Teresa Jaynes’
“The Moon Reader”
Teresa Jaynes, this exhibit’s guest artist, creates installations and artist books based on her research in libraries and special collection. She has exhibited her work widely in the US and is a recipient of a Pew Artist Fellowship from the Pew Charitable Trust. She is the creator of the interactive and accessible art installation “The Moon Reader,” an exploration of a raised-print writing system invented by William Moon.
This installation was a focus of visitors’ attention for the duration of Books Without Ink. “The Moon Reader” explores the legacy of Dr. William Moon, a blind person, inventor and activist whose namesake script system was used by many blind readers in nineteenth-century Britain. In this piece, which features tactile elements and sound recordings, Jaynes engages the history of bookmaking, including blind people’s bookmaking. She also raises awareness of both similarities and differences between reading by touch and reading by sight.
To learn more about Jaynes’ Common Touch a large-scale, multi-media installation exploring the activism and educational history of blind people, visit: http://commontouch.librarycompany.org/