Italy has the highest number of deaf people in Europe: 92,000. In Italy there are 4,976 art museums, galleries and exhibitions. Only 1% of these are accessible to hearing impaired people.

It is impossible for them to experience an exhibition in the same way that a hearing person does, since most explanations of works are provided by audio guides. Leaflets and captions are not comprehensible because people who express themselves in Italian Sign Language don’t always understand written Italian.

Orpheo Technologies for Museums in collaboration with Ente Nazionale Sordi (Italian national agency for deaf) presents the first exhibition fully accessible to deaf people by creating video guide in which works present themselves in sign language: in this way it’s possible to look at the work and at the same time receive an explanation of its meaning. As it happens for hearing people.

The mission of Orpheo Group is to make art accessible to everyone, from tools for kids to the newest technologies for everyone. Italian deaf people community is the largest in Europe but Italian Institutions are not inclusive: for example Italian Sign Language is not officially recognised and does not provide technologies or tools for them in many aspects of life, including art and museums. That’s why Orpheo Group decided to take a stand by creating an experience especially for them.

Real deaf actors cast themselves in the role of the most important works of Andy Warhol thanks to total body painting and graphic and compositing work that faithfully reproduces the pictures.

You just frame the work and the videoguide is activated by image recognition.

Unmute Art was presented on the opening day of “The True Essence of Andy Warhol” exhibition and has been available for its entire duration (26 September 2019 – 23 February 2020).

Naples’ deaf community took part at the presentation of the videoguides and tried them out.

Full booking of the videoguides for the entire duration of the exhibition.

+96% deaf community attendance compared to previous exhibition in the museum

100% positive sentiment