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art the blind can experience
Harry Potter for NBC Universal - display in Orlando International Airport
Making art accessible to the blind became his goal . In 2008 with his wife , Nancy , 3DPhotoWorks was founded where tactile printing enables the blind and disabled to enjoy art through touch and sensory stimulation . Tactile Images , an entity of 3DPhotoWorks , was formed in January 2021 in partnership with Getty Images and the National Federation of the Blind . Through this partnership , tactile images can now be made available to the blind internationally .
The liberating tactile image experience , further enhanced by audio and smell , takes users on an adventure . As their hand glides over the audio coordinate embedded in the tactile image , it describes what is being touched . Other sensors describe the entire piece . For example , for
' The Battle of Hue ,' the audio includes recordings of the US marines featured in each photograph , talking about the battle and their time in the Vietnam War . Audio
The collection of images can be easily accessed through Tactile Images website at : www . tactileimages . com Any image can be turned into a tactile print . These include , but are not limited to : describes what is occurring , but it also provides a unique narrative . All of the company ’ s tactile image displays have the option of emitting smells , which helps to enhance the kinesthetic experience . With their large piece of ' George Washington Crossing the Delaware ' in addition to feeling the surface of the image and hearing the story of what occurred , you can also smell gunpowder , thereby deepening the sensory adventure .
Art is being brought to the blind and disabled by museums and institutions around the United States through Tactile Images ’ Travelling Exhibitions which are also available to countries worldwide . The pieces in each exhibition are either their own or created in affiliation with Getty Images . They are available for purchase by museums , science centers , libraries , and government programs that serve the disabled .
Tactile Images ’ first major museum exhibition was entitled
‘ Sight Unseen ’ at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg . This exhibition featured artwork by artists who were blind or low vision .
• Architectural Renderings
• Diagrams
• Drawings
• Paintings
• Collages
• Photographs
• Schematics
• Maps
• Scientific and mathematical formulae
• Historical Documents and Manuscripts
Many institutions use their own imagery and combine it with images from Getty . Over 45 million images are available to be translated into tactile prints .