This institution raised awareness about the everyday life of visually impaired people.
A team of sighted and visually impaired people worked together on collective works in a first and completely new initiative led by the University of Mons (UMONS), in western Belgium, in collaboration with a local organisation named Les Amis des Aveugles et Malvoyants (Friends of the Blind and Visually Impaired). Together, with the support of artists The Blind and Olivier Sonck, the team has designed 4 street art murals in braille and in large print.
Final brushstrokes on the 4th mural created in the reception hall of UMONS Main Library announced the end of a week of collaboration in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere for the small group of people. Among them, visually impaired or blind people and members of UMONS, who enjoyed participating in this inclusive project.
Belinda, beneficiary of the ‘Friends of the Blind and Visually Impaired’ organisation:
“This project is a unique opportunity for us who are blind or visually impaired. We contribute to the artistic transformation of a city; we share an inclusive experience with sighted artists and we participate in the creation of works that will raise awareness among the general public on a daily basis…”
The murals can be admired or touched/read with your fingertips in four different parts of the UMONS campus:
- The study hall of the Da Vinci building
- The entrance of the new Main Library
- The entrance of the new UMONS building, the Rosa Parks, that will be inaugurated at the start of next academic year
The most impressive mural, which is 43-metre long, was created on the wall of the Prison of Mons. It says: “At your fingertips”.
Among the people who came to congratulate the artists and admire their work was Prof. Philippe Dubois, Rector of the University of Mons, who did not hesitate to adopt this initiative:
“Our partnership with Friends of the Blind and Visually Impaired is strong, especially since we have been doing innovative work for a year through our research chair on visual impairment. Within our university, we try to emphasise inclusion through our actions. Inclusivity must be understood in its broadest sense and has only one objective: the will to never leave anyone out, whether it comes to access to higher education, which is at the heart of our concerns, or to research.”
The team received the support of artist The Blind, a French graffiti artist from Nantes, well known for his mastering of Braille graffities, and of Belgian artist Olivier Sonck, who works on language from a poetic angle with a focus on senses. His literary murals already ornate the walls of the Prison of Mons.
This article was originally published on the UMONS website and can be read here: Des fresques murales en braille ont fait leur apparition sur plusieurs murs des campus de l’UMONS – Université de Mons.
