As part of the European project BEAM UP, the Museum of Contemporary Art held a forum on the adaptation of cultural and artistic content to the blind and visually impaired
On Wednesday, 7th of July 2021, the Museum of Contemporary Art hosted the representatives of numerous associations and institutions dedicated to working with people with disabilities, especially the visually impaired, who gathered to involve them in developing a method of adapting contemporary art to the blind and visually impaired. Local working group members of the international project BEAM UP shared the experiences and challenges they have encountered during their work on adaptation so far, after which forum participants; primarily visually impaired participants, referred to their previous encounters with art and museum visits. The goal of the local working group to integrate the adaptation of individual works into the permanent exhibition of the Museum instead of ghettoizing it into a separate room was praised, which they have formerly encountered as a practice in some world museums. Some participants complained about the impossibility of tactile experience of artefacts at the Museum of Contemporary Art and other similar institutions from previous experiences, concluding that in recent years there has been a shift in awareness of the excessive rigidity of museological rules in order to meet visitors with visual impairments’ needs. It was pointed out that the blind and visually impaired know the perspective of the sighted very well, although they do not share it, but the sighted do not know the perspective of the blind and visually impaired and therefore it is necessary to continue working on it, which the BEAM UP project is an example of. Members of the local working group agreed that the work of the local working group of museum experts, blind and visually impaired persons and experts for visual impairment is actually a learning process for everyone involved. This process continued in the form of a guided tour through the exhibition "IVAN KOŽARIĆ: RETROSPECTIVE - ONE OF THE POSSIBLE 100" where the participants had the opportunity to tactilely experience individual works and share their experiences and associations with those present. Great interest was expressed in continuing similar activities and some suggestions were made for activities with other subgroups of blind and visually impaired people. The Association of the Blind Zagreb shared the information that a plan has been made to adapt the crossroads leading up to the Museum of Contemporary Art for the blind, which will finally open the possibility of independent visits of the blind to the Museum of Contemporary Art for such content.
The forum was attended by representatives and members of:
The Typhlological Museum in Zagreb, The Association of Deafblind Persons of the City of Zagreb, The Theater of the Blind and Visually Impaired “Novi život”, The Croatian Association of the Blind, The Croatian Association of Societies for Youth and Students with Disabilities, The Association of the Blind Zagreb, The Croatian Association for Guide Dog Training and Mobility, The Centre of Upbringing and Education "Vinko Bek", The Centre for Research, Education and Application of New Knowledge UP2DATE and artist Sanja Fališevac.
We would like to thank them once again for their participation, we look forward to further cooperation and - learning!
