Celebrating Oskar Picht

A: In my artwork, I focus on ways to enable blind people to participate in visual art. To do this, I use auditory and tactile methods. Braille is often a component of my work. Oskar Picht, a teacher for the visually impaired, was a pioneer who did a lot for the visually impaired with his inventions by simplifying the use of Braille, which made written communication easier. I am very happy that I was able to explore this topic in a tactile Doodle.

A: To be honest, at first I couldn't really believe that I would receive this honor. It took me a while to realize that this was all real. Once it sunk in, I conceptualized my vision of creating a three-dimensional tactile Doodle. It was a daunting task given the great responsibility I have to a topic so close to my heart. Thankfully, passion prevailed!

A: I wanted the focus to be on the typewriter for the blind and highlight some attributes of Oskar Picht as a teacher and inventor. When selecting the tactile elements in the Doodle, I considered balancing visual information that could be translated into the tactile. Gradually, however, the desire emerged to also convey the essence of the Doodle itself. For instance, the screen reader text is preserved in tactile Braille. Additionally, we decided to make the classic Google logo, which is part of the collective visual memory of sighted people, accessible to the blind for the first time.

A: I hope that, on one hand, this Doodle allows people with visual impairments to experience a bit more inclusion by being able to explore it in the real world through touch. On the other hand, I would also like sighted people who have not been exposed to blind topics to learn about Oskar Picht and gain a feel for the reality of blind people's lives. I would like for this to be a moment to bridge the digital and real world / visual and tactile worlds.