The Living Camera: Stephen Wiltshire

His name is Stephen Wiltshire. You may or may not have heard of him. He is the man with an extraordinary ability, who can memorise landscapes (big cities to be more precise) accurately with his photographic memory after less than an hour on a single helicopter ride. Diagnosed with Savant Syndrome, a form of autism, Stephen best communicates through his drawings.

At a young age, he drew the city of London from memory with all the specific details of every building there is. After experts had studied his work, they claim that these specific details (such as the number of windows in a building) are accurate. During his drawing marathon, Stephen Wiltshire explains that it is as if the detailed panorama existed in his head after just one view on an entirely new place, a big challenge in which he has a great passion for.

Stephen was also once brought to Rome, a city where he has never been to before. With no sketches, he amazingly drew the perfect arial view of Rome’s winding streets, balconies and endless array of houses, as well as the Pantheon, St Peter’s, The Coliseum and other important sights. Since then, he has drawn other major cities, such as Tokyo, Madrid, Venice, Hong Kong and Frankfurt, bearing in mind that these cities were then all new to him. Stephen was recently in Dubai to share his unbeatable talent.

Artistically inclined, Stephen Wiltshire has such a wonderful gift for drawing. With such a beautiful mind, he is  truly a powerhouse of artistic remembering. This is his masterpiece – such an extraordinary person!

Interested? To find out more about his drawings, go to www.stephenwiltshire .co.uk