Case study · Zagreb, Croatia
MSU na dodir — the collection, within hand's reach.
How the Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb (MSU) made the «Collection as a Verb» cycle accessible with a row of tactile plinths, an audio guide and NaviLens codes inside the Creative Europe BEAM UP / PRISTUP project.
MSU
Muzej suvremene umjetnosti — Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb (Croatia)
Touch MSU
MSU na dodir · layout adapted for blind and low-vision people
BEAM UP
Creative Europe project «Blind Engagement in Accessible Museum Projects»
Dec 2022
Opening of the tactile tour with NaviLens audio guide
Client
Muzej suvremene
umjetnosti — MSU
The Muzej suvremene umjetnosti (MSU) in Zagreb is Croatia's leading museum of contemporary art. Its current building, on Dubrovnik Avenue in the Novi Zagreb district, is one of the great European architecture projects of the 2000s.
Since April 2022 the first floor has hosted the «Zbirka kao glagol» / «Collection as a Verb» cycle, a long-form rereading of the permanent collection (programmed through 2026).
On top of that cycle, the MSU runs «MSU na dodir / Touch MSU», the extended layout for blind and low-vision visitors, within the BEAM UP / PRISTUP project funded by Creative Europe together with Atlante Servizi Culturali, the Fondazione Istituto dei Ciechi di Milano, The Glucksman (Cork) and the Fondazione Burri.
§ The challenge
Touching the untouchable: contemporary art for everyone.
- 01
Contemporary art hard to «see» without touching
The MSU holds key works of Croatian contemporary art —Igor Grubić, Ivan Kožarić, Eugen Feller, Mladen Stilinović— made with unusual materials and media. For a blind or low-vision visitor, traditional museography left these pieces out of reach.
- 02
A vast collection, with no permanent guide for everyone
The «Zbirka kao glagol» / «Collection as a Verb» cycle occupies a full floor of the museum since 2022. The challenge was offering an autonomous layer of orientation and description —without needing to book a guided tour— so any visitor could walk the room at their own pace.
- 03
Real inclusion, co-designed with blind people
Under the motto «with the blind for the blind», the MSU set up a local expert group with the museum's curators and visually impaired collaborators. The accessible layer had to merge into the museography without looking added on and to respect the original works.
§ The solution
One plinth, one code,
one work to touch.
The MSU sets up a row of black plinths by the main staircase with replicas, tactile models, reliefs and braille labels of the works selected by the BEAM UP local expert group.
Each plinth carries a NaviLens code on the front: the app —on Android and iOS— guides the move between stations and plays the audio guide produced by the MSU and the Centar za audiodeskripciju, which orients the touch and describes each work.
§ Timeline
From BEAM UP to MSU na dodir.
- 2020
BEAM UP / PRISTUP starts
The MSU joins the European Creative Europe project «Blind Engagement in Accessible Museum Projects» (BEAM UP) along with Atlante Servizi Culturali and the Fondazione Istituto dei Ciechi di Milano (Italy), The Glucksman (Cork, Ireland) and the Fondazione Burri (Italy). A local expert group is formed with the museum's curators and blind collaborators.
- Apr 2022
«Collection as a Verb» on Floor 1
The exhibition cycle «Zbirka kao glagol» / «Collection as a Verb» opens on the MSU's first floor, based on the museum's holdings. The choice of works to adapt and the method of adaptation are decided by the local expert group.
- 15 Dec 2022
MSU na dodir · Touch MSU
The extended layout of «Collection as a Verb» adapted for blind and low-vision people opens: replicas, tactile models, reliefs and drawings of works by Igor Grubić («we build the museum, the museum builds us»), Ivan Kožarić («Ruševine»), Eugen Feller («Malampija») and Mladen Stilinović on plinths with NaviLens codes.
- 2023
Audio guide and inclusive guided tours
The audio guide —produced by the MSU and the Centar za audiodeskripciju— is handed over at reception as an MP3 player or accessed through the NaviLens app on Android and iOS. Since January 2023, guided tours for blind and sighted visitors are offered by the curators and members of the local expert group.
§ Fieldwork
Plinths, replicas and NaviLens codes.
§ Results
«With the blind, for the blind.»
6
Tactile plinths with NaviLens code by the MSU's main staircase
Audio + Braille
Audio guide, large-print labels and braille signage at every station
0
Mandatory bookings: visitors walk the tactile layout autonomously
§ What they said
“Projekt Blind Engagement in Accessible Museum Projects (BEAM UP) / Uključivanje slijepih u pristupačne muzejske projekte (PRISTUP) nastavak je nedavno završenog EU projekta VIBE – Voyage Inside a Blind Experience. The audio guide is available at the reception in the form of an MP3 player or through the NaviLens app on Android and iPhone devices, specially adapted for blind people.”
“MSU na dodir — prošireni postav izložbe «Zbirka kao glagol» prilagođen slijepim i slabovidnim osobama. Otvorenje proširenog postava održat će se 15. prosinca 2022. u 14 sati, a posjetiteljima će biti omogućeno doživjeti replike, taktilne modele i reljefe kroz dodir.”
§ And your destination?
Your destination can also guide in 42 languages.
Tell us about your routes, offices, monuments or galleries. We’ll show you how NaviLens would make your offer accessible —with comparable cases.
