‘Sound of a Masterpiece’: The album helping the blind see Mona Lisa
To make and interact with art is part of what makes us human. We view it as something of a prerequisite. Something that all of us can be affected by no matter our circumstances in life. Yet there are countless barriers preventing people from embracing art fully. Even some of the greatest works of art around aren’t as available to everyone as we may believe. Fortunately, that is a boundary that Dolby Laboratories are partnering up with the Royal National Institute of Blind People to overcome.
Together, they have brought us an album called Sound of a Masterpiece. Created in collaboration with visually impaired composer Bobby Goulder and the New Radiophonic Workshop, the album seeks to provide a way for visually impaired people to interact with some of the greatest paintings ever created. Each individual track is a musical representation of a classic painting, along with a detailed audio description of each painting to guide the listener through.
Goulder himself said “The project combines several things close to my heart – the relationships across multidisciplinary art forms; the advancement of musical and sonic creative techniques; and the accessibility of the arts to the visually impaired community. Our hope is to give everyone a heightened experience of these paintings, giving each one a story rather than a snapshot or an impression. I also hope that those, like me, viewing with vision loss, or unable to view at all, will connect with the images beyond the spoken audio descriptions.”
Robin Spinks, the Head of Inclusive Design at RNIB also spoke about the importance of the project, saying “We are delighted to collaborate on innovative projects such as Dolby’s Sound of a Masterpiece. As a low-vision person, I have a limited visual appreciation of art. But the depth, texture and richness provided by the amazing soundtracks in Dolby Atmos really brings these works to life. Many more blind and partially sighted people will be able to have a heighted experience through this fantastic project and appreciate artwork in new and meaningful ways.”
Whilst primarily being aimed at those with a visual impairment, the project can be enjoyed by anyone who feels alienated by the world of visual art. Research conducted by the RNIB stated that nearly 60% of surveyed Brits struggled to interpret or understand works of art without guidance. Sound of a Masterpiece seeks to provide an auditory context for each piece if the existing context is too much for the viewer.
Daniela Bischof, a Senior Marketing Director with Dolby Laboratories elaborated on this. She said, “With Dolby Atmos, we’ve been able to push the boundaries of storytelling through sound, allowing listeners to step into the world of each artwork and experience its essence. With so many people today struggling to connect with art, our campaign ‘Love Art More in Dolby’ aims to bring entertainment enthusiasts on a journey, where they will be immersed from anywhere. We hope Sound of a Masterpiece will enable listeners to really feel and connect with iconic artworks, whilst making art accessible through sound – inspiring everyone to greater connect with creativity, emotion and history.”
The works adapted are as follows:
• Leonardo Da Vinci – Mona Lisa
• Claude Monet – The Water-Lily Pond
• Edvard Munch – The Scream
• Frida Kahlo – Self-Portrait With Thorn Necklace and Hummingbirds
• David Hockney – A Bigger Splash
• Jean-Michel Basquiat – Kings of Egypt
• Salvador Dali – The Persistence of Memory
Sound of A Masterpiece is available on all major streaming platforms, with all proceeds being donated to RNIB.
