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On the Quest for Better Communication through Tactile Images
- The Journal of Aesthetic Education
- University of Illinois Press
- Volume 48, Number 2, Summer 2014
- pp. 105-122
- Article
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This article describes and analyzes the creation of tactile representations of modern and contemporary paintings that are designed to educate people, including those who are visually impaired, through the alternate modal experience of tactility. One in-depth case study reports a series of ten tactile images created for the Pompidou Centre (France). Details on how information from the original paintings are interpreted, translated, and embodied into tactile representations are the focus of this work. In this way, highlights are provided on an alternative way (through touch) of understanding two-dimensional art. Insights resulting from this work reveal intentions behind the tactile representation of paintings, how these are transformed to transmit messages, and how lessons learned from this project can aid in guiding the creation of better and more effective tactile representations. This work reveals that communicating information translated from sight to touch is an extremely complex process and needs to be approached with deep foresight and attention to detail.