Modern technology helped her to practice her creativity
An artist paints her paintings with her eyes after a rare disease prevented her from using her hand
Ezequiel is a talented artist who paints with her own eyes. From the source
One of Ezequiel's works. From the source
Another work by Ezequiel. From the source
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London-based artist, Sarah Ezequiel, is internationally recognized for her vivid paintings that explore the depths of human life. However, her physical efforts are more than interesting, due to the fact that she suffers from a medical condition that made her unable to move her arms. She draws her artworks with the movement of her eyes, using modern technology that transmits her eyes movement to the computer, to embody her paintings.
The Ezequiel eye tracking technology provides a platform for artistic expression that has been deprived of it by the "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis" disease, also known as the motor neuron disease. Ezekiel did not show any signs of this condition until the year 2000, when she was 34 years old, and pregnant with her second child, and noticed some weakness in her left arm, and that she was stuttering. Within months, she was diagnosed with ALS. It is a condition that affects one out of every 50,000 people, according to the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association, and there is no known treatment for it.
"My life was very normal before the illness," she says. "I was a full-time mother. I used to cook, clean and go to the gym regularly." She describes her first five years of living with the disease as "bleak," and that she felt "very lonely." Today, she cannot talk or move, but she feels technology has made her life worth living.
A system that works by staring
Ezequiel uses a system invented by the company "Toby Dynafox", which specializes in "eye gaze" devices (devices that work with eye gaze), which help people who suffer from lack of communication due to medical conditions. This technology uses projectors, cameras and algorithms to track the tiny movements of the user's human eye and control the pointer on the screen.
For an interview with Ezequiel, CNN sent her her questions, and Ezequiel was able to prepare her answers letter by letter, using the predictive text. This technology also allows her to surf the Internet, shop online, and use social media.
IGuase is one of many assistive technologies on the market. The late theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking, who also had ALS, was able to control communication programs using an infrared sensor mounted on his glasses that detects movements in his cheek.
Ezequiel, who studied art when she was young, began drawing with iGuiz in 2012. She was inspired by the title of her first art work, "Peaceful Warriors," from a book written by writer Dan Millman. "We were originally supposed to draw something about despair, but the end result felt very different," she recalls.
Still learning
Although her work has been shown all over the UK and in other remote areas, Ezequiel says she is still learning and that there are always new techniques to explore. "When I start drawing, I focus completely on my work, and all my problems disappear," she added.
The history of computer-based art dates back to the 1950s, when such works were as much closer to engineering as they were considered artistic expression. Over time, algorithm-based shapes gave way to software that allowed for greater accuracy, and the computer screen became a digital panel. Today, famous painters such as David Hockney can exchange their brushes for an iPad, and this will not detract from their artistic flair.
"The strange thing is that my style has not changed," Ezekiel says of her work. "My work is similar to the work I did with my hands before." And when the UK is free of the emerging coronavirus, it hopes to showcase its business again. Meanwhile, she continues to sell her artwork online.
"Being an artist thanks to technology, it completely improved my outlook on life, and opened many other possibilities for me," she adds. "I couldn't continue painting for years, but it is great that technology has made it possible for me again," she explains.
• Ezequiel uses a system invented by the company "Toby Dynafox", which specializes in "eye gaze" devices (devices that work with eye gaze), which helps people who suffer from lack of communication due to medical conditions.
• Although her work has been shown all over the UK and in other remote areas, Ezequiel says she is still learning and there are always new technologies to explore.