[accessibleimage] audio description, Henry Butler, wood craft

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A few more articles, audio description, photography by Henry Butler and woodworking.
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Lisa
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Stevie Wonder Kicks Off Birthday By Premiering The First Music Descriptive Video Ever
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/05-13-2005/0003600205&EDATE=

Henry Butler
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php?page=calendar&story_id=052605ca_blind_photographe
http://washingtontimes.com/entertainment/20050527-090427-5016r.htm

A 'VIRTU-ALLY' PERFECT DAY
http://www.thewesterlysun.com/articles/2005/05/29/news/news1.txt


Stevie Wonder Kicks Off Birthday By Premiering The First Music Descriptive Video Ever

The legendary singer/songwriter/musician Stevie Wonder appears in the first ever descriptive music video. (PRNewsFoto/)
LOS ANGELES, CA USA 05/13/2005

Wonder Unveiled Breakthrough Music Video Using Description Technology For
Blind And Low Vision Music Fans Earlier This Week
LOS ANGELES, May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Stevie Wonder kicked off his birthday
(which is May 13) celebrations early this week by unveiling a groundbreaking
new music video incorporating description technology at a Los Angeles press
conference this past Monday, asking attendees, to, "travel with me and see
with your ears," providing the audience with blindfolds to experience the
premiere of his new music video, "So What The Fuss." The debut single from his
soon to be released new album, A Time To Love, is the first music video in
history to be enhanced with a second, descriptive audio track to be made
accessible to people who are blind or have low vision.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050513/NYF058 )
Dozens of press conference attendees in both L.A. and satellite-linked New
York City, including Wonder's daughter Aisha (who appears on the new album)
were treated to the historic, descriptive narration, recorded by hip hop star
Busta Rhymes. "Ten million blind people, as well as those with low vision,
will now be able to 'see' music videos," stated Wonder. "Thanks to this new
video description technique, passionate music fans that have not been able to
share the same experience as sighted fans will now experience music videos in
a more complete way, enjoying what is happening visually as well as
musically."
Linda Idoni, West Coast Director of Operations for the Media Access Group
of WGBH, the Boston Public Television station that collaborated with Wonder
and pioneered the video description technology, thanked the artist for his
devotion to the project.
"Working with Stevie Wonder has been an amazing process," stated Idoni.
"By embracing the video description service, he has created a momentum and
energy that will spread the word and knock down doors, making music videos
more accessible to many--and some day all--blind and low vision music lovers
throughout the world."
Sylvia Rhone, President of Motown, Executive Vice President of Universal
lauded Wonder's initiative from the record company's perspective. "This
project is another milestone in a long list of humanitarian accomplishments
from Stevie Wonder," stated Ms. Rhone. "On behalf of everyone at Universal
Motown, I thank Stevie and his collaborators for enabling visually impaired
music fans to incorporate their own vision into the music and videos they
love."
Busta Rhymes, who begins his effusive narration with the line: "Here's how
it's going down ... " stated in a videotaped interview presented at the press
conference that he was thrilled to be included in "a revolutionary new
standard for how we're going to play this game form now on." Speaking about
the actual process of recording the narration in Wonder's LA studio, Rhymes
joked, "The General (Wonder) cleared the room and said: just give it to me
like you're talking to me."
Wonder's support of the video description technique stems from his
lifelong appreciation of the visual arts. "I remember when I'd be watching
movies with my brother when I was a boy," Wonder told the audience. "I always
used to bug them, 'tell me what's going on. Tell me what's happening.' Well,
music fans don't want to be asking people every five seconds what's happening
in their favorite videos either. For me, this whole process is indicative of
the spirit behind A Time To Love. There's a time to talk about what you plan
to do, and there's a time to actually do something and make a difference. I
believe that anything that you can visualize in your mind that's for the good
of mankind is truly worth seeing fulfilled. It's my joy to be the first, but
this breakthrough is far bigger than me."
Wonder says he and the Media Access Group of WGBH are currently enlisting
other artists to incorporate descriptive narration into their future music
videos, with plans in the works for Wonder to include the feature in his
yet-to-be announced second single/video.
On Wednesday, May 11, Yahoo! Music posted the on-line premiere of both
versions of the video, bringing this new description technique to the music
community on the web.

SOURCE Universal Records
Web Site: http://www.universalrecords.com


Blind blues musician's photo hobby spawns gallery showing
BRETT MARTEL
The Associated Press

Photos by CHERYL GERBER/The Associated Press

Renowned blues pianist Henry Butler takes photographs after a gig in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Butler, who is blind, is showing his photographs in a New Orleans gallery.
NEW ORLEANS - Renowned blues pianist Henry Butler imagined a human knee as he put his hands against the knots of a tree limb in New Orleans' Audubon Park.
Intrigued by the image he could visualize but not see, the blind musician stepped back, pulled out the camera he carries and snapped a photograph.

A blind man as photo artist? Now there's a novel concept.

