What Are You Looking At?

The film What Are You Looking At? was commissioned by Angela Charles and OSR Projects as part of an exhibition of the same name. Initially conceived as a short artist profile documentary, the project evolved into something much more. In speaking with Angela, it became clear that her reflections on losing her sight and her growing reliance on technologies like audio description offered a unique perspective that could challenge traditional filmmaking approaches. Rather than a straightforward portrait, the film became an exploration of the medium itself—how we ‘see’ through film and the language required to make it truly accessible.

Blending multiple voices—Angela’s own, her iPhone’s assistant ‘Daniel,’ a philosophising audio describer, and her mentor, artist Bedwyr Williams—the film questions the role of perception and the limitations of language in conveying the visual world. By integrating audio description and captions, the film turns accessibility into a creative tool, asking viewers to reconsider their own assumptions. The irony is that, without these elements, Angela herself wouldn’t be able to fully experience a film about her own journey. What Are You Looking At? doesn’t just tell Angela’s story; it invites us to rethink how we perceive, describe, and understand the world around us.