Berco Wilsenach: Extracts From The “Blind Astronomer”

If ‘Project for the Blind Astronomer’ sounds familiar to you, it may well be because of your visit to Spier Light Art in 2019 and 2024. Rather spectacularly, though, the large-scale panels shown at Light Art makes up only a part of this impressively large body of work.

Coming to the farm in October 2024, ‘Extracts from the Blind Astronomer’ features other works from this project, which took Wilsenach five years to complete.

Simultaneously playful and provocative, ironic and interactive, this exhibition – like any meaningful artwork – doesn't take itself too seriously. Nevertheless, Wilsenach’s ideas are of grand proportions and grapple with themes of visual impairment, access to knowledge, the privileged status of certain languages, the complexity and limitations of sensory experience, and inclusivity and exclusivity.

‘Project For The Blind Astronomer’ is an artistic exploration of space, how we map the stars and how our sense of sight enables us to witness the splendour of the universe. Central to the exhibition is ‘Star Atlas’ – a beautifully made book of knowledge that describes the stars; however, it is written exclusively in Braille.

Those fluent in Braille gain a greater understanding of the stars, even if they are unable to see the work, while sighted visitors unfamiliar with the language cannot read what is written. Both remain in the dark as they lack the total sensory experience.

“What's beautiful about the book is that it’s exhibited in a way that embraces light, darkness and shadows to play with the senses,” Wilsenach says.

In a second piece, ‘Stone Universe’, Wilsenach considers how our stars – or at least their mapping – have been colonised by human cultures, robbing our intuitive connection with the universe. Although not explicit, this work comprises interactive puzzles, but this fact tends to be more obvious to the demographic who is most inherently playful: children.

“Playing with the puzzles, you become the Master of the Universe, taking it apart and putting it back together again,” Wilsenach explains. “It’s the night sky we’re looking at, but I think of it as the idea of the universe being reflected on earth. There's a strong irony in having a blind astronomer showing all the stars that are visible to the naked eye. All the stars we see, I represent in a tactile way, so you can actually feel them.”

The senses of sight and touch, the encouragement to physically explore the works makes for a unique visitor experience.

“It allows a very large range of people to access the work on totally different levels. Children are trying to fit the right pieces to put the puzzle together even though there is no mention of it being a puzzle or indications of what should go where. People eventually just realise they should be interacting with it. I think art is very successful when you can communicate visually without actually telling people what to do.”
 

The interactivity of the artworks also means that every visitor’s experience might be unique, depending on how the previous viewer manipulated the universe.

Further extracts exhibited include prints and etchings.

Wilsenach created ‘Project For The Blind Astronomer’ between 2009 and 2013 in collaboration with Spier Arts Trust’s Patronage Program. This exhibition, or sections thereof, have been shown locally and internationally in prominent exhibition spaces such as The Smithsonian’s Museum for African Art, Newark Museum of Modern Art, Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Pretoria Art Museum and Spier Wine Farm. 

Visitor Information

Old Wine Cellar
10 October 2024 – 12 January 2025 
Open daily from 9:00 – 17:00 
Entrance to the exhibition is free

About Spier and art

Art, like food and wine, is best shared, which is why Spier is such an enthusiastic supporter of African artists and their creations. Housing one of the largest contemporary art collections in the country, Spier believes in the power of the visual arts to teach and inspire, encouraging us all to engage openly with our world and each other. With such a thriving local artistic community and rich cultural heritage, Spier is excited about the future of South African art.