The multi-sensory photo book «Andere Augen» - Different Eyes - tells the story of three friends in Norway. One day Gregor Strutz, a photographer and city dweller, arrives at Arild Röland's farm. He is going to help the dairy farmer throughout summer. But there is one thing Gregor does not know: Arild is almost completely blind. Yet this wiry man in his forties masters the toil of his day-to-day work with vigour and vitality. Gregor joins Arild in his daily routine and, little by little, begins to see through different eyes.
Gregor starts to log his impressions with his camera: hands ruffling a cat's fur in passing. Calloused fingers seizing a cow's udder gently but firmly. The whole family having a cheerful supper. He drinks in Arild's world, becomes absorbed in what he sees, and meets friends of Arild, like Terje Karlsrud. The grammar school teacher is blind and lives with his guide dog Happy in the city of Trondheim. The confidence with which Terje gives his lessons to sighted pupils, the way he lives with what life has dealt him against all the odds, makes a lasting impression on Gregor and he begins to ponder, how he could go beyond a mere photo essay intended only for sighted readers.
How could these everyday heroes, who had now become dear friends, engage with his photographs? Gregor becomes completely riveted by the idea of an inclusively designed multimedia book that would seriously take the needs and requirements of sighted, visually impaired and blind people into account.
Since the multi-sensory photo book «Andere Augen» was presented at the Leipzig Book Fair in spring 2009, it has enthralled many readers and has opened up new perspectives. This book is our first and therefore also the most important step towards a new way of sharing experiences on an equal footing.