2nd annual Archipelago event in Fond du Lac brings together savants from around the world
FOND DU LAC, Wis. (CBS 58) — For most people, a first impression fades.
But for London-based cityscape artist Stephen Wiltshire, one 20-minute helicopter flight is enough to capture an entire skyline in perfect detail -- not with a camera, but with his mind.
Wiltshire was diagnosed with autism as a child.
Although he didn't speak until he was 5, Wiltshire found his voice through art with an unbelievable talent for drawing.
Today, he's known as basically a human camera because of his incredible memory, as he's able to recreate entire skylines on paper from a single glance.
His gift is what experts call savant syndrome.
"It's a spectacularly rare condition in which someone has a coexisting cognitive disability and super ability such as music, math, art, memory, etc.," said Dr. Jeremy Chapman, medical director for the SSM Treffert Center in Fond du Lac, which is one of the main research epicenters for savants in the world. "This shifts my understanding of human potential, and I just genuinely feel warm and inspired about mankind."
On Friday, June 10, the public will get the chance to see the talent of Wiltshire and dozens of other savants during the center's second annual event, Archipelago, which brings together savants from across the globe.
The event, held in Fond du Lac, will feature savants at different booths where attendees can meet them and see their work, followed by a show complete with performances.
Also on display will be Wiltshire's drawing of Milwaukee's skyline.
"Stephen is like a breath of fresh air," said Wiltshire's sister, Annette. "Life doesn't need to be complicated. We as people complicate things. Stephen just shows you how to uncomplicate it."
Annette told CBS 58 she's proud to have a brother who "has made a difference to the world."
"We got to go to Antarctica. We've been to Japan, we've been to Shanghai, Hong Kong, Jerusalem," Annette said. "It just makes you realize how beautiful we are as individuals and as people and what we can create if we really put our minds to it."
Tickets are still available for Archipelago.
For more information, click here.