Florence's Museo Novecento opens its new tactile and multisensory pathway

On the occasion of the 20th Day of the Contemporary, on Oct. 12, 2024, the Museo Novecento in Florence will open to the public the new tactile and multi-sensory pathway that is the result of a collaboration between the City of Florence, the Museo Novecento, MUS.E, theItalian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired of Florence, and the GeCo Laboratory of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the University of Florence. The project was supported by the Ministry of Culture under the PNRR, for the “Removal of physical and cognitive barriers in museums, libraries and archives to enable broad access and participation in culture.”

The route was designed to enable all visitors to approach 20th century art through touch and hearing. Tactile replicas of works in the museum that are significant for their art-historical value and formal characteristics have been created. The selected works range across different genres, from still life to landscape, nudes and portraits, and include famous artists such as Giorgio Morandi, Arturo Martini, Marino Marini, Fortunato Depero and Ottone Rosai.

The sculptures have been reproduced using materials and finishes that recall the originals, while the paintings have been reinterpreted in three-dimensional form, with a focus on the main elements to encourage tactile exploration. To complete the experience, textual and auditory content has been developed, enabling a deeper understanding of the works and greater accessibility.

“We continue to work to increase accessibility to museums, art, and culture,” stressed Culture Councilor Giovanni Bettarini. “This intervention, made possible by the work of the municipal administration that submitted proposals to the Mic call for proposals, is a piece that, together with what we are doing in Palazzo Vecchio, will really allow a qualitative leap in the enjoyment of these two museums on which we are investing a lot so that all architectural, cognitive and sensory barriers are overcome. I would like to thank architect Costanza Stramaccioni of the Fine Arts Service, who designed and directed the intervention, and the Municipality’s Technical Services Department, which oversaw it.”

“Museo Novecento has achieved many goals in recent years, gaining the widest critical and public acclaim. To the conservation and enhancement of the precious collection we have added a program of exhibitions and events of great scientific importance, appreciated by the public and visitors,” said Sergio Risaliti, director of Museo Novecento. “To all this has been added the training and research program with the opening of the artistic residencies. We also recently inaugurated the new laboratory classrooms for cultural mediation. Today, on the 10th anniversary of the museum’s birth, we are updating our museum services with a very important intervention dedicated to the removal of physical and cognitive barriers to enable an inclusive art experience that welcomes in a multisensory tactile pathway an ever-widening public without placing obstacles and hindrances to those who have the right to enjoy art in its different forms. To the project desired and supported by the Municipal Administration and coordinated by Mus.e, the Novecento Museum wanted to dedicate one of the most beautiful rooms in the building, where it will host tactile reproductions of some of the masterpieces in the collection. And we also wanted to add a sound experience that contributes to a more complete, engaging and non-divisive visit. Upon entering the room, anyone will be able to hear descriptions of the tactile works on display, information about the artists and subjects represented. We are proud of this synergy between different subjects, all united in improving the exponential quality and accessibility of the museum.”

“A great cultural proposal for next autumn with great events and relevant names on the cultural scene,” added Councillor Bettarini, “which once again bring Florence to the center of the national and international artistic scene. A program that involves various sectors and will bring to Florence a 360-degree look at contemporary art and culture.”

“The need to have inclusive museums requires that they engage with new technologies, particularly digital ones,” said Grazia Tucci, director of the GeCo Laboratory and Unifi professor of Geomatics. “Reproducing a work of art is an ancient practice, dating back to the Greeks and Romans, and it goes beyond mere aesthetic enjoyment; it allows us to rediscover the work of art in its narrative and educational value. In reproducing works of art, restoring physicality to the digital model is not enough; it is essential to convey the emotion of the material expressed by the original. With the MUS.E project, art truly becomes everyone’s heritage, overcoming physical and cognitive barriers and opening the doors of museums to an increasingly wide and varied audience.”

“The challenge has been to define forms of aids that are useful to everyone, with a focus as much on disabilities as on frailty: we hope that the tools developed-thanks to a network of partnerships and collaborations of excellence-will foster and enrich the museum-visiting experience and enable everyone to find their own special way of enjoying heritage and art,” explained Valentina Zucchi, project coordinator for MUS.E.

“The Florence territorial section of the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired is pleased to be able to renew its usual fruitful collaboration with the Novecento Museum,” said Maria Pia Bianchini, president of the Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired Florence, “which over the years has made it possible to carry out training, awareness-raising activities aimed at the accessible enjoyment of the cultural heritage of the Museum itself. We welcome, therefore, the invitation to the inauguration of the Museum’s new Tactile Room with the hope that this path of inclusion can continue in the near future with an increasingly broader offer for the visually impaired.”

All of these multisensory tools are permanently available in the museum itinerary, and on the occasion of the Day of the Contemporary, it will be possible to take part in a special guided tour - to be held at 4:30 p.m. with compulsory reservation - that will combine the multisensory experience with a specific narration as well as additional stimuli and prompts.

This intervention has been flanked by additional actions that aim to facilitate access to and visit of the museum, namely a series of orientation and itinerary aids (tactile maps, pod-tactile paths) and a palimpsest of digital content that can be used both on-site (via QR codes) and remotely (from the museum’s website), including audio descriptions and videos with subtitles and in LIS, as well as an orientation and welcome vademecum for all audiences. All museum staff have also taken part in a specific training course aimed at understanding and meeting the needs of visitors with discomfort or disabilities.

Partners in the project, in addition to the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired and the University of Florence already mentioned: Ente Nazionale Sordi of Florence, Habilia Associazione Paratetraplegici e disabili motori di Firenze, Associazione L’abilità, Tactile Studio Paris.

Reservations for the special tour are required: write to info@musefirenze.it or call 055-2768224

Pictured is the tactile room. Courtesy Museo Novecento in Florence.

Florence's Museo Novecento opens its new tactile and multisensory pathway

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