Second Light Photo Exhibition – Photo Club – Cultural Services for the Visually Impaired

There are many ways to see. Internal and external images with different levels of vision.

Photography subjects can also be approached with the different eyes of limited vision. Can nature, the everyday environment or a built image still include things that have never been seen before? The Second Light exhibition presents things about nature, the environment and built reality that most people would not see if the group did not expose them through the versatile methods of photography.

In addition to photographs, the exhibition includes a video presentation of the methods used by visually impaired photographers, which may be of interest to both the art audience and other photographers. Information is also shared at lectures and artist meetings. The works include photo interpretation with both digital writing and Braille.

Photo interpretation Sat 14 Sept from 1 pm to 2 pm
Guidance in sign language Sat 21 Sept, 1 pm to 2 pm

Introducing the Photo Club
The Photo Club has been held by Cultural Services for the Visually Impaired since 2018. Its activities include lectures, workshops, photo tours and exhibition visits. Photo Club members are united by their ambitious interest in photography as a means of self-expression as well as their visual impairment. Their perspectives are new and fresh, as the observers have to handle topics in often surprising ways. Each photographer has had to develop their own methods to overcome their visual impairment both in the field and in post-processing.

We would like to extend warm thanks to Cultural Centre Caisa for supporting the Second Light exhibition, as well as the Cultural Services for the Visually Impaired and Sivis Study Centre for supporting the activities of the Photo Club.

Of the members of the Photo Club, Juha Jahkola, Sari Kekkonen, Tero Kokko, Jussi Mankki, Noora Mäkelä and Petri Mäkelä participate in the Second Light exhibition in September 2024 at the Caisa Cultural Centre’s Gallery.

Artist introductions

Juha Jahkola
I chuckle when I perceive lighter coloured spots in a dark reality. Whether the encounters are random or intentional, I like surprising clashes of thoughts and perception. Hits or misses where real images are transformed into metaphors and narrative images.

Sari Kekkonen
I construct my photos as if I were painting on canvas. At first, I collect interesting characters, usually old toys, which I place in an environment I set up for them. I compose, illuminate, and photograph the subject over and over again until each component finds its place. The result has several layers, in which viewers can find scenes from their own dreams or subconscious.

Tero Kokko
Art speaks and images communicate. That's why take photos. I want to make things visible and possible to experience that are usually not seen or just passed by. I mix and combine things, which means my works also offer the viewer an opportunity for new sensations, feelings and thoughts. I pick up topics from everyday environments, but I also like to build colour and light abstractions.

Jussi Mankki
I am Jussi Mankki, 67 years old, a photographer who has been taking photos since a young age. My sudden visual impairment interrupted this hobby for years. I picked up a camera once more, as digital cameras allowed for a large number of shots and reliable autofocus. I like to shoot things that “no one sees”.

Noora Mäkelä
As a novice photographer, I'm still trying to find, experiment and search for “my own thing”. For inspiration, I have built a simple setting of touchable elements for many of my photos that can be immortalized as a new work of art with photography. Sometimes you can find text or parts of text drawn with dots in the elements of a photograph.

Petri Mäkelä
Nature is my place to be and inspiration for what to shoot. Landscapes in particular are close to my heart, and I have often found myself in the middle of a storm or a 20-degree frost, waiting for the sun to rise. I also photograph other things, such as