The World in the Mind and Sculpture of Deafblind People

The World in the Mind and Sculpture of Deafblind People discusses the creative capabilities of people with simultaneous impairment of sight and hearing. It is a pioneering interdisciplinary study combining theories from the fields of pedagogy, psychology, semiotics and theory of art. It presents a study of the act of creation performed by deafblind people, which makes it possible to propose a vision of reality as conveyed through their sculptures, and which forms a base for the scrutiny of the specific and individual ways of understanding the world and its visualisation in the minds of deafblind artists.

The key to the model of the analysis of the creative act proposed here is the concept of a sign developed by semiotics as proposed by Morris and Peirce. The study indicates the fact that creative challenges can become the means of transgressing barriers of disabilities, can serve as therapy, and can influence social attitudes resulting in conscious studying of, participating in, and transforming reality.

This book will aid specialists working within the fields of pedagogy, special education, psychology, and fine arts, as well as teachers, students, researchers, art therapists, and workshop instructors.