Johannes Schwartz

In the analogue photographs series Blindenzimmer Johannes Schwartz (1970, Münich, Germany) poses one central question: “Can we mimic the spatial perception of a blind person?”. By documenting the interior of blind people’s homes, Schwartz investigates the cruciality of the interaction between interior, occupant, and object in understanding space through different layers of meaning through a medium the occupants have no access to. ------------- "In a series of analogue photographs Johannes Schwartz made of the interiors of blind people's homes the interaction between interior, occupant, and object is pivotal. The images were recorded on 20x25 cm photographic film in a clear, no-nonsense manner. The only addition was the bright light source that illuminated every corner of the room from behind the camera. For the occupants, the surprise was in the process – the time it took to make a single shot, the heat of the spotlight, the invisibility. It is up to the viewer to decipher the visible traces of these people's daily lives, no matter how deceptive this representation might be. While we watch from a distance, we perceive such an abundance of details in the photographs that the there is almost a discontinuity between distance and detailing. Whereupon we may decide to look away and concentrate on the outdated sofa or the overflowing cupboard. In Blindenzimmer the central question is, ‘Can we mimic the spatial perception of a blind person?' Only via a medium to which that person does not have access." text by Gert Staal for the exhibition 'Temporary House of Home' at The Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam 2021/2022