009 at 5.30pm. Places are free but should be reserved by emailing j.cangiano@ikon-gallery.co.uk