This is an ADLAB PRO video.
ADLAB PRO is a project funded by the European Union.
This video is made available to you on a Creative Commons licence.
Hello. This is Elisa Perego
from the University of Trieste, Italy.
In this ADLAB PRO video, I will define touch,
give you some tips on how to choose suitable objects
for touch tours, and illustrate some aspects
of the tactile exploration procedure.
This is Unit 7 "Tactile explorations"
in Module 4 "Semi-live or recorded AD
for static arts and environments".
In all human beings, touch is a crucial sense
for learning and communicating,
and a primary means of experiencing the world.
When sight is absent, however,
touch can contribute to fill visual gaps
as it becomes an important additional source of information
as well as a highly appreciated means
for experiencing the aesthetic beauty of objects,
especially if this sense
is adequately trained and developed.
Using only words to make art accessible
could be a bit restrictive and not fully effective:
haptic supports, however, could contribute
to transmit the beauty of an object,
to influence the aesthetic experience of an artwork,
and to make the art and the overall museum experience
more direct, involving and memorable,
which applies both to people with and without sight loss.
Understanding artworks through touch
is a process which takes more time than visual perception
and it is not immediate. It is in fact, I quote,
“successive, slow, analytical, and active”.
Furthermore, art appreciation through touch
can depend on several factors, including for instance
the visitors’ familiarity and experience with art,
their previous experiences whilst still having sight,
their cultural, historical and individual differences,
and many more.
Not all museums or heritage sites
provide touch tours for their visitors,
or consider the possibility to include
self-contained tactile experiences.
The service is cost- and time- intensive,
and it requires forward strategic planning,
extensive networking and full participation
of a solid team of experts
from diverse and complementary fields.
When planning tactile explorations,
you should keep in mind that not all objects
are suitable for audio and/or tactile description.
You should learn how to select them,
and identify the most meaningful within a museum,
a gallery, an exhibition,
a tour, a site, etc.
You should select the most appealing to the touch, and to the eye
in a perspective of comprehensive inclusion for all,
and those which are adequately legible
in their original form or in their reproduction.
It is not possible to give you absolute rules
on the way to select items for tactile exploration:
this is a process that depends on the context
the objects belong to, on their meaning
and their physical nature.
You should always negotiate your choice with the museum curators
while relying on your creativity and documentary study,
as well as on your acquired knowledge
of the theory and practice of tactile exploration.
In the National Tile Museum in Lisbon, for instance,
the choice of which tile panels should have tactile reliefs
was based, among other things, I quote:
"on the presence of similar tiles or motifs
in contemporary daily life of the Portuguese people".
Furthermore, I quote: "elaborate patterns
were broken down in sequences
of several individual replicas
of the most relevant motifs".
Sometimes original objects
can be made available for exploration through touch.
This happens when the material of the given object
is not fragile or perishable, or when the object
is very common and easily replaceable.
As in the case of the ancient pottery oil lamps
in archeological museums, shown in this picture.
Paintings, artworks and objects, or relevant parts of them,
can also be reproduced, so it’s not a big deal
if the originals are not touchable
or meant to be experienced through touch.
An excellent example in this respect
is the case of tactile museums,
such as the Anteros museum in Bologna, Italy,
where reliefs in white plaster of famous paintings,
as the one shown in this picture,
are produced and successfully used in guided settings.
Although audio-guides can be a functional substitute
in given circumstances,
touch tours work far better if a human guide is present.
Face to face favours an immersive experience,
it is more interactive, it offers the chance for the visitor
to ask questions, and it allows describers
to tailor their description
around an individual’s particular interests.
During a live touch tour, the guide can also direct
the visitor’s hands to the right spots of the replica,
as shown in the picture.
In fact, the tactile exploration procedure
is no random process.
If we consider the bas-relief of a painting, for instance,
we should be aware that the process should begin
by exploring the outer edges,
to convey a rough idea of the dimensions of the object,
to later slowly move to the centre,
for a deeper exploration into tactile aspects
that might otherwise be overlooked.
Furthermore, visitors should be encouraged
to explore the object with two hands using their palms,
fingers and fingertips to investigate the surface,
recognise the layout of its components,
enjoy the texture and temperature of its material.
Especially when a human guide is not there,
clear recorded instructions should direct visitors
in this direction.
I hope you have learned some interesting things
about tactile exploration in this video.
Find out more in our reading list. Bye!
The preparation of this presentation
was supported by ADLAB PRO. Audio Description:
A Laboratory for the Development of a New Professional Profile
financed by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme,
Key Action 2, Strategic Partnerships.
Project number:
2016-1-IT02-KA203-024311.
The information and views set out in this presentation
are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect
the official opinion of the European Union.
Neither the European Union institutions and bodies
nor any person acting on their behalf
may be held responsible for the use
which may be made of the information contained therein.
This was an ADLAB PRO video.
ADLAB PRO partners are: University of Trieste,
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona,
University of Antwerp, Adam Mickiewicz University,
RTV Slovenia, Utopian Voices,
Soundfocus and Royal National Institute of Blind People.
ADLAB PRO was funded by the European Union.
This video was made available to you on a Creative Commons licence.