By Peter.
The Henry Moore Institute has just launched a landmark show that flips the entire idea of “sculpture for the blind” on its head.
Beyond the Visual (28 Nov 2025 – 19 Apr 2026) is the first major UK exhibition to be conceived, curated, and largely created by blind and partially sighted artists and curators — and every single object is meant to be touched.
Co-curated by:
- Aaron McPeake (registered blind artist & Chelsea lecturer)
- Ken Wilder (professor of aesthetics)
- Clare O’Dowd (Henry Moore Institute)
the exhibition directly challenges Henry Moore’s own lifelong wish that people could touch his sculptures — a desire now impossible in most museums because of their value.
Key Features That Make This Show Revolutionary
- All 40+ works are fully touchable
- Bright yellow walls and staff uniforms for high-contrast visibility
- Textured floor mats that signal “you may now touch”
- Extra seating — haptic exploration takes time
- Audio-triggered posters in Leeds city centre
- Braille-embedded sculptures (including 10,000 plaster “Digestive biscuits” with words like “comma” and “attunement” by David Johnson)
Stand-out Works
- Henry Moore – Mother and Child: Arch (1959)
- Barry Flanagan – Elephant (1981) — both linked to Tate’s legendary 1981 Sculpture for the Blind show
- Aaron McPeake – ringing bell-metal pieces that resonate when touched
- Emilie Louise Gossiaux – tender, figurative bronzes born from her own blindness
- Collin van Uchelen – Project Fire Flower: tactile light panels that translate fireworks into touch and glow
- Jennifer Justice – Bucket of Rain (2021): cascading dog-tag chains ending in smooth wooden drops you can run through your fingers
- David Johnson – Nuggets of Embodiment (2025 commission): 10,000 touchable stone-plaster biscuits with Braille messages
As co-curator Aaron McPeake puts it: “This isn’t sculpture made specially ‘for the blind’. This is sculpture that reminds everyone that touch is fundamental to being human.”
Visitor reactions on opening weekend have been emotional — sighted and non-sighted alike describe it as “life-changing”.
Beyond the Visual Henry Moore Institute, Leeds 28 November 2025 – 19 April 2026 Free entry — guide dogs very welcome
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