This 3D project intends to re-create works of art for the blind

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This 3D printing company intends to transform some of the world’s greatest masterpieces for the blind.

As reported by King 5, you can also find the company’s Kickstarter here (and video above). The company, called 3DPhotoWorks, makes 3D replicas of world-famous art, like the Mona Lisa, but also can print maps and photographs so that the blind and sight impaired can run their fingers over the images and see the works.

In the King 5 report, you’ll see 12-year-old Luc Gandarias of Whidbey Island, spokesman for the new project, (he also appears in the Kickstarter video) walk several people through the works.

Some works even have embedded audio that guides the viewer through the story of the portrait, like Washington Crossing the Delaware.

“These paintings allow true equality because finally the blind are able to see the images that the sighted have always been able to see,” Gandarias told King 5.

With 37 days to go, the Kickstarter has raised more than $2,600 on its way to a $500,000 goal. It’s a hefty sum, but the organizers state on Kickstarter that the funds will go toward taking the company out of research and development phase into full-scale production, in which they will manufacture works of art for venues worldwide. They also write that they’ve been awarded their first museum contract, too.

Click here to read the full article and view the video.