Samantha Jackson
Through Your Eyes
Through Your Eyes attempts to explore the ways people see the world as inspired by my partner’s eye condition, optic nerve hypoplasia. His specific case of this condition displays as his left eye being completely blind, therefore his sense of depth perception and peripheral vision are altered. Certain daily experiences that I take for granted are much harder for my partner since he relies on spatial memory to move through spaces easily. Although his contact with simulated three-dimensional experiences is less frequent, he never enjoys the same effects that are intended for the viewer as it requires binocular vision. These unique perspectives of experiencing both the real and simulated world inspired me to create this project to simulate his interactions with natural and fabricated reality.
The visual experience of my project is based on these varied experiences my partner encounters. My choice to include daily occurrences stems from the often-overlooked nature of things I experience that are different for him. The goal is to disorient the viewer to take them out of their normal viewing experience and feel the confusion my partner experiences when coming into a new space. The interactivity gives the still image variability and invites the audience to interact with the work while gaining a tangible idea of the way he views the world. By manipulating three-dimensional imaging, I give viewers with normal or corrected-to-normal vision an opportunity to experience the inability to participate in this simulated environment and understand the concept of disorientation in everyday space.
Bio
Samantha Jackson is a documentary and editorial photographer currently living and working in Toronto, Ontario after growing up in Vancouver, British Columbia. While studying photography at Ryerson University, she draws significant inspiration from her experiences as a woman in modern society and the idea of place affecting the way we live. Samantha aspires to produce work that explores the relationship humans have with place as well as improve the representation of equity-seeking groups through media.