For about 25 years Alain Mikli has been committed to projects that make art and the world’s beauties accessible to people with visual impairment.

In 2010, the Luxottica Group brand began working with the Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac of Paris – a prestigious institute founded by Jacques Chirac and dedicated to the art and civilizations of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas – on making the Museum’s exhibitions and initiatives accessible to people with visual impairment by creating tactile reproductions of the works on display.

During accessibility Week organized by the Paris Museum from December 3 through 11, 2016, the Alain Mikli team presented the latest result of this commitment: the tactile globe, a useful and innovative tool with elements in relief on its surface. The aim is to help people with more or less serious vision problems to locate the peoples and civilizations and the rich artistic heritage featured by the Museum.

The construction of the globe required lengthy design work. The use of handcrafted modeling techniques together with 3D printing made key elements such as continents, mountains, deserts, borders, rivers and oceans easily recognizable to the touch by special textures on the surfaces, shapes in relief and contrasts.

Because the Museum is dedicated to non-European civilizations, Europe has been marked with a black and smooth area, with the exception of France that is raised so that visitors can locate themselves in comparison with the works and civilization they will discover at the Museum.

Thanks to the globe created by Alain Mikli and to the many other tools made available by the Museum, art and culture are easily accessible to all visitors without exception: a sharing experience that overcomes all obstacles.