Thessaloniki museum invites visually impaired to embrace art
Currently the Thessaloniki State Museum of Contemporary Art is catering to the visually impaired, thanks to an innovative – by Greek standards – program titled «Aggizontas tin techni» (Embracing Art). Members of the Thessaloniki School for the Blind and the Panhellenic Association of the Blind recently enjoyed a guided tour of a new contemporary art exhibition. Among the visitors was Ioanna, who made her way along Constantin Xenakis’s work, «Keimeno horis logo.» She noted the artist’s «hieroglyphics,» described the work as rather «abstract» and was informed by the caption (in Braille) about the work’s dimension, title and technique. The embossed work «read» by Ioanna was the tactile representation of the original work. Placed one next to the other, Xenakis’s original painting is being showcased as part of the museum’s «Visual Arts Panorama in Greece 2,» an exhibition showcasing 100 works by 80 artists. A group of specialists (including social anthropologists, teachers and art restorers) joined forces with Thessaloniki State Museum of Contemporary Art and Thessaloniki School for the Blind volunteers in order to translate 21 of the works into a hands-on format. «Not all of the works are appropriate for tactile translation,» said Maria Tsantsanoglou, the museum’s director. «We usually select works that can be rendered in an easy and comprehensive manner.» The Thessaloniki museum’s initiative is part of an international network of museums carrying out the «Art Beyond Sight» program, including the Metropolitan Museum in New York and London’s Tate Modern and Victoria and Albert Museum.
