The dot that means more.

• Main Author: He, Jocelyn Qingmin.
• Other Authors: School of Art, Design and Media
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Visual arts and music
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/52611
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Braille is often neglected in our community, as our contact with the system is fairly limited in our public spaces and at times, they even go unnoticed. This lack of relevance, understanding and knowledge of the braille system gives rise to misconceptions about the tool as well as the people who use it. In this project, the theme of love is communicated through braille by drawing parallels between the two entities. The purpose of the project is to raise the awareness of braille by re-introducing the system inconjunction with an unlikely subject that resonates in everyone. This report covers research done on braille and shows how research led to different methods of experimentation with braille dots as a means of communication to people who can see. The theme of love was introduced in the later part of the project as a channel to reach out to my target audience. A survey was first conducted to find out what love meant to different people and the results were later used in the final deliverables of the project. One braille-canvas and two books are the final deliverables in this three-part project. The canvas first introduces the braille system to an audience who were asked to ‘thread’ out their notions of love following the dot pattern in the braille system. A feedback survey was conducted right after the activity to gather the participants’ responses and thoughts on braille after the experience. The first book presents braille in its original and unmodified form, spelling out words defining the notion of love. Finally, the second book showcases the process in which a series of symbols and visual imagery on experimental page layouts are all inspired by the features of the braille system. The people who interacted with braille in this project would go on to respond positively towards the direction in which the project is headed. The project also revealed the underlying nature of humans to overlook what appears to be irrelevant to their own needs and reveal how creativity is useful in imparting new knowledge. Hopefully, this would inspire other local artists to find a use for braille in their works.