An Introduction to Audio Description in Museums, Galleries and Heritage Sites by Fryer, Louise;

Short description:

An Introduction to Audio Description in Museums explores specialized verbal commentary that transforms visual information into accessible content. The book examines AD implementation in cultural spaces, offering practical guidance for museum staff and professionals.

More

Long description:

An Introduction to Audio Description in Museums, Galleries and Heritage Sites is a comprehensive guide that explores Audio Description (AD), a specialised verbal commentary that transforms visual information into accessible content for people who cannot fully perceive images. While AD has established applications in theatres, cinemas and broadcast media, its implementation in museums, galleries and heritage sites represents a rapidly growing field with unique challenges and opportunities.

Live audio-described tours and recorded audio descriptive guides serve as invaluable resources for blind and partially sighted visitors, combining engaging descriptions with practical navigation directions. These tools function simultaneously as intellectual support and practical aids, enabling meaningful engagement with cultural spaces. The book examines whether AD can transcend its utilitarian function to become an art form in itself, exploring how describing art might constitute its own creative practice.

The volume addresses the critical need for accessible cultural experiences, focusing specifically on provision of visual access for blind and partially sighted visitors to museums, galleries and heritage sites. It offers practical advice, exercises and professional guidance to museum staff and translation professionals, providing clear frameworks for understanding AD implementation and execution in cultural contexts. Written for diverse audiences, this book serves as essential reading for students of Audiovisual Translation within Translation Studies and Accessibility within Museum and Curatorial Studies. It also functions as a vital reference for professional curators seeking to understand AD's potential contributions to visitor experience and for experienced describers looking to diversify from traditional AD contexts into the specialised museum environment. The guide bridges theoretical understanding with practical application, making it an indispensable resource for anyone involved in creating more inclusive and accessible cultural institutions.

More

Table of Contents:

