An exceptional project by Sebastião Salgado and VISIO Foundation lets visually impaired people experience Salgado's Amazônia photographs through their fingertips
Sebastião Salgado is one of the most influential photographers of all time, not to mention a renowned environmentalist and conservationist. At the heart of his work, he has focused on his deep love and respect for nature, while also documenting the socio-economic conditions that impact human beings. His work is selfless and caring.
This is even more evident with his new release, Amazônia Touch. Working with the French VISIO Foundation, Sebastião Salgado and wife and co-designer Lélia Wanick Salgado, have created an exceptional project, that will allow the blind and people with visual impairments, to experience his photographic work.
Published by Taschen, this special project consists of a box of 21 'three-dimensional tactile transcriptions', from the Amazônia project, featuring 18 photographs and three regional geographical maps. These transcriptions will allow readers to experience Salgado's work through their fingertips, for the first time. The 21 relief plates are accompanied by a brochure of the images, along with written texts, and an audio description of works.
The reliefs were created by using brass plates and an ancient process of embossing and stamping on Pachica paper.
Released in 2022, Amazônia by Sebastião Salgado is a tour de force that depicts life in the Amazon. Salgado spent seven years traveling through the Brazilian Amazonian biome. Along the way, he captured mountains, rainforests, clouds, and wildlife, and much like his work in Genesis, he introduced us to the immense power of nature.
By photographing the native peoples of the area, Salgado gives us an insight into their daily life and provides us with 'an invitation to contemplate those human and environmental factors that are crucial to our planet'. Amazônia issues a 'call for protection of the ecosystem and of Indigenous peoples of the region'.
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This edition is unique, and its inclusivity is a refreshing pleasure and one that I hope will be used by many more. Inclusivity and accessibility are not often discussed in photography, which, in my opinion, could be looked at. Projects like this, led by industry leaders such as Salgado and Taschen are a major step in the right direction.
Amazônia Touch by Sebastião Salgado which will be released in January 2024 for $250 / £200, but can be ordered now.
Kalum is a professional photographer with over a decade of experience, also working as a photo editor and photography writer. Specializing in photography and art books, Kalum has a keen interest in the stories behind the images and often interviews contemporary photographers to gain insights into their practices. With a deep passion for both contemporary and classic photography, Kalum brings this love of the medium to all aspects of his work.
