A NEW opportunity for blind and visually impaired people to truly experience art has been created with the help of 3-D technology.

    The Unseen Art project is creating the opportunity for all people to “see” art around the world.

    The recently launched company is an online platform that produces 3-D replicas of masterpieces that can be touched by those who are blind and visually impaired.

    “There are many people in the world who have heard of classical artworks their whole lives but are unable to see them,” Marc Dillon, the evangelist for the project, told The Creators Project.

    “Now they can experience them for the first time and create their own impressions and opinions.”

    Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” is the first piece of art Dillon has printed in 3-D.

    One of the company’s passions is to create equal access for art globally, so the 3-D models of the painting are open source and printable anywhere around the globe where there is access to a 3-D printer, according to their Facebook page.

    The project is crowdfunding on Indiegogo to raise US$30,000. So far, more than US$2,300 has been raised and there’s 19 days left for their campaign.

    The group is offering 3-D prints of the “Mona Lisa” for backers, which can either be kept or donated to an organization helping the visually impaired and blind community.

    According to The Creators Project, the money raised will be used to fund an online platform where the 3-D files can be downloaded for free, making 3-D printable art available worldwide.

    An entire collection of 3-D printed art pieces will be established by a panel of curators at a later time.

    Currently, the “Mona Lisa” is the only completed 3-D artwork by the company.

    Recently, a woman who was born blind named Riikka had the opportunity to feel a 3-D printed version of Mona Lisa’s face after hearing about the famous masterpiece her entire life.

    Her first moments with the 3-D print were captured on video and shared on YouTube.

    “How exciting! Hi Mona Lisa,” Riikka says as while touching the 3-D print of the artwork.

    “Okay, yeah. A face! Eye, eye, nose, mouth, yeah ... There’s a face here!

    “And I guess it’s her hair that’s coming down from the sides here.”

    (SD-Agencies)