Kaverljag: Illustration for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Since 1998, the Kaverljag Association and UL ALUO have collaborated on projects in the fields of environmental and social sustainability, often placing vulnerable social groups at the centre. Within these interdisciplinary and multicultural projects, two books for the blind and partially sighted were produced in the past: Dotakni se ptice (Touch the Bird) and Žuželke od blizu (Insects Up Close). This collaboration, however, came to a halt in 2012. Recognizing its many positive outcomes, UL ALUO saw an opportunity to revive this legacy in 2024, as it provided an ideal platform for connecting students of design, biology, pedagogy, and the arts. The initiative was linked to visual literacy (as part of the research programme P5_0452, Visual Literacy, co-financed by ARIS) and in 2024 continued with a focus on marine biology. Given that the Visual Literacy research programme is concerned with exploring the visual, it may at first glance seem paradoxical that the project focuses on people with various visual impairments, for whom the visual is virtually out of reach. Yet, this very contradiction became the starting point in our reasoning: in order to truly understand the visual, it is necessary to explore what lies beyond the visual. (Černe Oven, 2025)

The aim was to develop an empathetic and interdisciplinary approach to the design of tactile scientific illustrations, building partly on past experience while introducing new methodological and pedagogical approaches. We also consciously drew on practices employed by individual UL ALUO educators over the past decade: student-centred teaching, internationalization, multidisciplinary collaboration, and sustainability.

 

Project Description:

Phases
The project consisted of several phases that complemented one another.

Phase 1: Analysis of existing practices
Before the summer school, an interdisciplinary group of students conducted research into materials available for the blind and partially sighted. They found that, while there is a relatively wide range of picture books for early literacy, didactic scientific illustrations—especially in biology—are rare. Resources related to marine biology are particularly scarce, which is why the project focused on this area.

Phase 2: Kaverljag International Summer School: Marine Organisms for the Blind and Partially Sighted
Held in Pliskovica, on the Karst plateau, the school brought together 24 participants from five countries. The theoretical component included lectures by scientists, designers, artists, and specialist teachers of the visually impaired on inclusive design, the marine world, and sensory perception. A key emphasis was placed on developing empathy, notably through an experiential workshop simulating everyday challenges faced by blind people. Students also took part in excursions organized with partner institutions, after which they sketched and illustrated marine organisms, simplified them through linocut, and prepared graphic adaptations of scientific illustrations. This required balancing scientific accuracy, graphic clarity, and the adaptation of proportions of visual elements to Braille standards. Owing to the high cost of embossing, they also explored 3D printing as a more affordable option for users.

Phase 3: Continuation and Testing
After the international summer school, a core working group of students adapted the illustrations for an optimal tactile experience: they prepared vector files for 3D modelling and experimented with materials and printer nozzles. Through iteration and collaboration, they developed tactile illustrations accessible to the blind and partially sighted. The illustrations, together with accompanying materials (audio recordings, original scientific illustrations, descriptions of marine organisms, process documentation, etc.), were prepared for exhibitions. In cooperation with associations of the blind, partially sighted and deafblind, guided tours were organized to gather feedback and conduct testing.

 

Continuation

As illustrated didactic materials for the blind and partially sighted remain scarce, this project sought to expand the range of accessible resources for this vulnerable group. Alongside practical work, we developed theoretical methods and recommendations for creating tactile scientific illustrations using 3D printing, published in the scientific monograph Illustrating the Invisible: Design for an Inclusive Society (UL ALUO, 2025).

Building on improved prototypes, an open-access database of tactile scientific illustrations for the blind and partially sighted is now being established. With plans to expand the collection annually through integration into the curriculum, the experience will be passed on to new generations of students, thereby empowering young designers to act professionally and empathetically in the field of social design. The database and accompanying “print-on-demand” guidelines will support teachers, families, and specialist educators in teaching the blind and partially sighted.