But it's not one to be dismissed out of hand, say some who can see and have made a living dealing in art.

"It's amazing to me how he does what he does," says Jonathan Ferrara, whose downtown New Orleans gallery showcases an array of paintings and photographs. "It's very intuitive and there's almost a surreal quality to it. I mean, a blind photographer?"

The two tree limbs were among the nearly three dozen Butler photos that made up an exhibit at Ferrara's gallery earlier this month, "How Eye See It."

From the angle and distance at which the images were captured, some viewers saw a resemblance between the tree limbs and a human leg, one slightly bent at the knee.

"It defies reason that these photos would be good, but they are because there is a thought-out composition," Ferrara says. "There is an editing process that goes into it and a quality factor. The images are pretty good and there's also the diversity: nature shots, people images, Mardi Gras-type images."

Butler has displayed his photos periodically around the country, usually at music events. However, his works have not previously been the marquee exhibit in a commercial gallery, and rarely have his pictures been critically reviewed.

Professional photographers are mixed about Butler's work, saying that while some shots are ridiculous, others are good.

His work was exhibited at Ferrara's because of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival earlier this month, where Butler performed.

Butler, who lost his sight to glaucoma as an infant, has a sighted assistant help him with matters such as aiming the camera as well as developing and editing photos.

Butler chooses the subjects, takes the pictures and makes editing decisions based on what the assistant says. He started with film but now primarily uses digital cameras.

He doesn't really care what others think, even if he stands to gain a little extra cash from the photos, priced from $325 to $800.

"I didn't start doing this for anybody else, and I didn't start doing it to earn a living. My main thing is music," Butler says.

When he talks in a booming baritone, his words are well enunciated and at a deliberate pace, as if he's reflecting carefully about each sentence. He comes off as kind of a deep, philosophical thinker - one with huge, Herculean hands that pound the piano keys and make an octave seem tiny.

He began the photography hobby in 1984 while living in Los Angeles, where his musical career included consulting on talent development for Stevie Wonder and Motown Records. There, he periodically attended art exhibits with friends, who would try to describe featured works.

"I could grasp what they were saying intellectually, but I felt this emptiness like I wasn't getting everything," Butler recalls. "Now I feel a part of at least making some visual art.

"I know I probably won't be able to get the total picture, so to speak, because I'm still not seeing it. But at least I'm feeling more of what photographers feel when taking pictures and I know some of reasons why they want to take pictures in the first place."

There's a series of photographs Butler shot of filmmaker Woody Allen playing clarinet. It captures Allen in various poses and expressions and looks as if a sighted person took them.

Other photos clearly were guided by senses other than sight. One of a Mardi Gras reveler captures the top half of a head, but in doing so brings the focus to the subject's smiling eyes and the hanging strands of braids that frame the individual's tall forehead.


"I thought the eyes were enough," to keep the photo as part of his collection, Butler says. "Sometimes when I've taken a photo, the head is cut off, but as I'm listening to people describing things in the image, I think, 'This still has some value.' "
Another photo captures a woman's upper torso adorned with dozens of jingling keys that were part of her Mardi Gras costume.

A man whose face is painted blue has positioned his head behind her shoulder as if to pose for a photo that he expected would turn out as head shots of the pair.

But the keys grabbed Butler's attention and dominate the photograph.

All that's visible of the man is his blue-painted chin and lower lip.

"You almost have to look at it as conceptual art. It's not just about images but about what he's doing," Ferrara says. "And let's be frank: If the work wasn't any good, I wouldn't be showing it. It's not a gimmick. I don't have that kind of gallery."

Butler enjoys photographing landscapes at sunset. One shot captures soft, reflected light from train rails that arch slightly as they disappear into a silhouetted tree line backlit by glow of the descending sun.

While many who can see love sunsets for their color, such as the orange, pink and red hues that emerge at that time of day, Butler's inspiration is a little different.

"Sunset denotes a change in energy," he says. "While I'm standing out there, it's definitely more obvious. The feeling against my face is different. You feel less invasive light, changing heat and energy against the face and body.

"Each phase of that can be interesting to capture, especially if you're near a big body of water or some object that helps to reflect the light energy."

Blind pianist focuses on his photo hobby

By Brett Martel
ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW ORLEANS — Renowned blues pianist Henry Butler imagined a human knee as he put his hands against the knots of a tree limb in New Orleans' Audubon Park. Intrigued by the image he could visualize but could not see, the blind musician stepped back, pulled out the camera he has been carrying around for years, and snapped a photograph.
A blind man as photo artist? Now there's a novel concept -- but not one to be dismissed out of hand, say some who can see just fine and have made their living dealing in art.