List of Figures

List of Tables

Preface

Acknowledgements

How to Use this Book

List of Acronyms and Abbreviations

1. What is Audio Description?

1.1 Introduction

1.2 What does AD Aim to Do and Who For (and With)?

1.3 Background to AD

1.3.1 Legal Background to Access

1.3.2 AD as Translation

1.3.3 AD and Presence

1.3.4 AD for Live Events

1.3.5 AD in AV Media

1.4 Cognitive Load

1.5 Conclusion

1.6 Exercises and Discussion Points

1.7 References

2. Access to the Image in the Museum Context

2.1 Introduction

2.2 AD in MGHS

2.2.1 Defining MGHS

2.2.3 AD Devices and Delivery

2.3 What is a Museum?

2.3.1 What is an Exhibit?

2.4 Why Visit a Museum?

2.5 Sight and its Affordances in the context of MGHS

2.5.1 Art and Models of Visual Perception

2.5.2 User Experience and Memory

2.6 AD as Translation in MGHS

2.6.1 Objectivity, Subjectivity and Translator Visibility

2.6.2 Fidelity, Accuracy and Veneration

2.6.3 The Nature of Source Texts

2.6.4 AD, the Source Text and Timing

2.7 Conclusion

2.8 Exercises and Discussion Points

2.9 References

3. The Digital Museum

3.1 Introduction

3.2 The Digital Museum and its Implications for Visitors

3.3 Digital Content Inside Analogue Venues

3.4 Digital Interpretation: Audioguides and Audio Descriptive Guides

3.4.1 Digital Interpretation and Responsibility for Access

3.5 Digital Exhibits

3.6. Conclusion

3.7 Exercises and Discussion Points

3.8 References

4. Access to Place and Space

4.1 Introduction

4.2 A Sense of Place

4.3 Implications of Situatedness for Visitors

4.3.1 Getting There

4.3.2 Getting Around

4.4 Museums Situated in Time

4.5 Implications of Situatedness for Venues

4.6 Implications of Situatedness for Audio Describers

4.6.1 Orientation

4.6.2 Navigation

4.6.3 Navigation and the Digital

4.7 Conclusion

4.8 Exercises and Discussion Points

4.9 References

5. Access to Curatorial Context

5.1 Introduction

5.2 What is Curatorial Context?

5.2.1 Interpretation

5.2.2 Context

5.2.3 Structure

5.2.4 Aesthetic Experiences and Methods of Display

5.3 Pragmatics and Interpretative Choices

5.4 Power and Interpretation

5.4.1 Stakeholders in Interpretation

5.5 Conclusion

5.6 Exercises and Discussion Points

5.7 References

6. Describing 2-D Exhibits

6.1 Introduction

6.1.1 What is Special About 2-D Exhibits?

6.1.2 Static Art and the Dynamic Gaze

6.2 AD Structure

6.2.1 Example 1: Overview and Contextual Framing

6.2.2 Intertextuality

6.2.3. Dimensions

6.2.4 Body

6.2.5 Parting Punch

6.3 Narratology

6.3.1 Characters

6.4 Language

6.4.1 Tense and Structure

6.4.2 Articles

6.4.3 Technical Terms

6.4.4 Economy of Language

6.4.5 Verbs

6.5 Orality

6.5.1 Punctuation and Pronunciation

6.5.2 Prosody

6.5.3 Vocal Imitation

6.5.4 Homophones

6. 6 Example 2

6.6.1 Overview

6.6.2 Contextual Framing

6.6.3 Body

6.6.4 Parting Punch

6.7 Conclusion

6.8 Exercises and Discussion Points

6.9 References

7. Describing Photographs and Portraits

7.1 Introduction

7.2 What is Special About Photography?

7.2.1 Terminology

7.2.2 Realism

7.2.3 Purpose

7.2.4 Context

7.2.5 Structure

7.2.6 Coherence and Intratextuality

7.3 Portraits

7.3.1 What is Special About Portraits?

7.3.2 Recognition

7.3.3 Appearance

7.3.4 Clothing and Hairstyle

7.3.5 Equality

7.3.6 Pose

7.4 Colour

7.4.1 Black-and-White vs Colour

7.5 Blind Photography

7.6 Conclusion

7.7 Exercises and Discussion Points

7.8 References

8. Describing 3-D Exhibits

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Aspects of 3-D Exhibits

8.2.1 Weight, Size and Texture

8.2.2 Form and Function

8.2.3 Objects in the Round

8.2.4 Materials, Decoration and Condition

8.3 Structure

8.4 Colour

8.3 Conclusion

8.4 Exercises and Discussion Points

8.5 References

9. Creating An Audio Descriptive Guide

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Background

9.2.1 Devices

9.3 Content

9.3.1 Instructions

9.3.2 Exhibition Overview

9.3.3 Duration

9.3.4 Navigation Information from Device Collection Point to Stop One

9.3.5 Description of Exhibit

9.3.6 Navigation Information

9.3.7 Credits

9.4 Voicing and Recording an AG or an ADG

9.4.1 Pace

9.4.2 Recording

9.5 Testing

9.6 Conclusion

9.7 Exercises and Discussion Points

9.8 References

10. Live AD Tours

10.1 Introduction

10.2 The Live Situation

10.3 Getting Started

10.3.1 Are We All Here?

10.3.2 Vocal Toolbox

10.3.3 Menu

10.4. Moving On

10.4.1 Keeping the Group Together

10.4.2 Describing in Situ

10.4.3 Delivery and Access as Conversation

10.4.4 Collaboration

10.4.5 Progress

10.5 Ending the Tour

10.6 Conclusion

10.7 Exercises and Discussion Points

10.8 References

11. The Multisensory Museum and Audio Description

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Multimodality

11.2.1 Sight

11.2.2 Sound

11.2.3 Smell

11.2.4 Touch

11.2.5 Kinaesthesia

11.3 Handling

11.3.1 Tactility and Autonomy

11.3.2 Guided Tactile Exploration

11.3.3 Touch Objects

11.3.4 Braille

11.3.5 Multisensory AD

11.4 Conclusion

11.5 Exercises and Discussion Points

11.6 References

12. Evaluation and Collaboration

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Collaboration

12.2.1 Who's Who in Collaboration

12.2.2 Co-Creation

12.3 Workflow

12.3.1 Initial Stages

12.3.2 Scope of the ADG

12.3.3 Access Providers or Access Consultants?

12.3.4 ADG Preparation

12.3.5 Example

12.4 Testing

12.4.1 Feedback and Evaluation

12.4.2 Measures

12.4.3 Assessment For Learning

12.5 Participation

12.6 Conclusion

12.7 Exercises and Discussion Points

12.8 References

13. Concluding Remarks

13.1 Introduction

13.2 Embracing Change

13.3 A Call to Action

13.4 Conclusion

13.5 Exercises and Discussion Points

13.6 References

Appendix

Index

More