The project’s outcomes thus benefit blind and partially sighted individuals, students, professional designers, and special-needs experts alike. All stakeholders can gain valuable insight into interdisciplinary approaches, while the initiative underscores the importance of inclusive design for the profession, its users, and society as a whole. At the same time, the project contributes to the discussion on visual literacy and inclusive design through collaboration between art and science, fostering the development of new projects that improve access to information and enable equal participation in society.

 

Results to date:

Articles and Scientific Monograph

Tadeja Lukanc, »Z znanstveno ilustracijo do slepih« [Reaching the Blind through Scientific Illustration], Dnevnik, 30 July 2024, article.

»Odprtje razstave ‘Kaj gledam, kaj vidim: Morski organizmi za osebe z motnjami vida’« [Opening of the Exhibition ‘What I Look At, What I See: Marine Organisms for People with Visual Impairments’], Kultura, RTV SLO, 10 September 2024, article.

Petra Mezinec, »Organizme iz našega morja skušajo približati slepim in slabovidnim« [Marine Organisms from Our Sea Are Being Brought Closer to the Blind and Partially Sighted], Primorske novice, 2 August 2024, article.

M. K., »Kaj gledam, kaj vidim: Življenje pod morsko gladino za osebe z motnjami vida« [What I Look At, What I See: Life Beneath the Sea Surface for People with Visual Impairments], Vizualna umetnost, RTV SLO, 10 September 2024, article.

Marija Gombač, »Umetnost onkraj vidnega« [Art Beyond the Visible], Primorske novice, 17 January 2026, article.

Scientific monograph Illustrating the Invisible: Towards an Inclusive Society for Blind and Partially Sighted (UL ALUO, 2025), published in Slovenian and English. Through contributions, it highlights the importance of social inclusion and demonstrates how thoughtful design can improve quality of life. In addition to practical aspects (such as process descriptions, results analysis, and examples of good practice), the monograph also provides theoretical analyses of scientific illustration and design for the blind and partially sighted, along with precise recommendations for further work in this field.

Morski organizmi skozi oči in roke slepih in slabovidnih [Marine Organisms Through the Eyes and Hands of the Blind and Partially Sighted], ObalaPlus, article.

 

Exhibitions

Kaj gledam in kaj vidim: Morski organizmi za osebe z motnjami vida [What I Look At and What I See: Marine Organisms for People with Visual Impairments], Galerija Centra ilustracije [Illustration Centre Gallery], Ljubljana, 10 September–6 October 2024, exhibition. Visits by institutions, schools, and guided tours.

What I Look At and What I See: Marine Organisms for People with Visual Impairments, Galerija Insula, Izola, 10 October–6 November 2024.

Festival hrane za možgane [Food for the Brain Festival], Kongresni trg, Ljubljana, May 2025, exhibition.

Tactile illustrations presented as part of the opening programme of Center za osebe z okvaro vida v Novi Gorici [Centre for People with Visual Impairments in Nova Gorica], 15 October 2025, pop-up exhibition, in collaboration with Medobčinsko društvo slepih in slabovidnih Nova Gorica (MDSS NG) [Intermunicipal Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted Nova Gorica].

Kaj gledam in kaj vidim – Morski organizmi za osebe z motnjami vida, 17 October–31 December 2025, Taktilna galerija, Mercator center Nova Gorica [Tactile Gallery, Mercator Centre Nova Gorica], exhibition. Part of the Evropska prestolnica kulture GO! 2025 [European Capital of Culture GO! 2025] programme, in collaboration with Goriški muzej [Gorizia Regional Museum] and MDSS NG.

Exhibition Ilustriranje nevidnega: oblikovanje za vključujočo družbo. Morski organizmi za ljudi z okvaro vida [Illustrating the Invisible: Design for an Inclusive Society. Marine Organisms for People with Visual Impairments], within »Novembra smo II.« [In November We Are II], 12–30 November 2025, UL Filozofska fakulteta [University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts].

