A week ago, the symposium “Towards Access for All – Inclusion through Multisensory Interactions” kicked off our MuseIT Project at the University of Borås. The MuseIT Project is a European project co-funded by the Horizon Europe programme, coordinated by the University of Borås (Sweden) which started in October 2022 and will run until 2025.
Our project aims to co-design, develop, and co-evaluate a multisensory, user-centred platform for enriched engagement with cultural assets with inclusion and equal opportunity for all as core principles. The MuseIT innovation is rooted in multisensory representations of cultural heritage, which extend beyond the visual and auditory senses. Participatory co-design activities will be integral to enable users with disabilities to be involved in decisions and designs that will affect their lives. Enriched experiences of cultural assets created by MuseIT will not be limited to this group, and is likely to enhance the level of participation and enjoyment for all people. Impacts are likely to include the democratization of cultural asset experiences, and tangible growth in creative and cultural industries.
This ambition is based on the observation that advancements in digital transformation have enriched the interactive experience of cultural heritage, but structural deficiencies remain, including a lack of accessibility for all; limited opportunities for all members of society to participate in cultural and creative industries on an equal basis; and limited interoperable digital repositories for archiving accessible multisensory cultural assets and related archival structures.
To carry out this ambitious activity, our consortium is based on the expertise of 9 partners, from the EU member countries and 2 associated partners, from the USA and the UK. This transectorial consortium brings together organisations from cultural, technological, research and user communities.
During the Kick-off days, partners met in order to discuss the activities planned ahead: platform and technical development, repositories, project management, communication and dissemination, etc. Partners also set up working groups and dedicated thematic sessions to share their respective experiences and expertise with each other in order to create better synergies.
For instance, our French partner Actronika presented their prototype of haptic interactive objects as visible in the pictures below.
The recording of the symposium will soon be made available!
Learn more on our project:
Twitter: @MuseIT_EU