It is not the first project of its kind in the world, because something had also been seen in Italy, but it could be the first with 3D technology to expand on a global scale, giving the opportunity to hundreds of artists to express themselves and to blind people from all over the planet to be able to fully enjoy street art works, grasping all the details that those who see are able to grasp: shapes, colors, reliefs , texts.
One of the first projects in the world was born in Brazil, in Sao Paulo braille murals with 3D technology: it's called #PraCegoVer (“for the blind to see”) and was launched by the Mosaiki association. The first installation, by local writer Subto, appeared in Beco do Batman, a meeting point for artists and artisans in the heart of Vila Madalena, the Bohemian neighborhood of the Brazilian metropolis.
“The mural – explains manager Sueli Parisi – depicts two monkeys, one sighted and one blind, talking. This is a work that is part of a trilogy: a second design has already been inaugurated in Jundiai, on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, and another will be inaugurated in Rio de Janeiro. And then we count on finance at least 40 more in 2024, in Brazil but potentially everywhere in the world”.
The costs, from materials to workers' wages graffiti artists, are supported indirectly by public funds: the works are sponsored by companies in Brazil which, if they invest in projects with a high cultural and social value like this one, benefit from the “She of incentive”, i.e. the contribution is deducted from taxes. Two international companies present in Brazil paid for these first three works: the German sparkling wine company Henkell Freixenet and the Brazilian multinational dog food company Premier Pet.
And the costs are not trivial, because the project #Pracegover have used latest generation and recyclable materials: “Materials alone – says Parisi of Mosaiki -, a single mural costs around 10.000 reais (equivalent of 2.000 euros, ed.), because we use a particular non-toxic resin, given that it comes into contact with the hands of the blind who visit the 'Opera. A good 3D printer costs the same, even if the Chinese company that sells it to us, which is called reality, has now offered to provide us with them for free in exchange for exclusivity. And then there are the costs of a multi-disciplinary team, which not only uses artists but also consultants who are experts in the Braille alphabet".
And it's not just the lyrics: Mosaiki has also taken care of the lyrics blind without literacy. For them, 3D printing carefully enhances all the reliefs, shapes, contours, so that they can at least clearly distinguish the images and the content of the mural as a whole. This is why even the creation times of the graffiti are not very short: beyond the ability and inspiration of the artist, who in itself takes little to make the drawing, the production of the 3D resin installation takes several weeks: " In total, 40 days pass from the presentation of the project to the inauguration”, explains Sueli Parisi.
The #PraCegoVer project, which also claims to valorise young artists, with the aim of having each work created by a different writer, has already received international interest: countries such as Germany, Canada and India.