KPN Mooiste Contact Dagen: the art of looking without being able to see

KPN Mooiste Contact Fonds recently joined forces with the Bartiméus Foundation (an organization committed to improving the lives of the partially sighted and blind) to welcome 40 people with a visual impairment to Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. They were given the Unseen Boijmans tour, which has been developed especially for the blind and partially sighted. Even without being able to see (well), the guests were able to discover the special building, the art stored in it and also how art progresses through the Depot. Alongside KPN volunteers, they had a great experience and created some wonderful memories.

“A chance to immerse yourself in art for a while”
One of the guests was Diny; she is an artist herself and her eyesight is deteriorating. This was a very unique day for her: “I ‘looked’ at art in different ways today. Touching a miniature version of a sculpture brought the work of art to life even more. My visit to the Depot gave me the chance to really immerse myself in art for a while.”

The KPN Mooiste Contact Dagen are an initiative of the KPN Mooiste Contact Fonds, a fund that has championed more social contact for vulnerable groups in society for the last 15 years. Mark Versteegen, director of the KPN Mooiste Contact Fonds: “Regular social contact is essential for people’s well-being. Without it, feelings of loneliness and even social isolation can develop. This is why we organize the KPN Mooiste Contact Dagen - during which social contact is key - every year. The conversations between our guests and the KPN volunteers make a real difference because there’s nothing better than enjoying art in the company of others”!

KPN and Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen
Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen is the world’s first publicly-accessible art storage facility. More than 152,000 works of art are stored in the Depot, arranged and housed together in 14 storage compartments with five different climates. Besides the objects, the activities necessary when managing and maintaining a collection can all be seen as well. Part of KPN's art collection - which is one of the most prominent corporate collections in the Netherlands - has been housed at the Depot since it opened in 2020. As such, it is accessible to the Dutch public as well. The KPN art collection includes a large number of masterpieces by Dutch artists like Anton Corbijn, Jan Schoonhoven, Marlene Dumas and Rineke Dijkstra and also international works by Per Kirkeby and Thomas Demand.

KPN Mooiste Contact Fonds
The KPN Mooiste Contact Fonds is an initiative of KPN and celebrated its 15th anniversary last year. The fund supports initiatives by various social partners aimed at stimulating social contact among vulnerable groups in society for whom this contact is something that cannot be taken for granted. The fund uses knowledge, ICT, resources and people (KPN volunteers) to change that.