The Invisible Exhibit

If you have ever visited Budapest, you may have noticed that there are signs, partially in braille, advertising an invisible exhibit all over the city. This exhibit is exactly what it sounds like; an exhibit made for the blind, with the idea being that by experiencing the world without this most important sense, the worlds of the sighted and the blind can somehow be reconciled for the sake of social solidarity. This idea is unique in the world and was developed here, and has been one of the main tourist attractions for this country in recent years.

The Exhibit

There are quite a few invisible events now, but the original is the invisible exhibit, and is still the most sought after. The exhibit takes on sighted people, gives them a blind guide, who takes them into a world of darkness, in which the exhibited pieces are sounds and smells. The exhibit takes around one and a half an hour to complete, with the visible portion being around 15-20 minutes, and the rest being completed in total darkness. The exhibit is of course interactive, and is partially about finding your way in a world where you are deprived of your main sense, and have to use touch, smell and sound to coordinate yourself. The idea is each “picture” is an experience that blind people have, like finding a tram stop, making lunch (with spices), or just ordering a cup of coffee in a café, this way opening a parallel and often ignored world that the sighted are simply unaware of.

Other invisible events

There are other events that are also made by the founders and hosts of the invisible exhibit. They make an invisible dinner every Friday night, in which the meal is consumed in total darkness and the menu needs to be guessed. They also make an invisible wine tasting event, which is great because it really forces the participants not to look at the label, but to use their tongue to appreciate the wine. And of course there is an invisible massage, as this form of physical therapy has long been associated with the blind, whose sense of touch is much keener, due to not having the privilege of sight.

What: Invisible Exhibit
When: 1st of September- 1st of October
Where: Budapest II. kerület , Kis Rókus utca 16-20.

Image: 1.