Rome, next to Marc Chagall's White Crucifixion, the tactile, talking and sign language version

Marc Chagall’s White Crucifixion, currently on display in Rome at the Museo del Corso - Polo Museale until January 27, 2025, will also be visible for the first time to people with visual and hearing disabilities. Alongside the original work, a new tactile, talking and sign language installation is now available, the result of an interdisciplinary work that lasted several months in order to make the work more accessible to a wider audience.

This initiative was strongly supported by the Fondazione Roma. The work was presented today with numerous institutional representatives and professionals in the field. After institutional greetings from President Franco Parasassi and a letter of greeting from Alessandra Locatelli, Minister for Disabilities, speakers included: Don Alessio Geretti, Curator of Jubilee Art Events; Sister Veronica Donatello, Head of the National Service for the Pastoral Care of People with Disabilities of the CEl and Consultor of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Communication, Dino Angelaccio and Odette Mbuyi, Designers, Gabriella Cetorelli, Unesco Site Accessibility of the Ministry of Culture, Camilla Capitani, MAC (Movimento Apostolico Ciechi) and Miriam Mandosi of ENS (Ente Nazionale Sordi).

“This project reflects Fondazione Roma’s commitment to promoting inclusiveness in the arts as well, to enable cultural experiences suitable for any type of physical or sensory disability,” highlighted Fondazione Roma President Franco Parasassi. “With this in mind, we are working to expand the number of accessible works to make guided tours usable by all people.”

Designers Dino Angelaccio and Odette Mbuyi illustrated the innovative ways of using the work, which integrate multimedia solutions and advanced technologies to ensure access to culture for all. Using a system that combines tactile elements, audio, subtitles and sign language translation, the cultural experience brings a diverse audience closer to the enjoyment of the artwork. Gabriella Cetorelli, an accessibility expert for UNESCO sites at the Ministry of Culture, spoke about the challenges and solutions related to accessibility in the art world, while Camilla Capitani of MAC (Movimento Apostolico Ciechi) and Miriam Mandosi of ENS (Ente Nazionale Sordi) brought the direct experience of people with disabilities, emphasizing the importance of initiatives such as this in ensuring truly universal cultural enjoyment.

The initiative is the result of work that has involved an interdisciplinary team of experts for about six months, whose efforts have made it possible to create a complete sensory experience that is accessible to anyone, regardless of their physical, sensory, cognitive, age or cultural characteristics.

This reproduction, which allows people to experience Chagall’s work in a more direct and immediate way, is enhanced by tactile elements with reliefs at multiple heights and surfaces of different textures, inviting them to explore the work with their hands. In addition, an audio guide is activated by framing a tactile QR code in the caption. The story is available in an audio version, with subtitles and translation into Italian sign language, to ensure full enjoyment for all people, including those with hearing disabilities. The caption, designed to be easily readable, features highly legible and braille lettering, with high color contrast, and uses a font (Test Me) that facilitates reading even for people with dyslexia. The reproduction is placed on a stand inclined at a 30-degree angle and anchored to a base 85 cm above the ground, designed to ensure reading even for children and people in wheelchairs. Displayed alongside Chagall’s original masterpiece, this tactile, talking and sign-language version of the White Crucifixion is intended to offer visitors an interactive and immersive experience.

On the occasion of the Jubilee of Persons with Disabilities, a reproduction of the work will be donated to Pope Francis on April 28, 2025, by the interdisciplinary working group as a symbol of its commitment to barrier-free art.

With this project, the Foundation has taken up the challenge of universal accessibility. This initiative is part of a broader effort by the Foundation, which is already working to make an increasing number of works in its permanent collection accessible to all. In addition, starting in March, the calendar of free guided tours at Palazzo Sciarra Colonna will be enriched with new routes dedicated to accessibility designed for five different target audiences with disabilities: cognitive, autism spectrum disorders, Alzheimer’s, blind and deaf.

Rome, next to Marc Chagall's White Crucifixion, the tactile, talking and sign language version

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