Dolby Laboratories and Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) have reimagined the world’s most famous artwork masterpieces - from Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa to David Hockney’s A Bigger Splash - to create an immersive soundtrack, in state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos sound.
For the first time, people who are blind and partially sighted will be able to hear and feel artwork in a whole new way. It will also help the wider population to appreciate and understand art more, as almost half (46%) admit they struggle to form a deeper connection with art when viewing it and nearly six in ten (59%) lack confidence in their ability to interpret or understand artwork without guidance. This has even led to over a quarter (28%) of people avoiding visiting galleries altogether out of embarrassment that they won’t ‘get it’.
- Blind and partially sighted people will be able to hear and feel iconic artwork in a new, immersive experience in Dolby Atmos
- The album also aims help the wider population appreciate and understand art more, as 46% struggle to connect with art when viewing it in a gallery
- Album in Dolby Atmos now available on Apple Music, Amazon Music and Tidal with all with proceeds going to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
Dolby’s Sound of a Masterpiece was created by visually impaired composer Bobby Goulder along with award-winning composers from the New Radiophonic Workshop, known for creating the Doctor Who theme tune and scores for Oscar-winning films, to help visually impaired people to experience and really feel art.
The album features musical interpretations inspired by some of the most famous paintings in history, including:
- Mona Lisa – Leonardo da Vinci
- The Water-Lily Pond – Claude Monet
- The Scream – Edvard Munch
- Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbirds – Frida Kahlo
- A Bigger Splash – David Hockney
- King of Egypt – Jean-Michel Basquiat
- The Persistence of Memory – Salvador Dalí
Sound of a Masterpiece is available to stream now in Dolby Atmos on Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music, with all proceeds being donated to the RNIB.
The RNIB helped deliver an immersive experience that has both been created by and benefits people who are visually impaired.
Bobby Goulder, composer of Sound of a Masterpiece, comments: “The project combines several things close to my heart - the relationships across multidisciplinary art forms; the advancement of musical and sonic creative techniques; and the accessibility of the arts to the visually impaired community. Our hope is to give everyone a heightened experience of these paintings, giving each one a story rather than a snapshot or an impression. I also hope that those, like me, viewing with vision loss, or unable to view at all, will connect with the images beyond the spoken audio descriptions.”
Robin Spinks, Head of Inclusive Design at RNIB added: “We are delighted to collaborate on innovative projects such as Dolby’s Sound of a Masterpiece. As a low vision person, I have a limited visual appreciation of art. But the depth, texture and richness provided by the amazing soundtracks in Dolby Atmos really brings these works to life. Many more blind and partially sighted people will be able to have a heighted experience through this fantastic project and appreciate artwork in new and meaningful ways.”
Daniela Bischof, Senior Director, Marketing Europe at Dolby Laboratories said: "With Dolby Atmos, we’ve been able to push the boundaries of storytelling through sound, allowing listeners to step into the world of each artwork and experience its essence. With so many people today struggling to connect with art, our campaign “Love Art More in Dolby” aims to bring entertainment enthusiasts on a journey, where they will be immersed from anywhere. We hope Sound of a Masterpiece will enable listeners to really feel and connect with iconic artworks, whilst making art accessible through sound – inspiring everyone to greater connect with creativity, emotion and history.”
