Non-visual Curating

When we think of curating in the general sense, it is hard to separate it from the visual.  A curator does much more than create the visual unity of an exhibition; however, the role of creating a cohesive whole from a number of component parts, within the context of an art exhibit, seems to necessitate a strong visual component.  While a curator might rely on the visual only to express the desired thematic cohesion she seeks for the exhibition, she relies on the visual nonetheless.  Successful curating activates the key themes in subject and aesthetics, putting them to work for the larger concepts of the exhibit.  One of the most important ingredients is visual cohesion.
So then how do we remove the visual from the equation of successful curating?  Thematic unity remains, but with what vehicle is it conjured, if not the visual?  The "viewers," or in this case, the "non-viewers" or "experiencers" must be guided through the exhibit in a way that highlights each piece's strengths and reaffirms its place in the whole, allowing it to support the general thesis like any supporting paragraph in an essay.  The curator must provide guidance in a non-visual form.

One of the ways I plan to achieve this kind of non-visual curating in PLEASE TOUCH THE ARTWORK derives from an experience I had with my mother abroad.  When we visited China 5 or 6 years ago, what she found immensely helpful were these tactile paths for the visually impaired that were imprinted into the sidewalk.  Whenever she approached a street corner, the texture of the path would change, alerting her to the end of the sidewalk.  I plan to appropriate this form of tactile guidance in my curating to create a non-visual path for the "non-viewers," that functions as visual curating would, guiding the experience of the individual pieces as a unified whole.
image credit: flickr ww_whist