[Artbeyondsightmuseums] Flags, 3D

[fnugg at online.no]

Blind New Zealanders get equal access to flag referendum

You don't need to see the New Zealand flag choices to love them or hate 
them.

For many blind and visually impaired Kiwis, the flag referendum has been 
a decision made with not just their eyes, but with their fingers, ears, 
and imaginations.

Blind Foundation spokesman Neil Jarvis has been blind since birth, so 
has never seen colours.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/the-flag-debate/74926990/blind-new-zealanders-get-equal-access-to-flag-referendum



At National Gallery, an Effort to Bring Visual Art to the Blind

On a recent Tuesday afternoon in the cafe at the National Gallery of 
Ireland, Sophie Lawler is sat at a table with a sheet of paper in front 
of her.

It’s not just any paper. It’s “swell” paper. Not groovy stationary, but 
a special type of paper designed to expand in the places where it’s been 
marked and heated.

On this sheet of swell paper, there are simple raised line figures, and 
raised blotches like splashes of ink, which are touchable, like Braille.

“It’s a religious work,” explains Caomhán Mac Con Iomaire, an education 
assistant at the gallery, as Lawler feels the swell-paper version of 
the artwork.  “The right hand is against her heart and her robes are 
coming down. And the lines represent a halo.”

http://dublininquirer.com/2015/12/09/at-national-gallery-an-effort-to-bring-visual-art-to-the-blind/


NCERT to publish tactile books for visually challenged

Tactile books with maps and diagrams for visually challenged students 
will become a reality soon with the National Council of Educational 
Research and Training introducing them in collaboration with the Indian 
Institute of Technology, Delhi. So far, books in Braille had no maps and 
diagrams.

The NCERT is seeking suggestions from the States before it can start the 
process. “The exercise calls for a special training for teachers, but we 
are keen on getting it off the ground as soon as possible,” B.K. 
Tripathi, Joint Director, NCERT, said.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ncert-to-publish-tactile-books-for-visually-challenged/article7942605.ece

A Burlington Company Is Creating Drawing Tools For The Blind

Most of us start to draw at a young age and it can be an important skill 
especially in math and science.

However, for people who are blind, getting that early exposure to 
drawing is difficult. A Burlington company called E.A.S.Y. 
<http://www.easytactilegraphics.com/> is working to change that by 
giving the blind much needed tools to draw.

They call their tools the inTACT sketchpad and eraser 
<http://www.easytactilegraphics.com/intact-products/>. The sketchpad 
bright red or blue and roughly the size of an iPad. A magnetic frame 
secures a special piece of plastic, and a stylus is used to draw. 
Whenever lines or shapes are drawn, the plastic pops up so the image can 
be felt.

http://digital.vpr.net/post/burlington-company-creating-drawing-tools-blind#stream/0


The Promise of Introducing the Mona Lisa to the Blind

The /Mona Lisa/ is among the most famous paintings in the world—revered 
for centuries, owned by emperors and kings, and visited in the Louvre by 
approximately 6 million people annually. Still, its beauty and impact 
are diminished for people who cannot see it because of visual 
impairment. But that may be about to change if either of two 
crowdfunding campaigns currently on Indiegogo and Kickstarter succeeds.

The one on Indiegogo 
<https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/unseen-art-experiencing-art-for-the-first-time/x/891144> 
is a campaign proposed by Unseen Art <http://www.unseenart.org/> that’s 
“raising $30,000 to create a software platform that would allow those 
without sight to download famous artworks and 3D-print them.”

https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2015/11/20/the-promise-of-introducing-the-mona-lisa-to-the-blind/

3DPhotoWorks brings art & photography to the visually impaired thru 3D 
Tactile Fine Art Printing

As someone that has spent countless hours in art and photo galleries 
around the world, I am aware of the profound emotional impact original 
creative works can have on the observer.

Earlier this year, I spent an afternoon exploring the War Remnants 
Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The award-winning photography 
hanging on the gallery walls gave me a genuine view of what things 
looked like during some of the most horrific periods of the Vietnam War. 
It provided a way for me to gather an honest impression of what was 
taking place without the typical blurry bias of war.
http://www.3ders.org/articles/20151116-3dphotoworks-brings-art-photography-to-the-visually-impaired-thru-3d-printing.html

3D printed Tactile Stave Notation helps visually impaired to better read 
music notations
http://www.3ders.org/articles/20151109-3d-printed-music-notation-system-for-the-visually-impaired.html

Musical system bridges gap between blind and sighted musicians
https://badgerherald.com/news/2015/11/04/musical-system-bridges-gap-between-blind-and-sighted-musicians/

3DPhotoWorks Brings Great Art To The Blind

Art belongs to everyone and enlightenment is available to all. Thus we 
present 3DPhotoWorks, a project that aims to bring the “world’s greatest 
art” 
<https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/3dphotoworks/bringing-the-worlds-greatest-art-to-blind-people> 
to the blind. The team, led by John Olson wants to convert famous 
paintings into digitally sculpted objects that blind people can touch 
and experience.

http://techcrunch.com/2015/11/05/3dphotoworks-brings-great-art-to-the-blind/



Mysuru railway station is nation's first visually impaired-friendly
With a view to facilitating visually impaired train passengers, tactile 
maps of the railway station and train schedules in Braille were unveiled 
at the Mysuru Railway station on Tuesday.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/mysuru-becomes-first-blindfriendly-railway-station/article7837144.ece

‘I hope you won’t need it’
That was a decade ago. To date, Annette has helped fund computers and 
desktop braille printers to pilot schools in the Philippines, provided 
equipment for young students with severe low vision, created the program 
Touch the Artist’s Vision (in partnership with Metropolitan Museum of 
Manila and the Rotary club) that turned art works into tactile material 
and added audio technology for visually impaired citizens to appreciate 
art, and co-authored and published the book TouchBooks: The Tactile 
Textbook Project, a publication project with educational images
http://thestandard.com.ph/lifestyle/sunday-lifestyle/190792/-i-hope-you-won-t-need-it-.html



The Bradley is a captivatingly stylish tactile watch

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2015/10/30/the-bradley-is-a-captivatingly-stylish-tactile-watch/


Crowdfunding Campaign Aimed at Helping Blind Experience Artwork
http://www.pddnet.com/news/2015/10/crowdfunding-campaign-aimed-helping-blind-experience-artwork
Kickstarter: 3DPhotoWorks Fills in the Gaps Left by Art Museums with 3D 
Tactile Fine Art Prints & Audio
http://3dprint.com/102613/kickstarter-3dphotoworks/

3D Printing Creates Major Breakthrough for Blind People
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/3d-printing-creates-major-breakthrough-for-blind-people-300166064.html

Please touch: Tactile textile exhibit - Petting Zoo: The Art of Mrs. Vera
http://www.sfgate.com/art/article/Tactile-Textile-Exhibit-Please-Touch-Petting-6579859.php