Mar 15, 2017
Captivating photo art by a man going blind
When you’re going blind, sometimes you see things that aren’t there. You’re not going crazy. It’s your mind, coping with the loss of visual input.
It’s called Charles Bonnet Syndrome and it’s real. All too real.
Trying to see everything beautiful while he could…
George Redhawk worked in X-ray technology and phlebotomy. Years of study, four years teaching... and then he went blind and lost it all.
Out of desperation, George began seeking beautiful things. To commit them to memory. To “take them with him” as his vision deteriorated…
“I was obsessed, up day and night, trying to see everything I could…”
It led him to art and photography. Then, he discovered morphing gifs.
“It’s an artistic expression of the confusion I go through with my vision loss,” he says. “Not enough data getting sent to the brain, and it tries to fill in the blanks with false information, so you can’t trust what your eyes or brain are telling you.”
George Redhawk; The World Through My Eyes
When things in his failing field of vision began morphing, he started to play with morphing software. Intentional morphing. Art mimics life.
I was just doing it for fun while my wife was at work…
He called his growing collection “The World Through My Eyes”
My art is designed with the idea to challenge and in some cases, disturb the visual sense of order…
Seeing textures imprinted on skin isn’t uncommon with CBS.
Rock, stone, brick. My Dad saw his mother carved of stone.
Soon the artists whose photos he was animating noticed and were impressed. He was interviewed by Magical Mind TV. Featured in magazines.
He was contacted by 20th Century Fox. They wondered if he would create surreal images for their sci-fi thriller Morgan, with producer Ridley Scott.
George Redhawk was never looking for attention…
He was playing with GIFs, animation and photo morphing as a way of communicating the surreal effects of vision loss.
It’s a message we need. Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS) often affects those with macular degeneration. Seniors, mostly, afraid to tell what they’re seeing. Afraid their loved ones will think they’re going crazy. Losing their mind.
82% of people living with vision loss are over 50. About 90% of the world’s visually impaired live in low-income settings. They truly lose everything.
I am fortunate that with the help of visual aides, functions, and softwares found in computers to help the visually impaired, I’m able to function online pretty well…
George Redhawk is legally blind. He carries a white cane now...
I can pretty much control the two feet in front of my face in a computerized world, but the real world? Not so easy…
One day, George Redhawk’s world will go black…
Vision loss is progressive. One day, George Redhawk will be completely blind. In the meantime, he’s spending his days inspiring the world with his art.
You can find George Redhawk and his art at: https://plus.google.com/+DarkAngel0ne
If you know someone suffering vision loss, please tell them about Charles Bonnet Syndrome. When I told my Dad, he cried with relief. He hadn’t known. The doctors didn’t tell him. They seldom do. Too often, they assume dementia.
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