Experience Culture Anywhere with "Call for Culture" - Museum Tours from Home
Housebound Museum Exploration - Delving into Art and History from Home - "Museum Visits at Home" - Delving into Art and History Without Leaving Your Living Room
Ready for an art adventure? It's time to put on your headphones and join Corinna Fehrenbach as she guides you through the Museum of Applied Art in Cologne (MAKK), all from the comfort of your sofa. But you're not alone - over 15 art enthusiasts are joining in on this phone tour, thanks to the innovative project "Call for Culture."
Initiated by the Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired, several Hamburg museums, and an office for inclusion during the Corona pandemic, the project began as a way to bring culture directly to people who couldn't visit museums. Since then, over 100 German museums have jumped on board, including the Hamburger Kunsthalle, offering tours to artworks by Manet, Schmidt-Rottluff, and Berlinde De Bruyckere.
For those who are blind or visually impaired, have mobility restrictions, can't afford visits, or prefer a more intimate art experience, these phone tours offer a wonderful opportunity to engage with culture. And now that the pandemic has subsided, the project has continued to grow, with 111 cultural providers offering or soon to offer a phone tour.
Funding for the project comes from Aktion Mensch and the Hamburg Cultural Authority, but it falls short of covering the full cost. The remainder must be covered through donations - from private individuals, foundations, and companies.
Gertrud Feld from Saarbrücken is a proud donor. Blind since birth, she's been embarking on new art journeys regularly, guided through museums like the Helmut-Schmidt-Haus in Hamburg, the Museumsinsel in Berlin, and the Herzogin-Anna-Amalia-Bibliothek in Weimar. "I'm glad I can hear and experience so much from home," she shares. "I always discover something beautiful, new, and exciting that I didn't know before."
But how does a phone tour work? Unlike traditional tours, it requires a different approach to ensure the listener isn't overwhelmed. "We don't want to overwhelm the listener's mind," says Fehrenbach. "I prefer to focus on a few objects, describing them in detail - shapes, colors, textures, comparisons with familiar everyday and art history objects. I also chat about the space, describing how bright or dark it is and what it smells like."
As the callers listen intently, they're guided through the museum, discovering art like never before. For Feld, the audio tours are a great enrichment. She enjoys the cozy atmosphere of her home as she drinks coffee while listening attentively, always leaving with more knowledge than when she started.
So if you're unable to visit a museum in person, don't let that stop you from enjoying the beauty of art. Tune in to the "Call for Culture" phone tours and embark on a cultural journey from your own living room.
Cities: Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin, Saarbrücken
Places: Museum of Applied Art (MAKK), Hamburg Kunsthalle, Cologne Cathedral, Museumsinsel, Herzogin-Anna-Amalia-Bibliothek
- The innovative project "Call for Culture" has expanded to include over 100 German museums, offering phone tours not just for individuals with visual impairments or mobility restrictions, but also for anyone who prefers a more intimate art experience, promoting a new lifestyle that allows cultured exploration from the comfort of one's home.
- As the "Call for Culture" project continues to grow, it also advocates for sustainable living by reducing carbon footprints associated with travel, integrating art appreciation into home-and-garden routines, and fostering a community policy that prioritizes accessibility and inclusivity.
