The international research and development project BeauCoup was funded by the European Commission as part of the Active Assisted Living (AAL) program: Over a period of 2.5 years, the consortium of nine partners developed solutions that enable various institutions such as museums, exhibition venues or tourism agencies to provide older adults and visually and hearing impaired people with cultural experiences.

Individual encounters with cultural assets can have a positive impact on the quality of life of older adults and physically impaired people, keeping them socially and cognitively active, connecting them with each other and thus contributing to healthy ageing. To this end, BeauCoup has developed fully accessible solutions for interacting with cultural heritage outside its institutional contexts.

As part of a co-working approach, we have involved museums and end users throughout the project - summarized in the three Service Delivery Models (SDMs) "The Bag", "The Box" and "The Screen": A mix of analog and digital artifacts can be explored in interactive group settings, while "The Screen" offers digital-interactive guided tours through museums and digital exhibitions, covering a wide range of usage scenarios. The development of the Progressive Web App (PWA) by NOUS was continuously evaluated by the Austrian Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired and represents a combination of various features for technical accessibility such as sign language (by SignTime), real-time contrast filters (by AIT) or a live talk-back functionality during the virtually guided tours (by NOUS).

In this way, BeauCoup sets new standards for the accessibility of cultural content and connects older and non-mobile people through a shared experience of art and culture.

Project idea

The three SDMs integrate information and communication technology (ICT) in a new way, innovative solutions enable active and social ageing. What all three SDMs have in common is that they incorporate digital and multi-sensory tools to create meaningful cultural experiences for older adults and people with disabilities.

"The Bag" (from the University of Siena) consists of a set of analog and digital tools, can be easily carried around (e.g. by museum mediators) and can also be used in groups (e.g. in nursing homes or day care centers). "The Box" includes digital as well as analog tools: These mainly include a so-called Magic Casket (University of Siena) or a tactile computer station (VRVis), which can travel to other institutions or cities to be used on site by the target group.

The frontend and content of "The Screen" is fully digital, an interactive experience of art and culture can be accessed via devices such as smartphones, PCs or tablets (FeelIf). The Progressive WebApp is fully inclusive and has integrated the function of a virtual guided tour.

The uniqueness of the project therefore lies in

a) the innovative solution, based on service models, of showing culture outside museums and bringing it closer to older adults and/or people with disabilities.

This is achieved through

b) multi-sensory, inclusive technologies to provide an engaging experience for older people with different impairments,

c) with the added benefit of linking different museum collections to showcase cultural diversity and connections between European countries and regions.

Innovations have been developed that represent a comparative advantage:

• Bringing culture to older adults and impaired people: Art and culture are still often tied to physical access. While direct contact with the original artwork is an important way of experiencing it, it excludes those who cannot travel or have sensory impairments. BeauCoup bridges this gap between museums and this group of visitors.
• Inclusion: Our project draws on an award-winning innovative methodology to make art accessible to older adults: The participatory research methodology developed as part of the ARCHES project (LINK: https://www.arches-project.eu), which won several awards and was recognized as a key innovation by the EU Innovation Radar, is one of the main pillars of our approach.
• Using art and culture as a driver for social interaction: Participation in social life is of great importance in old age. Joint activities to actively shape everyday life play an important role, especially in care facilities for the elderly. The use of culture in activation events offers older people a platform for interacting, exchanging ideas, discussing together, recounting personal memories and sharing these with others. The project is therefore not only concerned with showing art, but also with making it a multi-sensory experience that can be shared with other people.