ABSTRACT
This paper investigates how visually impaired people (VIP) examine works of art together with sighted companions in museums and galleries. It is principally concerned with how shared experiences of works of art are produced in interaction between sighted and visually impaired visitors. It explores how the participants orient to the different ways in which each has access to the pieces through sight, touch, and other means. The analysis suggests that the experience of exhibits is a collaborative achievement to which visually impaired and sighted participants contribute by aligning with each other’s particular mode of orientation to the artworks. As the participants examine the exhibits, they establish what exhibit features they inspect and how they experience them in and through talk, bodily and tactile actions. The analysis is based on video recordings produced in a large museum in London.
