In 1983, after decades of steady deterioration, writer and theologian John Hull became totally blind. To help him make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began documenting his experiences on audio cassette. Over three years he recorded in excess of sixteen hours of material – a unique testimony of loss, rebirth and renewal, excavating his interior world of blindness.
Upon publication, John’s diaries were described by author and neurologist Oliver Sacks as ‘a masterpiece… The most precise, deep and beautiful account of blindness I have ever read.’
These original diary recordings form the basis of this project, a six-part interactive documentary using new forms of storytelling, gameplay mechanics and virtual reality to explore his cognitive and emotional experience of blindness.
Each scene will address a memory, a moment and a specific location from John’s audio diary, using binaural audio and real time 3D animations to create a fully immersive experience.