Culture
“Living in the Italian way” a new tactile path for the blind at the Egyptian Museum
Egypt, Cairo – A new international experience for the Homer State Tactile Museum in Ancona, which is currently in Cairo for a training course and for the creation of an innovative tour dedicated to the blind at the Egyptian Museum. The mission of the Homer Museum is part of the program “Living Italian Style” of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and follows the interest and sensitivity of the Egyptian authorities towards the extraordinary Italian experience in the field of accessibility to cultural heritage.
The initiative was coordinated by the Italian Cultural Institute directed by Paolo Sabbatini and the Italian Archaeological Centre in Cairo with the manager Giuseppina Capriotti Vittozzi.
From 15th to 22nd June Aldo Grassini, president of the Omero Museum, together with Andrea Socrati and Annalisa Trasatti are engaged in a training course with the museum operators on the essential themes to create a system of accessibility for people with visual disabilities, themes ranging from the education of the senses, to the formation of the tactile image and aesthetic evaluation, also providing technologies and tools. The exercises on tactile reading are divided into four elements: sculpture, architecture, painting, archaeology. An accessibility path is designed and shared, defining specific educational activities and a correct communication and studying possible synergies with the territory for the best cultural and social inclusion of people with visual disabilities.
On the morning of Thursday, June 20, the Minister of Antiquities Khaled el-Anany, in the presence of the Italian Ambassador Giampaolo Cantini, inaugurated the tactile path inside the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. There are 12 splendid works of art to be touched on, with didactic plaques in English, Arabic and Italian Braille, which were created by Daniela Bottegoni and Saad Kilada. Each work will be accompanied by a reading pen with audio files in the three languages with the relative captions and descriptions. In addition, a relief map of the museum is provided, indicating the position of the works and the relative legend in English and Arab Braille. The audio supports and the map have been realized by Andrea Socrati and Massimiliano Trubbiani.
Among the pieces chosen for tactile reading, all splendid, works among the most famous in the world, including: Pharaoh Amenhotep II (1428-1397 BC) with the goddess Meretseger, granite, from Karnak (Luxor); sitting statue of the goddess Sekhmet, black granite, from the temple of Mut to Karnak (Luxor); sphinx of the pharaoh Amenemhat III (1842-1794 BC) granite; triad of the pharaoh Menkaura (2494-2472 BC), grovacca, from Giza.
