Tapintható Láthatatlan

THE PROJECT

All around the world there are lots of objects to help visually impaired people in navigation, mostly in the form of reliefs made of bronze or ceramics. Touching these miniatures introduces the structure of a main square in the city, a panorama or the architectural beauty of a special building.

Our purpose is to show important squares, buildings, building complexes or whole neighbourhoods, cities on a touchable relief to the visually impaired. And with these we would like to provide - a mediated but enjoyable - spatial experience, to give information, to provide assistance in navigation and to demonstrate the possibility and importance of selfless giving.

We hope that the thematic introduction and accomplishment of our “TOUCHABLE- INVISIBLE” project will contribute to improve the quality of life of our disadvantaged fellow human beings and to introduce the helpfulness of the seeing society.

In alignment with the spirit and goals of previous generations, but with renewed energy and leveraging modern communication tools, the new generation of Rotary continues the work of our predecessors. The "Touchable-Invisible" project is coordinated as a program of the Rotary District, providing support and a framework for both existing and planned relief artworks, as well as for the creators and sponsors of new projects. The work is carried forward by Gyula Nagy, along with two additional members of the Budapest-Budavár Rotary Club, Ildikó Hajniss and Ádám Majoros.

TOUCHABLE-INVISIBLE

Completed reliefs

In our country the Budapest- Budavár Rotary Club started the “TOUCHABLE-INVISIBLE” project in 1999. Today, there are 28 unique public sculptures across the country, featuring Braille inscriptions to assist blind and visually impaired individuals in navigation.

View reliefs

HUMANISM IN ACTION

About the Rotary

The Rotary is a worldwide organization with members of professional and business leaders who believe in the importance of the humanitarian help, set high ethical standards in every profession and help the nations to find peace and to build good relationships. The cooperation joins people of various ethnic and religious backgrounds, of different political views in a friendly atmosphere. The first club was founded in Chicago (USA, Illinois) by a lawyer, Paul Percy Harris on the 23rd of February, 1905. The Rotary has expanded rapidly, first in the United States, from the 1920’s in Europe, then in other parts of the world as well. Today the Rotary is present in 166 countries, in 529 regions, has about 1.2 million male and female members, making it the world’s largest charitable organization.

In Hungary the Rotary was revived in 1989 and today it has more than 1000 members. The Rotary Club Budapest-Budavár was among the first clubs, it was founded in 1990.

The purpose of the Rotary is to highlight the importance of understanding and goodwill, to help the nations to keep peace and justice in everyday life (“Service Above Self”). One of the purposes of Rotary is to make the life of disadvantaged people (visually impaired, disabled) easier. Our charitable actions are based on the work and financial support of our members. The Rotary intends to fulfill these goals following the below principles.

The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;

High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society;

The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life;

The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

All the Rotarians have to live and work according to these four principles; otherwise they can not be members anymore.

FROM IDEA TO REALIZATION

As the project started

Nándor Kemény, the president of the Rotary Club Budapest-Budavár in 1997/98, saw reliefs of a town hall built for the blind by Rotary during his trip to Münster and Aachen, Germany. This is when he raised the prospect of starting a similar project in Hungary, to show the commitment of Rotarians to disadvantaged people.

As the principles of Rotary go, a new president was elected in the following year. Gyula Nagy – being receptive to new and humane ideas – decided to take up his predecessor’s idea up within the club’s projects. In the name of Humanism in Action beautiful and useful reliefs were to be built at various locations throughout the country with the help and support of other Rotary Clubs.
On the 13th of November, 1998, Gyula Nagy organized a press conference at the Lukács Confectionery in Budapestto introduce the „TOUCHABLE-INVISIBLE” project. There was a huge interest from the national media, including not only many journalists but the television as well.

On the 21st of November, 1998 the Budapest-Budavár Rotary Club held a charity ball at the Stefánia Palace in Budapest with the patronage of Árpád Göncz, the president of Hungary. The ball’s income was invested in setting up the first relief.