The exemplar of sustainability celebrations – The Sustainability Expo 2023 (SX2023) – is once again making waves, this time with a captivating ‘Blind Experience’. Nestled in the heart of the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC), this one-of-a-kind event is designed to foster empathy and understanding for the visually impaired community by providing participants with an opportunity to step into their shoes.
Every year, the spotlight of SX2023 keenly shines on key issues confronted by marginalized communities, while also consistently holding the title of the Asean region’s largest annual festivity devoted to sustainability. This year, they’ve put a real twist on things, proving that sight is not the only sense capable of painting vivid pictures of the world around us.
The ‘Blind Experience’ offers a multitude of ‘blind’ activities that take participants on a unique sensory journey. These activities begin with the “Nice to see you” workshop. Burdened with blindfolds, participants engage with textured woollen drawings, tracing, touching, and feeling the art with their fingertips, trying to imagine the artist’s vision and the story being told through the tactile fabric.
Indeed, an important lesson is learned here: when one sense is subdued, the others intensify. Here, blindfolded participants pay heightened attention to their surroundings using their ears. They find their world filled with so many sounds, previously unnoticed when taken for granted.
Diving deeper into this enlightening endeavour, the learning-in-the-dark section catapults participants into various simulations of everyday life scenarios. In complete darkness, they learn to keenly harness their other sensations – sound, temperature, touch, taste and aroma – as navigational guides and sensory paintbrushes to frame their experiences of the world.
But it’s not just about understanding the hardships. During this immersive event, participants engage in exchanges with visually impaired individuals and explore the use of canes or braille blocks on walkways. They are also plunged into a light-deprived area to create tactile works of art and experience the unique style of dining the visually impaired have adopted.
The ‘Blind Experience’ represents a daring dive into a world unseen, lending a newfound appreciation for the vast sensory landscape we navigate daily. Year after year, SX2023 continues to leave indelible marks on attendees and foster meaningful conversations around sustainability and inclusivity.
Unveiling rounds every 45 minutes, the experiential tent is set up in room 201 of QSNCC’s second floor, eager to welcome all, free of charge, until the event winds up. This unmissable experience is a reminder that sight, though valuable, isn’t everything. In its absence, one is gifted with a fresh lens to look at the world in a way that’s truly eye-opening.
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