 

Lectures at Scientific Conferences, Round Tables and Symposia

Černe Oven, Petra; Marija Nabernik. “Scientific Illustration for Blind and Visually Impaired – for a More Sustainable Society and What Design Can Do About It: A Case Study”, The Nineteenth International Conference on Design Principles and Practices, 25–27 February 2025, LASALLE College of the Arts Singapore.

Ilustriranje nevidnega: oblikovanje za vključujočo družbo / Illustrating the Invisible: Towards an Inclusive Society for Blind and Partially Sighted, 16 October 2025, Pretorska palača v Kopru [Praetorian Palace in Koper], book presentation with round table. Participants: dr. Mateja Maljevac, prof. dr. Petra Černe Oven, Aleš Sedmak. Moderated by dr. Aksinja Kermauner. In collaboration with Društvo Kaverljag and Zavod za mladino, kulturo in turizem Koper [Institute for Youth, Culture and Tourism Koper].

Prezelj, Tim. Presentation of workshops within the Kaverljag Summer School, Design Meetup Conference: Wrażliwcy (The Sensitive Ones) – On Design that Connects, 23 October 2025, Galerija Podbrzezie, Kraków, Poland.

Sedmak, Aleš. Međunarodna ljetnja škola Kaverljag – umjetničko-ekološki i obrazovni projekat [International Kaverljag Summer School – an artistic, ecological and educational project], Ki – korak naprej [KI – a step forward] creative industries event, Kotor, Montenegro, 31 October–2 November 2025.

Ana Turičnik, Leon Rojk Štupar, Gaj Kušar – participation in guided expert tours of »Novembra smo II.«, UL Faculty of Arts, Ljubljana, 19 November 2025.

Ko znanost postane otipljiva: Ilustriranje nevidnega: oblikovanje za vključujočo družbo [When Science Becomes Tangible: Illustrating the Invisible: Design for an Inclusive Society], presentation of the scientific monograph with a round table, inclusion of blind and partially sighted participants, typhlopedagogues, and illustrators, including live demonstrations and testing of 3D-printed tactile illustrations. Slovenski knjižni sejem [Slovenian Book Fair], 25 November 2025.

 

Awards

Nagrada ED.VITA [ED.VITA Award], a national recognition for sustainable initiatives and practices in higher education (NAKVIS, MVZI, MOPE): main award in the Research and Innovation category, 2026.

IIID Award, International Institute for Information Design, Vienna, Austria; PERFORMANCE Award in the category Social Affairs, 29. 5. 2026.

 

Other Media Publications

Družbena trajnost: morski organizmi za slepe in slabovidne [“Social Sustainability: Marine Organisms for the Blind and Partially Sighted”], Marketing magazin, 28 July 2024.

Kaj gledam, kaj vidim, Slovenske novice (STA), 11 September 2024.

V Izoli odprtje razstave za osebe z motnjami vida [Exhibition Opening for People with Visual Impairments in Izola], RTV SLO, 9 October 2024.

Melita Kontrec, Kaj gledam, kaj vidim: Življenje pod morsko gladino za osebe z motnjami vida, MMC RTV SLO, 2024.

STA, Dela s poletne likovne šole Kaverljag razstavljena prilagojeno osebam z motnjami vida [Works from the Kaverljag Summer Art School Exhibited in Adapted Form for People with Visual Impairments], 10 September 2024.

Dela s šole Kaverljag razstavljena in prilagojena osebam z motnjami vida, Primorske novice, 11 September 2024.

Mednarodna poletna šola Kaverljag: Morski organizmi za slepe in slabovidne [International Kaverljag Summer School: Marine Organisms for the Blind and Partially Sighted], KULturnica, August 2024.

Podcast Na robu teme je svetloba [At the Edge of the Theme There Is Light], 6 October 2025 and 9 February 2026, produced by Medobčinsko društvo slepih in slabovidnih Nova Gorica.

Neva Zajc, Znanstvena monografija [Scientific Monograph], Radio Koper, 20 October 2025.

