Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow {tag:studenci} has decided to create an art space that responds to the aesthetic needs of every person, regardless of perceptual limitations. Her Art Education Pavilion allows art to be experienced not only by sighted people and removes divisions and barriers between people through a space for meetings and conversations.
The design of the Art Education Space for the sighted, visually impaired and blind was created in the 1st Interior Design Studio under the direction of Prof. Dr. Elżbieta Pakuła-Kwak and Dr. Joanna Łapińska.
The body of the pavilion is inspired by a painting by Kazimierz Malevich
© Weronika Majewska
Thelump of the facility'smain pavilion is inspired by the painting "Black Square on White Background" by Kazimir Malevich. The art of that period (1920s) became groundbreaking, turning the attention of both the artist and the viewer away from the content carried by academic painting. However, the abandonment of subject matter drawn from everyday life resulted in abstract art that is often underestimated and misunderstood by viewers. The Art Education Space will enable the sighted to overcome thought barriers and allow the visually impaired or blind to exceed their own abilities," explains Weronika Majewska.
The exhibition corridors of the pavilion allow visitors to explore using their non-visual senses
© Weronika Majewska
The study of color relationships, the search for universal forms, the exploration of the problem of statics or dynamics of a work of art and attempts to capture movement are issues undertaken by artists of the 20th century, foreign to a visually impaired person, difficult to describe and present in an accessible form. Therefore, the author decided to create a special educational pavilion for them, in which the exhibition corridors were designed in a way that allows visiting using non-visual senses. The tour path designed by the ASP student covers several directions of 20th century art.
exhibition corridors with op-art and cubism
© Weronika Majewska
op-art
The author wanted to capture the transparency of layers, characteristic of Carlos Cruz-Diez's work. It became possible by suspending curtains of rigid tubes in the space. Blind people, uncovering the individual curtains, can imagine their penetration, multidimensionality and spatiality. An additional effect is the sound made by the elongated elements bumping against each other, this focuses the viewer's attention on the occurrence of the planes in a certain spacing and rhythm.
Cubism
The sculptural nature of George Braque' s works inspired the designer to create a relief that fills the entire space of the exhibition hallway. Blind people using the sense of touch can get acquainted with the geometrization of shapes in cubism, experience the accumulation of forms from which only in places the content emerges. Convexities, drawn chiaroscuro, and the lack of differentiation of objects by color require sighted people to focus their eyes on shapes, their size and placement. This allows sighted people to understand how blind people perceive and learn about the world.
display corridors with kineticism and futurism
© Weronika Majewska
kineticism
Another corridor contains an installation inspired by the work of Alexander Calder, who specialized in creating kinetic sculptures. A gust of wind sets the objects in motion, and they in turn produce sound. Blind people perceive this phenomenon as a direct cause and effect of the movement. The installation made of transparent details allows the visual layer of kineticism to be overlooked. The corridor is a place where art should be perceived with other senses - touch and hearing. The exclusion of the visual aspect eliminates barriers between sighted and blind people.
futurism
Therhythmic movement that was the subject of Luigi Russolo's work was the student's impulse to apply duplicated elements to the space of the following corridor. Interspersed alternating strips of reflective and absorbing material are used to demonstrate the phenomenon of echolocation - an unusual skill used to explore space by listening to reflected sounds. The sound coming out of the speakers is amplified or partially absorbed depending on the visitor's location.
Showing art through phenomena commonly known to blind people allows them to learn about futurism, while for sighted people it is an opportunity to learn about the unusual ability to use echolocation, the author adds.
in the center of the pavilion there is a cafe
© Weronika Majewska
black cube
The highlight of the pavilion is a café located inside a black cube. It is a place of co-experience and co-experience. The café connects all visitors (sighted, visually impaired or blind) and is a place for meetings, conversations, activities and emotions.
The ubiquitous blackness gives a sense of privacy, a focus on the person and their subjectivity. Darkness promotes closeness, conversation and support, and reinforces the need for contact with another person," explains Veronika Majewska.
The designed pavilion has been adapted to the needs of visually impaired or blind people according to standards developed by the Polish Association of the Blind. The introduction of tactile paths allows freedom of movement around the building and at the same time creates a clear communication plan that is easy to read even for the blind. The tiflographic plan is located in the central part of the hall, allowing both tactile and audiodescriptive familiarization.
The Art Education Space project won the Deans Award in this year's High Flights competition.
Read also about the Invisible System furniture front design for the blind, which won in the same competition.
