G Jansson¹, M Bergamasco², A Frisoli²
¹Uppsala University, Department of Psychology, Uppsala, Sweden; ²Scuola Superiore S. Anna, Percro, Pisa, Italy
It is usually not allowed to touch works of art at museums, which means significant restrictions for visually impaired people. A European research project (PURE-FORM), coordinated by PERCRO, indicates a potential solution. Its intention is to make possible tactual exploration of virtual 3D copies of works of art. Within the project, that started in September 2001 and will go on for three years, experts on technology, computer software and perception will, in cooperation with art museums, develop a so-called haptic display for this purpose. A selection of statues will be scanned, and efforts will be made to make virtual 3D copies of them available to touch in a user-friendly way, either with the statues in direct sight or together with visual representations of them. The final goal is that a virtual library of statues would be created that is accessible at all museums having the necessary equipment. It is hoped that the device will enhance the experience of the statues for the primary target group, sighted people, but it is of potential interest also for visually impaired people as an achievable way of coming into direct contact with these works of art. However, in the lack of visual guidance for tactile exploration, special arrangements have to be made to maximize the experience for visually impaired people, which may include addition and deletion of haptic information, as well as supplementing verbal descriptions and suggestions about ways of exploring. The project may make museums more accessible to the visually impaired.
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