Lea Širok, Pol ure kulture [Half an Hour of Culture], Radio Koper, 23 October 2025.

Neva Zajc, Razstava [Exhibition], Radio Koper, 14 October 2024.

Sonja Pungertnik, Luč v temi [Light in the Darkness], Radio Ognjišče, 14 December 2025.

Nedeljska reportaža [Sunday Report], Petra Medved, Taktilna znanstvena ilustracija za slepe in slabovidne [Tactile Scientific Illustration for the Blind and Partially Sighted], Radio Slovenija, 11 January 2026.

 

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Project leads:
– Marija Nabernik Bratuš, Petra Černe Oven (Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia)
– Aleš Sedmak (Kaverljag Society, Šmarje, Slovenija)

Project partners:
– Academy of Fine Arts of Bari (Accademia di Belle Arti di Bari), Bari, Italy
– Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design – MOME (Moholy-Nagy Művészeti Egyetem), Budapest, Hungary
– Faculty of Art, University of the National Education Commission (Wydział Sztuki,
Uniwersytet Komisji Edukacji Narodowej w Krakowie), Krakow, Poland
– Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek (Akademija za umjetnost i kulturu u Osijeku), Osijek, Croatia
– Center of Illustration (Center ilustracije), Ljubljana, Slovenia

Participating institutions:
– Union of the Blind and Partially Sighted of Slovenia (UBPSS)
– National Institute of Biology (NIB)
– Marine Biology Station Piran, Slovenia
– Faculty of Education, University of Primorska (Pedagoška fakulteta, Univerza na Primorskem), Slovenia
– Koper Intermunicipal Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted (MDSSK)

Mentors:
– Assoc. Prof. Mag. Marija Nabernik Bratuš, Academy of Fine Arts, University of Ljubljana
– Prof. Dr. Petra Černe Oven, Academy of Fine Arts, University of Ljubljana
– Assoc. Prof. Mag. Zora Stančič, Academy of Fine Arts, University of Ljubljana
– Assoc. Prof. László Nagy, Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME), Budapest
– Prof. Dr. Magdalena Żmijowska, Faculty of Art, University of the National Education Commission, Krakow
– Assoc. Prof. Art. Miran Blažek, Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek
– Aleš Sedmak, academic painter, president of the Kaverljag Society

Guest lecturers:
– Prof. Dr. Lech Kolasiński, Faculty of Art, University of the National Education Commission, Krakow
– Mag. Tim Prezelj, Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana
– Prof. Antonio Rollo, Academy of Fine Arts of Bari
– Dr. Claudio Batelli, Faculty of Education, University of Primorska, Education Institute of the Republic of Slovenia, Koper
– Dr. Mateja Maljevac, Faculty of Education, University of Primorska, Koper

Participants:
– Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana: Matevž Bervar, Zoja Čepin, Damir Omić, Ana Turičnik
– Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana: Gaj Kušar, Leon Rojk Štupar
– Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek: Leo Pavlović, Nataša Takač, Stella Perica, Katarina Kovčalija, Rea Čondrić, Petra Kordić
– Faculty of Art, University of the National Education Commission, Krakow: Julia Polak, Agnieszka Stec, Emilia Waśniowska
– Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest: Beatrix Zsiros, Patrik Pauer, Zia Gréta Pintér

Financing:
– Development Pillars for Funding “Student Projects for Sustainable Development: B.II.3” (Developing and Strengthening Cooperation in Transnational Interinstitutional Learning Communities) and “Promoting the Inclusion of NonTraditional/Privileged Groups in Higher Education (S.C.1.3)”.
– Research Programme P5-0452, Visual Literacy at the University of Ljubljana, Academy of Fine Arts and Design, co-funded by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS).
– Some segments of the project were co-financed by the Arts Council of the University of Ljubljana.
– The project was supported by the Municipality of Koper.
– The project was awarded funding from the UL Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Fund (UL SSHA Fund) in 2025.

 

 

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