TECH NEWS – From today, the Blind Journey project “Look around with different eyes” can be seen in the Akvárium Klub. unique interactive exhibition in which, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), seven people who have been blind since birth show in pictures how they “see” Budapest’s busy intersections, which they also turn around every day. The exhibition can be visited until February 29.

It is difficult to imagine how those who cannot see with their eyes perceive the world around us. That is why the team of the Blind Journey project called on artificial intelligence to show seven people who have been blind since birth how they perceive Budapest’s busy intersections. Their goal is to build a bridge between the sighted and the non-sighted and to prove that there is not such a big difference in the way we perceive the world around us.

The artists participating in the project are supported by the Tangible Foundation, which was established in 2009 under the chairmanship of Erzsébet Mógáné Sebők to help the social rehabilitation of visually impaired people with various arts and crafts training and programs.

The pictures are displayed on public posters in seven locations in Budapest, in an interactive exhibition at the Akvárium Klub, and can be found on the project website. The unique images and the points of view they represent are waiting for adoption, with which they can not only support the work of the foundation, but also participate in building a bridge between the blind and the sighted. The amount received from this goes entirely to the Tangible Foundation.

Not understanding = not helping

If we ask visually impaired and blind people, they can tell us countless stories about how sometimes in difficult situations – even though they are surrounded by sighted people – they still did not receive help, or with the best of intentions, but ” badly” they help them. The main reason for this is that a significant number of people do not have the knowledge they can rely on when a blind person needs help. The Blindjourney campaign draws attention to this lack, which the creators hope will contribute to more understanding and more real help by sensitizing the sighted. Through knowledge and understanding, we connect with each other so that we have common spaces, common lives, common work, and a common future.

About the creators

They tell about honest impressions and experiences through the pictures, thus bringing two worlds closer to each other: the visible and the invisible. At the exhibition, atmospheric sounds that can be read with a QR code complete the experience, and periodically – at the times announced on social media – visitors can also get to know the tactile version of the images.

VIKTOR ERŐDY (48) – ÚJPALOTA KISERDŐ

„My grandfather and I used to walk here regularly. We had many serious and deep conversations here. My grandfather was very wise, he was my role model. He always held my hand.”

/imagine long walks, the leaves are falling, the ground is soft, velvety, carpet-like, the trees are tall, the forest is airy, no crowded, autumn and winter are the best here, it is light, quiet and harmonious, the terrain is easy to walk, smooth, safe, there is a scent that I can only smell here

MÁRTON CSÁNYI (37) – WESTERN TRACK YARD

“I come here every day. The middle escalator goes up, you can’t miss it. And when I hear the train whistle, I know I’ve arrived, I’m in the right place.”

/imagine always the middle escalator, train whistle, as if there were still steam locomotives, many, many people, including foreigners, everyone is in a hurry , huge hall,
large rectangular building, container buildings, the guideway helps, sometimes there are obstacles, collisions, they often help, double track, air conditioning turns on, buzzer, departure

BARBARA KÓNYA (32) – ZUGLO RAILWAY STATION

„When I go there, it fills me with happiness, because I go home to my parents. To me, happiness is pink, so I imagine trains as pink, and the roof of the station as pretty lace!”

/imagine there are office buildings around us, the stairs are narrow, sometimes people don’t stand aside, finally there is a conductor lane, and the station also has a roof , the trains are often loud, I’m not afraid, it’s an exciting challenge to travel, I’m going home to my parents, the trains are pink

LAKATOS MELITTA (20) – EAST TRACK YARD

“I like driving here. It may sound strange, but I like to drift with the crowd, because that way the road is laid out in front of me. But I also have to pay attention, because sometimes they push me in the opposite direction.”

/imagine Meki and Burger King are not far away, they are good landmarks, I hear the vehicles, I get to know the new buses, sometimes it is difficult to find the driving lane, I’m drifting, the crowd is big, I can feel it when they look at me

MARCSI BARÁTH (36) – NORMAFA

„The environment here is like a fairytale. I like to picnic here with the family among the trees in the clearing. I also really like the big swing that is here, because I can comfortably fit in it. And the swing!”

/imagine open space, hills, the trees are beautiful and rough to the touch, a fairytale, calm environment, families and children’s noise, I can hear the light rail, I know we’re high up, I even have outdoor space, the smells are fresh, it doesn’t bother me that there are many of us

MÁTÉ SKAKÁCS (30) – THÖKÖLY ÚT

„I have a fixed route that I follow, but nearby here is a very long intersection with many lanes and no driving lane. I have to hurry to get through and pay attention to stay on course.”

/imagine house walls and fences, a lot of cars, a lot of traffic, there is noise, the remote control light helps, the zebra crossing is long and endless, it’s hard for me to go straight through, I like it when there are few people, I can feel the exhaust

GÁBOR RIBITEK (25) – ISTVÁN TÍSZA SQUARE

„There are many obstacles that I have to deal with, including the discarded scooters. But the fence, the electricity poles, the construction help me know where I am.”

/imagine there is a route that I follow, landmarks on the street help, the grass strip also helps with orientation, a scooter, more a scooter, it’s important to hear what’s going on, I can hear the construction, I’m in the right direction, the intersection is complicated, I have to pay close attention, I can hear the cars buzzing around me

Tangible Foundation

The Kézzelfogható Alíptavny’s 15-year work so far has been the employment of visually impaired workers as exhibition leaders in tactile, integrated exhibitions and in clay crafting activities in their Látáspont workshop, as well as introducing interested people of different ages and situations to the mysteries of clay crafting at workshops.

The Tangible Foundation wants to support the social rehabilitation of the visually impaired with a focus on arts and craft activities. In addition to employment for the visually impaired, it is important for them to strengthen their psychological well-being and self-esteem. They organize programs and holidays for them on various topics that interest them, where experiencing the arts, sports, the joy of creation, and everyday creativity are the focus.

Source: Kertész Communications Consulting