BMN Pilot at the Homeland Museum of Knjaževac, Serbia – July 30, 2025
On July 30, 2025, the Homeland Museum of Knjaževac in Serbia became a hub of innovation, accessibility, and inclusion. As part of the SHIFT project, the Balkan Museum Network (BMN) organized a pilot event that demonstrated how new technologies—such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), and multisensory tools—can transform cultural heritage experiences for all audiences, particularly for people with disabilities.
The event was not just about showcasing digital solutions; it was about rethinking how we engage with culture. By introducing new ways of experiencing museum content, the pilot proved that heritage can be accessible, interactive, and deeply immersive for everyone.
Visitors at the museum had the chance to explore several pioneering tools designed to bridge the gap between cultural heritage and accessibility. These included:
- Text-to-Speech (TTS) solutions bringing written content to life with synthetic voices.
- Image-to-video and soundscape-to-landscape technologies, which transformed visuals into dynamic multisensory experiences.
- Tactile elements, enhanced with QR codes, providing audio-video interpretations available in large print and Braille.
This combination of physical and digital solutions offered visitors a chance to touch, hear, and interact with heritage in ways that go beyond traditional exhibitions.
After practical demonstrations and workshops, museum professionals and representatives of associations of blind and partially sighted persons shared their impressions and suggestions.
The feedback revealed both the strengths of the tools and opportunities for improvement:
- Synthetic voices were clear and pleasant but felt slightly artificial. Participants suggested adding more emotion and natural rhythm to make them engaging.
- Sound effects were praised for creating atmosphere but needed better balance, ensuring they enhanced rather than overshadowed the narration.
- Audio descriptions stood out as a favorite feature—not only for blind and partially sighted visitors but for all audiences. They enriched the overall experience by engaging the sense of hearing and creating vivid mental images.
- Future directions included using AI-powered chatbots to provide interactive, personalized museum tours.
The pilot showed that accessibility is not just a service for a specific group but a way to improve cultural experiences for all visitors. By introducing multisensory elements—sound, touch, voice, and vision—the museum created an environment where everyone could engage more deeply with heritage.
For people who are blind, partially sighted, or deaf, the new tools provided unprecedented opportunities to connect with exhibitions. For others, these same tools added richness, making visits more interactive and memorable.
In the words of one participant, audio descriptions and multisensory content are not simply accessibility features—they are immersive storytelling tools that museums everywhere can benefit from.
The Homeland Museum of Knjaževac and the SHIFT consortium demonstrated that accessibility is achievable when technology and empathy come together. The event offered a glimpse into a future where museums and GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) institutions across the Balkans—and beyond—can welcome every visitor with equal opportunities to learn, explore, and be inspired.
he activity is part of the SHIFT project (Metamorphosis of Cultural Heritage Into Augmented Hypermedia Assets for Enhanced Accessibility and Inclusion) that is being funded by the European Union Horizon Europe program.
More about SHIFT project on: https://shift-europe.eu/