Preceding the What Can a Body Do? Investigating Disability in Contemporary Art Symposium (taking place at 7 p.m. in the Helzel Boardroom on CCA's San Francisco campus) is this Blind Field Shuttle walking tour, a nonvisual shuttle service in which the Portland-based artist Carmen Papalia transports groups of people to and from given locations: tourist spots, art galleries, restaurants and so on, from his vantage point as one with a visual impairment. Participants will form a line behind Papalia and keep their eyes closed for the duration of the walking tour, an element that requires an exchange of trust. The trip culminates in a group discussion regarding the experience. As participants traverse familiar landscapes nonvisually, they become aware of their sensory perceptions and the many ways in which one can experience and explore space.

Support provided by Southern Exposure's Alternative Exposure Grant Program, the CCA President's Diversity Steering Group, and the Graduate Program in Visual and Critical Studies.

(image: Carmen Papalia, "Blind Field Shuttle, Oakland," 2011, photo by Heather Zinger)