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This is an ADLAB PRO video.

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ADLAB PRO is a project funded
by the European Union.

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This video is made available to you
on a Creative Commons licence.

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Hello. I’m Elisa Perego from
the University of Trieste, Italy,

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and in this ADLAB PRO video
I will give you some tips

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on how to implement
AD strategies.

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This is Unit 4 "Strategies"
in Module 4

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"Semi- live or recorded AD

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for static arts
and environments".

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As you probably
already know at this stage,

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formulating AD entails

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excellent observational
and writing skills,

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as well as the ability
to select and convey

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a lot of information
in a succinct manner.

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According to most
AD guidelines, an effective AD

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should in a nutshell
be meticulous, accurate,

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concise, visually intense,

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and at the same time usable,
that is to say,

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clear and simple to process.

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This applies to all forms of AD,

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including AD for visual arts.

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The latter however
can be defined

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as a sub-genre of AD,

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with a number
of special features.

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To start with,
AD for visual art

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will include art jargon
and technical terms,

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typically frowned upon
by some AD guidelines

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because not fully inclusive.

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However, can you really
talk of an installation

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without using this very term?

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Would your AD be
effective and complete?

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A recent corpus-based analysis
on the language of museum ADs,

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for instance,
indicates that there are

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some repeated features
or strategies typical of this genre

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that could be considered
best practices.

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Let’s see some of them.

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First, a museum AD
will be highly informative

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if it uses
a high type token ratio, that is,

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if it is rich and varied
in vocabulary use

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and avoids a narrow,
repetitive repertoire of words.

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Informativity
will also be achieved

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via high lexical density,

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expressed by the substantial
presence in a text

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of lexical rather than
grammatical words.

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Well-chosen lexical words
such as nouns, adjectives,

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verbs and adverbs
can therefore contribute

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to convey rich semantic meaning

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and should be preferred
to more diluted formulations.

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As far as syntax is concerned,
it is difficult to express

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complex art related ideas
in very simple sentences.

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So, do not be afraid if
your sentences are a bit too long.

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However,
try not to substantially exceed

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the average
sentence length in your language.

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In English, for instance,
this corresponds to approximately

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15-16 words per sentence.

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Let’s now move
to a very useful word class

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in AD of visual art: adjectives.

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Adjectives,
in particular descriptive adjectives

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such as “flat”,
“naked”, “unfeathered”,

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play a major role in conveying
precision and vividness

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to the description,
as well as in offering

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vivid details and nuances.

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That’s why
they are used extensively in ADs.

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When a simple descriptive adjective
is not enough to convey

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the intricacy of some artworks,

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English can turn
to complex adjectives in isolation

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or embedded
in heavy noun groups.

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Think of expressions such as
“a prominent eyebrow ridge”,

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or “a tiny lilac-coloured footprint

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on a newborn baby girl’s
identification form”.

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Do not be afraid to use
colour adjectives in your ADs,

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especially in art description:

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people with sight loss

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know what colour is
and how to interpret it.

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They learn
about colour in many ways,

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and can attribute intrinsic
or symbolic meaning

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to different colours.

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Furthermore, in some circumstances,
lively or bleak colours

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can render a specific mood

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that could not be
rendered otherwise.

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On the other hand,
let the visitor free

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to interpret
the work of art you are describing:

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avoid evaluative adjectives
such as "ironic",

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or "beautiful" whenever possible.

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However, be aware of the fact
that there are some circumstances

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where you might go
against the rules.

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The nature, meaning
and connotation of some works of art

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might require very explicit
interpretative expressions

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to enable full understanding.

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To conclude,
on a more macro-textual level,

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you should be able to produce
a logical and consistent text,

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forming a unified whole
and with no informative gaps

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hindering smooth comprehension.

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This is not an easy task
and it will require

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several drafts
and a lot of text editing,

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so do not run out of patience.

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Now I’ll give you a simple tip.

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Consider to have
your AD script read by a friend

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who is not acquainted
with the AD processes,

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to check whether
they can follow

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the narrative flow
of your AD text with ease

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as well as visualize
and appreciate

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the work of art you described,

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or whether it still needs
some fixes and clarifications.

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As for you, from now on
try and read or listen to

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as many ADs as possible
to spot good practices

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but also inconsistencies
you should learn to avoid.

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I hope this unit has been
a useful introduction

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to art AD strategies.

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If you want to find out more,
I recommend you to read

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the chapter written
by Josélia Neves

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in the ADLAB guidelines. Bye!

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The preparation
of this presentation

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was supported by ADLAB PRO.
Audio Description:

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A Laboratory for the Development
of a New Professional Profile

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financed by the European Union
under the Erasmus+ Programme,

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Key Action 2,
Strategic Partnerships.

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Project number:

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2016-1-IT02-KA203-024311.

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The information and views
set out in this presentation

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are those of the authors
and do not necessarily reflect

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the official opinion
of the European Union.

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Neither the European Union
institutions and bodies

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nor any person acting
on their behalf

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may be held responsible
for the use

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which may be made of
the information contained therein.

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This was an ADLAB PRO video.

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ADLAB PRO partners are:
University of Trieste,

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Universitat Autònoma
de Barcelona,

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University of Antwerp,
Adam Mickiewicz University,

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RTV Slovenia,
Utopian Voices,

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Soundfocus and Royal National
Institute of Blind People.

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ADLAB PRO was funded
by the European Union.

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This video was made available to you
on a Creative Commons licence.