About Sensing Culture
Sensing Culture is a Heritage Lottery Fund funded project that enables blind and partially sighted people to increase their independence through visiting heritage sites and museums. Sensing Culture is led by CultureLink South East, which is a partnership led by the Royal National Institute of the Blind with the support of a number of prestigious heritage organisations, including a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and will conclude in April 2018.
Sensing Culture aims to increase independence by training staff and volunteers at partner heritage sites, so these stakeholders understand the impact of sight loss. This training focuses on ways of supporting visitors and positive learning experiences. Amongst the methods of supporting visitors who are blind and visually impaired, technology, audio description and tactile panels are used to make sites more interactive.
Theme: Founding a Community of Practice for Sensing Culture Through Inclusive Capital
The theme of the symposium is founding a community of practice to engage professionals, volunteers and visitors who are blind and partially sighted to develop more inclusive heritage sites. The symposium will include the launch of a website based at the University of Bath, UK, which will host the community of practice.
Through discussion, presentations of good-practice, and critical engagement with barriers to inclusion, the community of practice will provide a legacy for Sensing Culture beyond 2018. We would therefore particularly like to engage with people who can contribute to this community of practice.
The symposium will work to develop inclusive capital in cultural heritage sites. Inclusive capital can be described as a sense of inclusion in cultural heritage sites, which is gained in four stages:
- The first stage in this cycle is connecting and bonding with a network of people
- The second stage is learning through networks
- The third stage is collecting information that leads to access or knowledge through learning
- The fourth stage is physical and virtual access to spaces and places where we can learn and gather new information, such as visiting or attending cultural institutions
About the speakers
We are delighted to be hosting a wide range of talks from around the world. Our keynote speakers are:
- Professor John Kennedy - University of Toronto | more info (Note: This keynote will take place via Skype)
- Professor John Ravenscroft – University of Edinburgh | more info
- Doctor Lee Campbell – University of Lincoln and University of the Arts London | more info
- Elisabeth Axel - Founder, Art Beyond Sight/Art Education for the Blind, New York | more info (Note: This keynote will take place via Skype)
Monday 26th March 2018, Chancellor’s Building, University of Bath, UK |
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| Room | CB 3.1 | CB 3.5 | |||
| 9:30 | Registration | ALL | |||
| 10:00 | Welcome
Simon Hayhoe & Jen Orrell
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ALL | |||
| 10:20 | KEYNOTE + Q&A
Professor John Ravenscroft, University of Edinburgh |
ALL | ALL | ||
| 11:10 | BREAK & NETWORKING | CB 3.1 | CB 3.5 | ||
| 11:30 | Breakout sessions
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11:30 | Presentation A1
Alastair Somerville, Acuity Design (WORKSHOP) |
Presentation B1
Martin Bazley et. al., Martin Bazley & Associates (WORKSHOP) |
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| 12:00 | Presentation A2
Workshop Continued |
Presentation B2
Workshop Continued |
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| 12:30 | Presentation A3
Anna Fineman, VocalEyes |
Presentation B3
Martin Bazley Survey on Website |
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| 13:00 | LUNCH & NETWORKING | ALL | |||
| 14:00 | KEYNOTE + Q&A
Dr. Lee Campbell, Central St Martins School of Art / University of Lincoln
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ALL | |||
| 14:45 | LAUNCHING THE WEBSITE
Dr Simon Hayhoe, University of Bath
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| 14:50 | BREAK & NETWORKING | CB 3.1 | CB 3.7 | CB 3.11 | |
| 15:00 | Breakout sessions
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15:00 | Presentation A4
Nathan Geering, Dance Professional |
Presentation B4
Jessica Hayton & Kate Thorpe, University College London |
Presentation C4
Annie Lucas, Independent Heritage Consultant |
| 15:30 | Presentation A5
Tayfun Esenkaya, University of Bath |
Presentation B5
Barry Ginley, V&A |
Presentation C5
Mostafa Attia, University of Leeds |
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| 16:00 | Presentation A6
Sally Jenkinson, Independent Teacher
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Presentation B6
Gemma Shaw, Independent Teacher |
Presentation C6
Nathan Geering, Dance Professional (WORKSHOP) |
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| 16:30 | Presentation A7
Simon Taylor, University of Worcester
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Presentation B7
Alastair Somerville, Acuity Design |
Presentation C7
Workshop continued |
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| 17:00 | CLOSE | ||||
| 18:00 | Optional evening meal + networking | ||||
Tuesday 27th March 2018, Chancellor’s Building, University of Bath, UK |
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| Room | Room | Room | |||
| DISPLAYS | CB 3.1 | CB 3.5 | |||
| 9:30 | Registration | ALL | |||
| 10:10
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Breakout sessions | Presentation A8
Dani Iglesias, Central St Martins School of Art |
Presentation B8
Noemí Peña Sánchez, Universidad de La Laguna, Spain
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| Presentation A9
Felicitas Sisinni et. al., ARCHES EU H2020 Project |
Presentation B9
Peter Hall & Christof Lutteroth, University of Bath |
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| 11:10 | BREAK & NETWORKING | CB 3.1 | CB 3.5 | ||
| 11:30 | Breakout sessions
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11:30 | Presentation A10
Rachel Hutchinson et. al., University of Westminster |
Presentation B10
Rafie Cecilia, University College London |
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| 12:00 | Presentation A11
Susan Griffiths, Oxford University Museums |
Presentation B11
Kalliopi - Christina Spathi, University College London |
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| 12:30 | Presentation A12
Tanya Smith, Sensing Culture Ezine
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Presentation B12
Cal Hewitt, Canterbury Sensing Culture |
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| 13:00 | LUNCH & NETWORKING | ||||
| 14:00 | KEYNOTE + Q&A
Professor John M Kennedy, University of Toronto and Elisabeth Axel, Art Beyond Sight
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| 15:15 | BREAK & NETWORKING | CB 3.1 | CB 3.7 | CB 3.11 | |
| 15:30 | Presentation A13
Maria Oshodi, Extant (WORKSHOP) |
Presentation B13
Experimental Film Show and Audio Description |
Presentation C13
David Johnson, Artist (WORKSHOP) |
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| 16:00 | Workshop continued | Workshop continued | |||
| 16:30 | NETWORKING | ||||
| 17:00 | CLOSE | ||||
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