How much of the way that you perceive the world is based on the way that you see it? Do you choose the clothing that you wear based on how it looks? What about a romantic partner? If you did not have sight, you would obviously have to choose those things based on other criteria, but if you couldn’t see, how would you understand the concepts of colour or beauty as the sighted perceive them? Could you ever really understand them?
Well a library in Lithuania would like to try to help the visually impaired understand our shared world from the perspective of those with sight. So they put together an exhibit where they would 3D scan and 3D print the faces of famous celebrities and political leaders. They would also 3D print models of historical landmarks and local buildings then they would allow the visually impaired to come and touch these tactile models.
Unfortunately the library didn’t have a 3D scanner, so they brought together 28 volunteers to use their own DSLR cameras to take simultaneous pictures of the celebrities and personalities who were generous enough to come to the library and pose for them. Those 28 images were then transferred to a computer with software that would stitch the images together and create a detailed 3D model of the celebrities’ faces. Once the model was created, it was then 3D printed and added to the collection.
Along with Steve Wozniak – who was visiting Lithuania at the time the library was putting their exhibit together – several famous Lithuanian singers and actors allowed themselves to be scanned and 3D printed too. They even created 3D models of historical buildings like the Taj Mahal and Reims Cathedral. All of these models in addition to several models of local landmarks and municipal buildings were put on display by UKMC who is inviting visually impaired guests to come and experience them. By allowing them to touch the faces of these personalities and models of buildings the library hopes that this project will continue to help the visually impaired understand the world from the perspective of those of us with sight.
Currently the exhibit is growing, and there are even plans to scan the President of Lithuania Dalia Grubauskaite and add her face to the collection.
The exhibit is currently on display at the Kaunas Library until August 5th and then will move to a location in Siauliai, Lithuania in early September before eventually making its way to Vilnius.
