Geometry Prague's VR Exhibition Lets Blind People 'See' Art

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Seeing a famous work of art 'in the flesh' can be awe-inspiring, but all too often, we take our ability to appreciate art through our eyes for granted. For the 253 million people around the world who are visually impaired, their only experience of sculpture is through other people's descriptions.

In order to make art accessible to all, Geometry Prague and NeuroDigital have teamed up on a world-first exhibition, Touching Masterpieces.

Housed in Prague's National Gallery, the project uses the latest in VR technology to digitally recreate three iconic statues: the head of Nefertiti, the Venus de Milo and Michelangelo’s David. To experience the art, users put on a pair of haptic gloves, and the system sends vibrations that stimulate the tactile responses of the skin cells to mimic the surfaces and textures of the sculptures.

A visitor uses touch to 'see' the sculptures

A case study video [below] shows the remarkable effect of the technology on how users 'experience' the artworks, with one young man pointing out that “art is not always explainable just by words"". From being surprised at the size of David's head to recognising the Venus de Milo from the folds of her dress, it has clearly opened up a whole new world to the users. 

""Blind children are usually taught in school with relief aids and tactile pictures that far from accurately reflect reality. This new technology is an incredible breakthrough allowing pupils to touch what was absolutely unattainable before,” says Barbara Hucková, executive director of the Leontinka Foundation for the blind and visually impaired.