How do blind people 'see'? And do they even go to museums if they can't see?
I addressed these questions in this project in collaboration with the Hamburger Kunsthalle. The task was to develop immersive navigation metaphors that involve the visitor's body in the museum and attract new visitor groups. After initial observations and visitor interviews at the museum, I identified various personas. One group I couldn't find was visually impaired individuals.
The solution for this group is to measure the rooms using sensors. Sensors in the room, connected to a module attached to headphones, always know exactly where a person is moving, how quickly they approach a painting, or on which side of the painting they are located. Now, the paintings in the museum emit sounds, creating a unique auditory experience and allowing for an interpretation of the paintings through sound. An audioguide serves as the carrier for the music.
I tested how the sounds are generated through various parameters and surveys. The goal is to reduce the distance to art and promote true inclusion by encouraging sighted people to rediscover their senses and experience art in a different way. Perhaps each of us will soon be 'looking' with our ears.
Transcription:
My name is Gerd Franzka. I have been visually impaired or blind since my first year of life, and consequently, I do not know what it is like to be able to see.
Visiting museums is not really my area of interest, mainly due to the fact that it's challenging for me to grasp or understand images. While people can describe images to me, it does not convey the same experience or impression as what the person looking at the image feels and perceives. Transmitting that to me is, I believe, not possible.
[Music]
When you listen to music, you get these feelings, and you think about how it sounds. You can get real goosebumps or a sense of elation from well-crafted music. I can genuinely enjoy good-sounding music.
Likewise, the opposite is true. When there are sounds that clash or are poorly produced, it bothers me.
I can imagine that a picture might impress me to the point where I get goosebumps.
A project from 2023.