This research looked at participatory experience of colour as soundscapes. Based on three original artworks KIMA Colour by The Analema Group, originally created during a residency at National Gallery X.

KIMA: Colour in 360 a virtual exploration of some of the National Gallery’s great masterpieces online. Audiences are able to feel, hear and sense classic paintings and rediscover colour online. As a 360 video experience, audiences can navigate a selection of paintings, augmenting their understanding of colour palette in classic masterpieces - Van Gogh’s ‘Wheatfield with Cypresses’, Monet’s ‘Water Lillies, Setting Sun’, Van Eyck’s ‘Arnolfini Portrait’.

In collaboration with partners Royal National Institute of the Blind and Royal National institute of the Blind, and research institutions University of Greenwich, Brunel University, and CNWL NHS Foundation Trust, this research investigates strategies to make these artworks more accessible. Across a pilot and four focus group sessions, three artworks were reimagined with a group of 12 visually impaired participants, by introducing new facilitation videos exploring new onboarding and offboarding strategies.

Focus groups led to new insights into the role of technology in participatory online art experiences, its effects on social presence, and social connectedness, which feed into recommendations for good practice in the design and facilitation of online art. You can explore the artwork below.