Touch MSU – An expanded set up of the exhibition “Collection as a verb” tailored to visually impaired persons
15 December 2022 – 15 March 2023
Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb
Starting on Dec 15 2022 the artworks in the Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb are available for touching as part of the BEAM UP project.
MSU Zagreb has enriched its exhibition display of the series of exhibitions called “Collection as a verb” which is based on the Museum’s holdings with content for visually impaired visitors which is equally interesting to sighted persons. The tactile experience of artworks that are of invaluable importance to Croatian contemporary art are represented in tactile models, reliefs and replicas accompanied by enlarged captions as well as Braille print and audio descriptions.
The layout adapted to people with visual impairments is the result of the multi-year project BEAM UP (Blind Engagement in Accessible Museum Projects) / PRISTUP which is guided by the motto "with the blind for the blind". Namely, alongside partner institutions in Italy and Ireland, a local expert group consisting of MSU curators, people with visual impairments, and experts in visual impairments was formed in the fall of 2020. The group selected the works for adaptation within the "Collection as a Verb" series, determined the method of their adaptations and advised how to present the works through a specially designed and produced audio guide.
The opening of the extended exhibition of the "Collection as a Verb" series will be held on Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 2 p.m. Visitors will be given a guided tour and have the opportunity to experience replicas, tactile models and reliefs modeled after original works through touch. The works range from Igor Grubić's graffiti "we build the museum, the museum builds us" to Ivan Kožarić's "Ruins" and Eugen Feller's "Malampija" all the way to the conceptual work of Mladen Stilinović. Adapting contemporary works of art, often performed with atypical materials and techniques, as well as in different media, was truly an experimental project in which we were happy to include numerous collaborators in order to make the final product as high quality as possible, and the visit to the visually impaired at MSU as complete as an experience as possible. With that goal in mind, we invite visitors to fill out a survey of the setup adjustments after their visit. The survey is also available online. The adjustments are accompanied by an audio guide that, in addition to containing information about the works, guides the visitors' tactile experience and directs their movement throughout the exhibition space. The audio guide is available at the reception in the form of an MP3 player or through the Navilens app on Android and iPhone users' mobile devices which is specially adapted for blind people. Blindfolds are also provided at the reception, if sighted people want to experience a more focused tactile experience.
Starting in January 2023, visitors can enjoy guided tours for the visually impaired as well as sighted persons provided by the curators of the project and visually impaired members of the local expert group. As part of the adaptation of the MSU, access to the Museum for the blind has been ensured via the plateau on the south side, along Dubrovnik Avenue. For group visits, please contact Daniela Bilopavlović Bedenik at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 091 244 3842.
Members of the MSU local expert group: external collaborators Andrej Hatar, Kristina Krsnik, Valentina Nemet, Vinko Zrinščak and MSU curators Daniela Bilopavlović Bedenik, Renata Filčić and Ana Škegro
Production of replicas, tactile models and drawings: Croatian Association of the Blind, MSU Conservation and Restauration Department, Hrvoje Spudić, Alan Vlahov
Audio guide: MSU, Centar za audiodeskripciju Technical support: Dalibor Cicvara, Davor Filipčić, Sanela Tepić, Ivan Tudek, Filip Zima Expert council for adaptation of works by Ivan Kožarić: Radmila Iva Janković
