Swedish museum hosts exhibition for the visually impaired


Artist Türel Süt's project "Renkleri Hissetmek" (Sense the Colors) was turned into a permanent exhibition at the Swedish branch of the International Center for the Visually Impaired. Süt's project allows visually impaired or partially sighted individuals to feel and smell paintings through tactile description panels, audio information and fragrances. "Sense the Colors" was first introduced in 2010 and was displayed in 15 cities in Germany and Sweden. Currently residing in Germany, Süt told Anadolu Agency (AA) that he offered to turn his project into a permanent exhibition in Müsterlingen, Sweden. The Museum for the Sighted and Visually Impaired was opened under the motto of "Art for all, not just for those who see" and features Süt's own work. "The center honored me by turning my work into an immortal project.Visitors can experience different things like blind spots, differences in understanding colors and color blindness," he added. Süt focuses on the faces and eyes of animals in some of his work. He wants to voice the hardship that visually impaired people suffer from. "In many museums or galleries around the world, it is not allowed to touch art work. Sometimes, visitors are even prohibited to have a closer look. Yet, you can touch, smell, see and understand my work. My paintings addressed other senses of visually impaired visitors," Süt said, adding that his paintings can be felt through temperature, sound and vibration effects. Visitors can touch panels while listening to audio information on the painting's colors and dimension in different languages like Turkish, German, English, French and Italian. With the use of technology, colors can be understood through the use of fragrances and changes in temperature, visually orange and yellow can be felt through actual temperature changes, while the scent of fresh grass helps them to see tones of green.