Blind

From darkness to light, from black to color

Blind is a collaboration between the Italian publishing house Logos, the organization CBM Italia and illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti. The book was the start of a series that wishes to express the world of disability through the works of artists and illustrators of international fame. The intent is to explain and express disabilities through art, using the beauty of the art to confront the prejudice that disability is something "ugly".

Lorenzo Mattotti, described as one of our most important current artists, has had his art published all over the world in many different formats. He has done an outstanding job on translating CBM's mission into a silent book. 

​

On the first page of the book, we meet a crow on its way into a black-and-white forest. The forest gets gradually darker and scarier over the next pages, until everything is consumed by the darkness, illustrated by a full spread that is pitch black. After that, color and lights gradually break through the darkness, until a dreamy world appears, bursting with light and color, a world where it seems that anything can happen. The crow is still there, but now it's portrayed in happy colors and bright clothing. Blind is a book in large format and the illustrations are all double spreads, giving ample room for the beautiful colors, fantastical characters and eerie darkness.

​

As most great silent books, Blind opens up for a vast range of interpretations. There is of course, the obvious one, going from darkness to light = blindness to sight. But there are also many others. Maybe the dreamlike, fantastical elements can be interpreted as going from prejudice to understanding and open-mindedness, to let ones own darkness behind and thus rediscover the world in all it's beauty? 

One of the strengths of wordless books is that they, instead of offering "easy" explanations through words, let us connect with visual art and create a deep, emotional understandings. Blind is a wonderful example of this. It is a book that will linger in your heart and soul long after you have finished reading.