See and Hear Art Your Way

Do you have low vision and want to enjoy art more easily

We’re inviting you to try our new headset that combines visual enhancements and audio descriptions to make art in museums more accessible. You’ll also help us test different ways to control these features, such as voice commands, hand gestures, or a small controller.

A man with short hair wearing an Augmented Reality headset and looking at a framed painting on the wall. The painting depicts a landscape scene with blue sky and hills in the distance. The bottom of the painting shows water with ships in the middle, and a bridge from left to right behind the ships.

What’s Involved?

  • Try a headset that adds zoom, sharper details, better contrast, and audio descriptions to real paintings.
  • Experience paintings in a completely new way, seeing details that may have previously been hard to appreciate.
  • Test different ways to control these features and share your valuable feedback to help us make further improvements
  • You will receive a Love2Shop e-Gift Card worth £30 for completing the study. If you do not complete the study, you will still receive a £10 e-Gift Card.
  • Travel time will also be reimbursed with an additional Love2Shop e-Gift Cards:
    • £10 for 1 hour
    • £20 for 2 hours
    • £30 for 3 hours (maximum)

Who Can Join? Adults (18+) with low vision who have some usable sight and are comfortable wearing a headset.

When & Where? Sessions by appointment at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. Each session takes up to three hours.

What Happens on the Day?
We will meet you at the museum reception and take you to a private room for simple vision checks and a short introduction. You will then try the headset in the gallery while viewing two paintings. You will use voice, gesture, and controller methods to trigger visual enhancements and audio descriptions. Afterwards, you will complete a short questionnaire and interview about ease of use and comfort.

For more information and to sign up, contact Paul Goddard:
📧 Email: goddardpm@cardiff.ac.uk
📞 Phone: 029 225 10051

This project is a research study conducted by Cardiff University, on-site at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.