Developing Sculptural Ability in Ceramic Sculpture for the Blind in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

In recent years, the visually impaired community in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has garnered significant attention from researchers. These scholars have dedicated substantial efforts to study methods for developing their abilities and showcasing their latent skills. These endeavors have not only boosted their self-confidence but also amazed everyone around them, facilitating their integration into society. Sculpture stands out among other arts due to its embodiment and diverse use of materials and techniques for expression and shaping.

This study focuses on enhancing the artistic abilities of the visually impaired by utilizing their other senses to sculpt ceramic artworks reflecting their perception of reality. The objective is to achieve satisfaction and happiness by employing artistic sensibility and the joy of ceramic sculpting. The research problem lies in how to develop sensory and artistic qualities of the visually impaired to express their ideas, interests, and suppressed potentials through ceramic sculpture. The goals include fostering artistic taste, creating sensory pleasure, increasing cognitive awareness of sculptural forms, developing imaginative ability to achieve the formal structure of sculptures, enhancing expressive capacity, and building self-confidence through ceramic sculpting.

The hypothesis assumes that it is possible to enhance the sensory, artistic, and cognitive abilities of the visually impaired to produce sculptural works with aesthetic structure and expressive content, thereby achieving psychological and emotional balance for them. The study adopts the analytical-descriptive methodology and discusses the following aspects: the purpose of developing artistic abilities in ceramic sculpture, the identity of the visually impaired, and how to enhance their artistic abilities in sculpture.