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Unseen Art is an innovative project from Finland that will allow blind and visually impaired people to touch 3D versions of famous artworks.Marc Dillon from the Unseen Art project comments: “Creating equal access for art globally is our passion and goal. There are many people in the world who have heard of classical artworks their whole lives, but are unable to see them. Now they can experience them for the fi rst time and create their own impressions and opinions.”The company is seeking funding to allow the artworks to be available online as fi les that can be printed using a 3D printer, thereby allowing people from all over the world to recreate 3D versions of these famous works. Above: An example of Unseen Art – a 3D version of the Mona Lisa 3D artworks help visually impaired ‘see’ masterpiecesRos Kerslake, who has run the Princes Regeneration Trust (PRT) since 2006, is to be the new Chief Executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund, starting this summer. She takes over from Carole Souter who has stood down after 13 years in the post.Kerslake has transformed the PRT since she became its CEO and was awarded an OBE in the last New Year’s Honours List. She is also a Trustee of the Heritage Alliance, and although she trained as a solicitor, her working background is in industry, having been Property Director at Railtrack and Director of Business Services at Gulf Oil.Kerslake named new HLF headThe fellow below could well have been a face at Senlac Ridge on that fateful October 950 years ago, but actually he’s one of Past Pleasures, a member of the professional historical interpretation company, which has been hired by English Heritage to bring the Battle of Hastings to life. At weekends from Easter he will be one of your Norman guides to what happened that day. There’ll also be a Saxon lady to tell visitors about what the conquest meant to her way of life as part of 1066: Year of the Normans which involves the re-presentation of the site of Battle Abbey in East Sussex, originally built by William, including new interpretation, conservation of the Great Gatehouse and a new exhibition. Other events to commemorate the Norman invasion include a special anniversary battle on October 15 and 16. Jeremy Ashbee, Senior Properties Curator for English Heritage, said, “1066 is arguably the most important year in England’s history.” Below: One of the ‘Norman’ guidesBattle site will have Normanguides to bring history to lifeCreative United, the company behind the Arts Council’s ‘Own Art’ programme, is extending its operation to include a new scheme that will allow art lovers an interest-free loan of up to £25,000 to buy works of art.Creative United’s ‘Own Art Twenty’ will offer loans of £2,500 up to £25,000, re-payable over 20 months, to buy contemporary art and crafts, including paintings, drawings and sculpture, to glassware, ceramics, jewellery, furniture and textiles. The original Own Art loan scheme offers loans from £100 up to £2,500.Mary-Alice Stack, Chief Executive of Creative United, said: “The UK art market is one of the most exciting in the world, but many people are put off by the high prices. We fi rmly believe that art shouldn’t be for the small minority with the deepest pockets. “The ‘Own Art’ scheme was originally aimed at those people who were dipping their toe in the water, so to speak. Own Art Twenty takes the idea one stage further.” See www.ownart.org.uk for more details about the scheme.Art lovers to benefi t from loan boostStoryhouse is Chester’s new arts centreChester’s new £37m arts centre and library, due to open later this year, is to be called Storyhouse after an extensive public consultation. The largest regional arts project currently under construction, created out of an Art Deco cinema, Storyhouse will combine the management of theatre and library in one organisation, with three stages, café and cinema.Images ©: Historic Environment Scotland, Art UK, MRC/Luke Hayes, Past Pleasures/English Heritage, Bennetts Associates, Unseen Art.12 NADFAS REVIEW / SUMMER 2016 www.nadfas.org.ukARTS NEWS