Embossed Woodcut Prints Inspired by Ancient Greek Pottery: Tactile Works for the Visually Impaired (2024)

This project developed directly from my previous work, An Artistic Embossed Book with Ancient Greek Patterns, which I created during my Erasmus programme at the Athens School of Fine Arts in Greece in 2023. The book was my first experiment with creating raised forms on cotton paper and exploring how an artwork could be discovered through touch rather than only through looking.

Following this experience, my visit to the Tactual Museum in Athens encouraged me to develop the idea further for blind and visually impaired audiences. In the Printmaking Department at the Athens School of Fine Arts, I created a series of 24 embossed woodcut prints inspired by ancient Greek pottery patterns.

The prints were evaluated by the Tactual Museum, whose feedback highlighted the importance of clear and simple forms for tactile recognition. I then organised an individual session with a blind participant, Thanasis, to understand more directly how the prints could be experienced through touch. His responses showed me that tactile perception is individual: while simple forms can support recognition, more complex shapes can also encourage curiosity and exploration.

This project became an important step in the development of my practice, moving from the artist’s book toward tactile printmaking and further exploring how printed forms can become physical experiences that are discovered through the hands.

Tactile printmaking : Woodcut printing on cotton paper, leather custom box, 25 × 35 cm, each set 24 prints