Inkjet print on etching paper
17 1/2
x 17 1/2" (44.5 x 44.5 cm)
In South Africa, particularly its cities and
townships, commuters use an extensive
system of hand signals to quickly indicate
to taxi drivers where they would like
to be taken. Anthropologist and artist
Susan Woolf documented these signs in
a series of gouache paintings, published
in the guide Taxi Hand Signs (2007), and
then translated them into symbols for
the blind, who tend to rely on taxis for
transportation: basic shapes—triangle,
circle, ellipse, and line—are used in
combination to form each hand sign.
The shapes, currently compiled in a
separate handbook, are slightly raised
on the paper, so they can be perceived
by touch, and are accompanied by Braille
labels. Woolf’s guide has been distributed
to blind people throughout South Africa
and is being taught in four schools for
the blind.
