Sensory Friendly Tour: National Museum Cardiff
National Museum Cardiff
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NP
20 February 2024
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Free, Limited spaces.
Click here to book now
Exhibition tour for adults with sensory processing/perception conditions
This tour is designed for adults with sensory processing or perception conditions, to give an overview of the work in the Artes Mundi 10 exhibition. This includes neurodivergent people and people living with dementia. The relaxed tour will be delivered by a trained Engagement Producer and will provide an introduction to the work at National Museum Cardiff, its context and each artist’s practice.
We aim to provide a welcoming and supportive environment. Some ear defenders and fidget toys will be available however visitors are encouraged to bring their own as required. We also advise visitors bring their own eyewear as light in the gallery spaces can be either very bright or quite dark. The tour will include additional time and space for discussion and reflection.
Spaces are limited and we will have additional staff available to welcome and assist on the day.
If you would like to request any access support or to contact us with any questions, please email letty.clarke@artesmundi.org
Before your visit
- Information on how to get to the museum is available here
- The museum is located in central Cardiff at the following what3words address ///shine.rail.part
- Gender neutral and accessible toilets are available.
- The Artes Mundi exhibition is shown across five gallery spaces on the first floor at National Museum Cardiff.
- Download the site map of National Museum Cardiff here
The notes below provide further information on what to expect in the exhibition space:
The exhibition consists of 2 and 3-dimensional works including a moving image piece and two audio pieces with singing and spoken word. The gallery spaces range from large and airy to a smaller, dark space where the film work is showing. The light levels can’t be altered so we advise you bring glasses with you if you need them. There is noise from audio that can’t be adjusted and potential echoes in the space – we advise you bring ear defenders but will have some on site for you to borrow. Some of the content in the exhibition relates to war and there are some images that some people may find unsettling. There is a room available as a quiet space for use during the tour, with support from a trained mental health first aider who has lived experience of neurodivergence. Tea and coffee will be provided at the end of the tour, along with a selection of snacks (including gluten and dairy free options).
Links to the 3-d virtual tours of the gallery spaces:
https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=S6JbfNPKeiY
https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=FShi7mPqZuM
https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=yNy959b8LLb
https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=8YrYKx7ccH5
About the artists
Rushdi Anwar is a visual artist, researcher, silent activist, community engager, and social equity seeker. Originally from Halabja, Kurdistan, Anwar draws from personal experiences and memories, to reflect on contemporary issues of displacement, identity, conflict, and trauma endured under colonial and ideological regimes. Based on his background as a Kurd who has lived through the recent violence of this region, his works reference both current and historical geopolitical unrest.
Alia Farid was born in Kuwait and lives and works between Kuwait City and Puerto Rico. Her practice ranges from writing and drawing to film, sculpture, audio and installation. It contemplates colonial histories, cultural rituals, structures of power and boundaries, both physical and cultural, and often explores lesser-known histories that have been deliberately erased. Farid’s works often combine symbols from the past and present and her sculptural work specifically addresses the exploitation of natural resources and the impact of extractive industries on the land, ecology and the social fabric of southern Iraq and Kuwait. It responds to the failed attempts at mirroring western constructs through modernisation projects, and issues surrounding representation. In her video works Farid focuses on the humanity of each individual, creating intimate connections between the subject and the viewer that transcends national and ideological boundaries. Her films explore how people, rituals and traditions link to society, values, overcoming adversity and how resistance can be expressed and experienced in different ways.
Mounira Al Solh is a Syrian Lebanese artist based in the Netherlands. She produces paintings, works on paper, video installations, embroidery and performative gestures that explore migration, memory, trauma and loss. Al Solh documents the experiences of those who have been forced to leave their homes due to political shifts, war and oppression, particularly focusing on the struggles of women in the Arab world. Often informed by her own heritage, her work considers the importance of oral histories and storytelling as a record of lived experience, including dialects and languages that cross boundaries between refugee communities.