Russell Mills: Darkness Visible

About

Partly inspired by the life and work of John Gough, the 'Blind philosopher' and polymath of Kendal (1757-1825), this exhibition encourages us to rediscover our ways of engaging with and comprehending the world, using sensory perception to experience a more meaningful sense of place, community and connection; it is about slowing down and paying closer attention to the marvellous in the everyday.

Experience a limitless, slowly shifting and ever-changing montage of visual and auditory impressions aligning close observation with place, and tactile discoveries with moments of revelation. Randomised collusions of sounds and film sequences create a sense of wonder and curiosity, and even some apprehension – as a blind person might experience an unknown environment. For visitors, the experience will never be the same twice.

Alongside the installation will be a curated exhibition centred on Gough and the pioneering Westmoreland natural philosophers of the 18th and 19th centuries. Blinded by smallpox aged two, Gough subsequently developed extraordinarily acute senses of touch, smell, taste and hearing. His numerous experiments and publications ranged across every genre of natural philosophy and science to the folklore of his native Westmorland.