- Title: 'Mona Lisa' among artwork reimagined in music for the sight-impaired
- Date: 2nd April 2025
- Summary: FIFE, SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MARCH 27, 2025) (Reuters) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROBIN SPINKS, ROYAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BLIND PEOPLE (RNIB), SAYING: "You know, art is a multi-sensory experience. And I think for us, you know, we're offering a kind of whole new way to experience art through the immersive power of music. And once people experience this and kind of build the
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: Bobby Goulder Dolby Dolby Atmos Leonardo Da Vinci Mona Lisa RNIB Royal National Institute of Blind People Sound of a Masterpiece artwork
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND & NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND & SCOTLAND, UK / PARIS, FRANCE / NEW YORK, UNITED STATES / UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND & NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND & SCOTLAND, UK / PARIS, FRANCE / NEW YORK, UNITED STATES / UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION
- Country: UK
- Topics: Art,Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Europe
- Reuters ID: LVA00B299931032025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Iconic masterpieces including Leonardo da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa' and Edvard Munch's 'The Scream' have been transformed into immersive audio experiences for those with visual impairments.
The project, dubbed 'Sound of a Masterpiece', is the brainchild of visually impaired composer Bobby Goulder, in partnership with award-winning composers from the New Radio Phonic Workshop.
"What can we do with sound now that we couldn't do even five, ten, 15 years ago?," said Goulder.
The technology at the heart of the 'Sound of a Masterpiece' project is Dolby Atmos Sound. This cutting-edge audio technology allows for sounds to be precisely placed and moved in three-dimensional space, including overhead. It creates an immersive, enveloping soundscape that brings a new level of depth and realism to audio experiences.
"We were aiming not just to kind of write something based on the piece, but actually bring people further into the painting. And you can do that very effectively through music and soundscape. But with Dolby Atmos and the surround sound speaker system, you can really kind of immerse yourself in the sonic experience and with several dimensions of sound," explained Goulder.
Goulder, who lives with Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy, has defied his disability to become a professional pianist, composer and musical director. His collaboration with the New Radio Phonic Workshop's composers seeks to bridge the gap between art and the visually impaired, and also to make art more engaging for the general public.
It also addresses a wider societal gap in art appreciation, with recent research revealing that almost half of the UK population do not feel they can truly appreciate art.
"What we wanted to do here was really to use immersive audio to reimagine those artworks and bring them to life and give people really a new sense of understanding," said Robin Spinks from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
The 'Sound of a Masterpiece' album is available on various streaming platforms, with all proceeds being donated to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
Artworks including Jean-Michel Basquiat's 'King of Egypt', David Hockney's 'A Bigger Splash', Frida Kahlo's 'Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbirds', and Salvador Dalí's 'The Persistence of Memory' have all been sonically interpreted for the album.
Spinks added he hopes it will lead similar projects.
"I think it will fuel interest and excitement. And so we'd love to see a lot more multimodal, multimedia art and really taking what Dolby have done here and building it into something that can be applicable to any artist's work," said Spinks.
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