"It's amazing to me how he does what he does," says Jonathan Ferrara, whose downtown New Orleans gallery showcases an array of paintings and photographs. "It's very intuitive, and there's almost a surreal quality to it. I mean, a blind photographer?"
Mr. Butler's shot of two tree limbs was among nearly three dozen of his photos that made up an exhibit, "How Eye See It," at Mr. Ferrara's gallery earlier this month. From the angle and distance at which they were captured, some viewers saw a resemblance between the two tree limbs and human legs, one slightly bent at the knee.
"It defies reason that these photos would be good, but they are because there is a thought-out composition," Mr. Ferrara says. "There is an editing process that goes into it and a quality factor. The images are pretty good and there's also the diversity: nature shots, people images, Mardi Gras-type images."
Mr. Butler has displayed his photos periodically around the country, usually at music events. However, his works have not previously been the marquee exhibit in a commercial gallery, and rarely have his pictures been critically reviewed.
Professional photographers are mixed about Mr. Butler's work, saying that while some shots are ridiculous, others are "actually pretty good." His work was exhibited at Mr. Ferrara's gallery because of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, held earlier this month, where Mr. Butler performed.
Mr. Butler, who lost his sight to glaucoma as an infant, has a sighted assistant help him with matters such as aiming the camera as well as developing and editing the photos. Still, it's Mr. Butler who chooses the subjects, takes the pictures and makes editing decisions based on what the assistants say. He started with film but now primarily uses digital cameras.
He also doesn't really care what others think, even if he stands to gain a little extra cash from the photos, priced from $325 to $800.
"I didn't start doing this for anybody else, and I didn't start doing it to earn a living. My main thing is music," says Mr. Butler, who wears black wraparound glasses and a black felt, narrow-rimmed hat that do not obscure his wide, ebullient smile.
He began his photography hobby in 1984, while living in Los Angeles, where his musical career included consulting on talent development for Stevie Wonder and Motown Records. There, he periodically attended art exhibits with friends, who would try to describe the featured works.
"I could grasp what they were saying intellectually, but I felt this emptiness like I wasn't getting everything," Mr. Butler recalls. "Now I feel a part of at least making some visual art. ... I know I probably won't be able to get the total picture, so to speak, because I'm still not seeing it. But at least I'm feeling more of what photographers feel when taking pictures, and I know some of the reasons why they want to take pictures in the first place."
There's a series of photographs Mr. Butler shot of filmmaker Woody Allen playing clarinet. It captures Mr. Allen in a variety of poses and expressions and looks as if a sighted person took them. Other photos, though, clearly were guided by senses other than sight. One of a Mardi Gras reveler captures only the top half of a head, but in doing so brings the focus to the subject's smiling eyes and the hanging strands of braids that frame the tall forehead.
"I thought the eyes were enough, to keep the photo as part of his collection," Mr. Butler says. "Sometimes when I've taken a photo, the head is cut off, but as I'm listening to people describing things in the image, I think, 'This still has some value.' "
Another photo captures a woman's upper torso, which happened to be adorned with dozens of jingling keys that were part of her Mardi Gras costume. A man with a painted blue face has positioned his head behind her shoulder as if to pose for a photo that he expected would turn out as head shots of the pair. But it was the keys that drew Mr. Butler's attention and dominate the photograph; all that's visible of the man is his blue-painted chin and lower lip.
"You almost have to look at it as conceptual art. It's not just about images but about what he's doing," Mr. Ferrara says. "And let's be frank. If the work wasn't any good, I wouldn't be showing it. It's not a gimmick; I don't have that kind of gallery."
Mr. Butler also enjoys photographing landscapes at sunset.
"Sunset denotes a change in energy. ... While I'm standing out there, it's definitely more obvious. The feeling against my face is different, you feel less invasive light, changing heat and energy against the face and body," Mr. Butler says. "Each phase of that can be interesting to capture, especially if you're near a big body of water or some object that helps to reflect the light energy."


excerpt from article A 'VIRTU-ALLY' PERFECT DAY

Across the park, creating art is about overcoming adversity as much as it is an aesthetic task for wood craftsman Ken W. Langworthy of Mansfield Center, Conn. Langworthy is legally blind due to a hereditary disease and has limited use of his left hand following an arm saw accident several years ago.
"When I was 46, the state of Connecticut set me up with a lathe, a planner and a band saw," he said. "Fifteen minutes on the lathe, and I was hooked. I'm what they call an addicted wood turner."

Langworthy's art is a collection of natural-edge bowls, vases and organically shaped sculptures carved out of "spalted," or half-rotted wood. Each block of sugar maple, box elder and birch spun and carved is unique, he said.

"I'll be turning a piece and I'll spot something in the wood," he said. "Then it completely changes. You have to listen to the wood."

Langworthy - who currently works out of his home studio near the University of Connecticut at Storrs - said he only uses firewood, branches from storm-damaged trees and wood pieces donated by loggers to create his art. The underside of each of his pieces carries a hand-written story of how each scrap was obtained and what type of wood was used to construct the object.

Langworthy also said he creates lampshades constructed from paper-thin slices of wood, the most revered of which he made using scrap wood from the Mystic Seaport's recreation of the post-Revolutionary War schooner Amistad.


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