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Museums for everyone! A familiar slogan. The desire to be an inclusive cultural institution—one visited and appreciated by all people—is widespread. But how can museums put this desire into practice? How can spaces be opened up, how can barriers be broken down?
Many institutions are actively pursuing this goal and identifying new possibilities for designing and communicating exhibitions. The first step is dialogue: the various communities that one wishes to invite know their needs and the obstacles facing them best.
With this desire in mind, the SCHIRN reached out to the DIALOGMUSEUM Frankfurt.
The DIALOGMUSEUM creates exhibition scenographies in complete darkness. The centerpiece of this experiential museum is the licensed exhibition DIALOG IM DUNKELN – Eine Ausstellung zur Entdeckung des Unsichtbaren (Dialogue in the Dark – An Exhibition to Discover the Invisible), where blind and visually impaired experts serve as guides. Of the thirty colleagues in the DIALOGMUSEUM team, almost fifty percent are blind or visually impaired. The exhibition is experienced without the sense of sight, but rather through hearing, touch, smell, taste, and feeling, inviting visitors to discover, marvel, and participate. Small groups of guests experience a unique role reversal and a shift in perspective that makes inclusion tangible while raising awareness of the issues around disability, accessibility, dialogue, empathy, self-efficacy, and the senses.
The collaboration between the two institutions builds on precisely this foundation and draws on the expertise of the museum and its team. SCHIRN aims to make the spaces of its new interim location in Bockenheim—a historic brickwork building—and the exhibitions presented there more accessible to blind and visually impaired people. Art, which places a strong emphasis on the visual, offers particular potential for creative solutions in this respect.
New Spaces – New Possibilities
To make architecture and spaces more accessible, a high-contrast, tactile floor guidance system supports independent navigation. Ribs are laid in the direction of travel, and attention fields are indicated by studs. Permanently installed guidance systems are ideal for museum areas that are continuously in use, such as the foyer, cloakroom, elevators, and stairs. At SCHIRN, our teams were able to walk through the spaces and test the areas together. Among other things, we discussed the placement of junctions and attention fields as well as the route guidance. A tactile site plan also aids orientation; at the SCHIRN, it will be located directly next to the main entrance in the foyer.
Permanently installed floor guidance systems are difficult to implement in rooms with changing exhibitions and constantly redesigned exhibition architecture. Temporary guidance systems with removable adhesives can be a practical solution here. This does not necessarily mean metal guide strips: what matters is a tactile guidance system that differs from the materiality of the rest of the floor. Self-adhesive felt strips are a good alternative: they are inexpensive and can be quickly replaced if they become detached or damaged. Of course, this is always on the condition that no new tripping hazards are created. SCHIRN will also implement and test such concepts in its current exhibition Thomas Bayrle. Be Happy!
Digital Change
Braille, a tactile script based on a system of raised dots, helps convey content. Adding Braille to floor plans, elevators, and handrails further reduces barriers. However, not all blind or visually impaired people can read Braille. People who have lost their sight later in life often find it especially difficult to learn the tactile script. Many thus use smartphones and digital aids like screen readers, which read out texts, for example on websites, aloud via speech output. For this reason, explanatory texts on an institution’s website, route directions to supplement the floor guidance system, and other important information are especially important for accessible communication.
Beacon technology or simple QR codes allow information to be accessed via Bluetooth or the camera function of a smartphone. The QR codes, for example, are placed in central locations in the foyer, at the ticket office, and in the exhibition spaces. Modern smartphone cameras recognize them automatically and immediately forward users to the texts. The mediation of visual artworks through verbal descriptions of the works and multisensory formats such as tactile models or music provide new opportunities for making exhibitions an experience for all senses.
Hands On
It is never too early—or too late—to start thinking about accessibility. When QR codes that lead to screen reader-compatible pages are thoughtfully placed in the exhibitions, content becomes more inclusive. Removable floor guidance systems can be installed in temporary exhibitions or used to test permanent installations. Websites and social media channels can also be supplemented with alternative texts that describe images in detail, thus increasing digital accessibility. Step by step, cultural institutions can test, expand, and implement strategies to improve access and create inclusive spaces.
Dialogue with various communities is the foundation of this process. The goal isn’t to “talk about each other,” but rather “with each other,” a conversation where different lived realities, perspectives, experiences, and expertise can be used as strengths.