In my life, there are two things that I love beyond everything: empowerment and graffiti. These two have come to define och redefine the person I am.
When world renown artist Tony “Tempt One” Quan was diagnosed with the degenerative nerve disorder ALS which causes total paralysis, in 2003, it was a dark time for everyone in the scene; especially for someone that had been dominating the pavements and walls of LA, for over two decades.
Today Tempt has lost control of every body part, except for his eyes. And here’s where it gets interesting: With the help of the EyeWriter, an invention specially developed and designed for him by his friends from the Free Art & Technology Lab, Graffiti Research Lab and OpenFrameworks teams, including Zachary Lieberman, Evan Roth, James Powderly, Theo Watson and Chris Sugrue; Tempt is now making graffiti using the movements of his eyes. The glue holding this project together is called The Not Impossible Foundation.
The EyeWriter system uses inexpensive cameras and open-source computer vision software to track the wearer’s eye movements. The whole idea is to make an affordable tool for communications for those in great need of it, but without the monetary funds to finance it. With the EyeWriter Tempt was able to start painting again, something that he’s been enabled to the past seven years.
During this amazing fight for love, Not Impossible Foundation founder and Executive Producer of The Ebeling Group (TEG) Mick Ebeling decided to do a film about it. It’s not released yet, so I can only provide the trailer, but I strongly advise you to see it. Also make sure to check in on the foundation homepage, you’ll find true inspiration right there:They’re changing the world as you see it.
https://notimpossiblefoundation.org/
https://vimeo.com/6376466#
