A wedding portrait, for example, becomes more than just a picture. The folds of the dress, the curve of a smile, or the details of the setting can all be traced with the fingertips. For many blind people, this will be the first time they have been able to truly experience a photograph.
One contributor described the moment as transformative: “Growing up as a blind person, photographs were always for someone else, not for me. The first time I touched a raised image of my wedding day, I cried. I could finally feel the details that sighted people had always talked about.”
The benefits go far beyond accessibility. Traditionally, turning a photograph or artwork into a tactile relief required expert artistic skill and many hours of manual modelling. Carveco’s AI technology simplifies the process so that it can be done in minutes, opening new doors for museums, educators, designers, and families who want to create tactile memories at home.
“Our mission at Carveco is simple,” said Robert Newman, managing director. “We believe every gallery should include touchable artwork, and every home should have the ability to create tactile memories. Technology should be about inclusion, empathy, and access. With AI, we can finally make that possible.”
The exhibition will bring this vision to life through four key elements:
- Eighteen tactile reliefs of British icons, from The Beatles and David Bowie to Stonehenge and Edinburgh Castle.
- The Mural Wall, featuring personal photographs from blind and visually impaired contributors, transformed into touchable 3D models.
- Live demonstrations, showing how any photograph can be converted into a relief and 3D printed on the spot.
Touch: Beyond Vision is designed to be an exhibition that doesn’t just challenge how art is experienced, but how it is understood. It invites sighted and blind visitors alike to step into each other’s worlds, one through empathy, the other through newfound access.
“This isn’t just about technology,” Newman concluded. “It’s about human connection. Every time someone touches one of these models, they are not just feeling a shape, they are experiencing a memory, a loved one, or a cultural icon in a way that was never possible before. That is the true power of this exhibition.”
Touch: Beyond Vision takes place for one day only on 15th September 2025, OXO2 Gallery, Oxo Tower Wharf, London, 10am-4pm – Open to the public.
For more information, visit touch-beyond-vision.com
