Left: Ophelia 1851-2, Sir John Everett Millais Bt 1829-1896. Presented by Sir Henry Tate 1894. Click here to hear VocalEyes audiotour
An audio descriptive tour of some of the UK's most famous works of art has been launched at Tate Britain in London.
Taking in the likes of Turner, Millais, Hepworth and Moore, the tours were put together by the VocalEyes organisation and use words to give the visually impaired a chance to appreciate a world otherwise reserved for the sighted.
"It really has been important for us - the impact, the ripple effect of it. Also, for the visually impaired visitors, it is so high profile," said VocalEyes Director, Clare Stewart. She described to the 24 Hour Museum the impact of producing and operating an audio descriptive tour of an institution such as Tate Britain.
"It is the place we all want to go to and the major collection of British art is here. For that reason it is brilliant to be able to do it. I think it is important that the leaders are showing the way."
Right: The Saltonstall Family 1636-7, David des Granges. Purchased with assistance from Friends of the Tate Gallery, the National Art Collections Fund and the Pilgrim Trust 1976.
Currently there are two 45-minute tours, describing a selection of historic and modern works respectively, including John Everett Millais' Ophelia and the 1935 White Relief by Ben Nicholson. However, the plan is to create a large bank of descriptions that can be changed in relation to rotating displays.
A long process of consultation went into creating the guides, involving art experts, the RNIB and a focus group of individuals with visual impairments.
Speaking at the launch, Yvette Priestley, a visually impaired member of the focus group, explained how personal experiences were drawn upon to make content decisions.
Describing the improvement an audio description makes to a visually impaired visitor's experience, Yvette spoke about the project's potential to teach other institutions.
"I think that a lot of organisations could really learn from it, so I hope that it's going to be a start of something for the future. Being made a fuss of is something I wouldn't have thought of two or three years ago. I hope that today isn't an end, but the start of something really special."
The project is the result of a partnership between Tate Britain's Education department and VocalEyes with funding from the Art's Council of England's New Audiences Programme.
Find out more about the great work done by VocalEyes by clicking here
