When it comes to strolling through art galleries, the temptation to reach out and touch the artworks on display can often be so overwhelming that signs are posted or velvet ropes erected to keep idle hands at bay. But for the blind, whose sense of touch plays an integral part in the way they appreciate the world around them, a new art project is inviting them to reach out and take in classic paintings in an entirely new way.
The Unseen Art Project is an initiative that is seeking to make the world of art more accessible and inclusive to those suffering from visual impairments, using 3D-printing technology to produce replicas of various masterpieces that can be touched to be ‘seen’.
“There are many people in the world who have heard of classical artworks their whole lives but are unable to see them,” says Marc Dillon, a Helsinki-based designer who wants to make tableaux like Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa touchable. The project, currently undergoing a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, hopes to raise enough money and awareness to create an online gallery of paintings that anyone with a 3D printer can then print out.
As well as offering the blind and visually impaired the experience of enjoying art through the medium of touch, Dillon also think that 3D artwork can also offer sighted people a different view of classic works.
“People that have seen the Mona Lisa are like wow, you would never think you could touch this but in three dimensions — it’s quite a different experience,” he says.
The concept of using 3D printing to open the world of art to the blind has previously been explored in the Prado, the world-famous museum in Madrid, Spain. Earlier this year, the museum produced a number of 3D copies of some of its most iconic works, inviting visually-impaired visitors to touch them.
