(This article was written by capito translated into easy language.)

The Essl Foundation is an organization that works to ensure that people with disabilities can participate in society and that they have the same rights as people without disabilities. This applies to all areas of life, especially art.

15 percent of people have a disability. That is 1.3 billion people around the world. They are excluded from many things,
which are completely normal for people without disabilities. But that shouldn't be the case. The United Nations, for example, has agreed on this. The United Nations is an organization to which almost all countries in the world belong. They have set 17 goals. The goals are to be achieved by 2030 and to improve the lives of all people. All countries have signed the goals. These goals state, for example, that no one is left behind. The United Nations has also made a treaty: the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Many countries have signed the treaty, including Austria. They must abide by the treaty.

In the contract it states:
It must be possible for people with disabilities to participate in society. They must have the same rights as people without disabilities. But even though the goals and the treaty exist, this is not yet reality. People with disabilities are still disadvantaged. They cannot participate in everything, for example when it comes to art.

For a world without barriers

Martin Essl, Gerda Essl and their four children founded the Essl Foundation in 2007. The organization supports social projects and new ideas.
Especially when it comes to people with disabilities. The Zero Project has been around since 2010. This is a project by the Essl Foundation. With this project, the Essl Foundation wants to help people with disabilities to come up with new ideas
really get their rights.

It is very important to the Essl Foundation that everyone has access to art. This is because the Essl family themselves love art. That is why the Essl Foundation supports new ideas on how everyone can experience art. The Essl Foundation wants to show artists that a work of art is even better when you can experience it with multiple senses.

Here you can see 3 examples of such works of art.

The plaque on human dignity

This is a work of art by Wilfried Gerstel. It is about fundamental rights,
that all people in Europe have. The European Union has written down these basic rights. One sentence in the basic rights states: Human dignity is inviolable. This means: No one may violate the dignity of people. No one may be treated worse. Every person is of equal value.

For the artwork, Wilfried Gerstel chose 10 languages that are spoken in Europe. This shows that there are many different languages and scripts in Europe. Wilfried Gerstel wrote the sentence in the 10 languages on boards. There is also a Braille line on the artwork. This means that blind people and people with visual impairments can also read the sentence.

The artwork belongs to Martin and Gerda Essl. They have loaned it to the Austrian Parliament. The Parliament building was recently
It was very important that the building was barrier-free and that everyone could use it. That is why the work of art fits very well into the new parliament building.

The Corona Memorial

The Corona Memorial is a work of art by Emmerich Weissenberger and Nora Ruzsics. They worked on it with Alfred Strigl from the ÖIN research institute. The wooden memorial consists of two black bows.
They go up and down endlessly. The 2 loops represent

• Sustainability:
  This means that we take good care of the environment.
• Inclusion:
  This means that all people
  can participate in society.

These two things are very important for our life after Corona. If we want to have a good future, we have to take good care of the environment and of all people. The memorial is barrier-free. Everyone can walk through the memorial or drive through with a stroller, wheelchair or walker. The space between the loops represents love.
A love that applies to all people and all things.

There are 7 bronze circles on the statue. The circles represent 7 important qualities that we need for a good future, such as courage and hope. The monument is primarily for these people:

• People who died because of Corona.
• People who because of Corona
  had a difficult life.
• People who contribute to society
  helped during Corona.
  For example, doctors.

In 2022, the monument was erected on Heldenplatz in Vienna.
In 2023, Martin and Gerda Essl donated the monument to the Medical University of Vienna. First, it stands in front of a hospital, in the Vienna AKH. You can see it there. Later, it will be in the Medical University.

The second monument

There is a second monument that looks the same as the Corona monument.
It is made of golden bronze and is called Monument of Hope. This is English and means monument of hope.

The Monument of Hope is to be brought to many countries around the world.
It is intended to show that we can have a good future after Corona and include everyone. To make this work, a sledge was specially built. The sledge can be used to push the monument into a container.
In this way the monument can be moved to different locations.

If the monument was everywhere, the container might be converted into a small museum. The museum should be easily accessible to everyone.
It is intended to show how art can include all people.

Street art for everyone

Street art is English. It means public art, for example on houses and on the street.

In Serbia there is an organization called Street Art Belgrade. Belgrade is the capital of Serbia. Street Art Belgrade researches and promotes public art in Serbia. The organization has been around for 20 years. It is particularly important for Street Art Belgrade that everyone can experience the art.

A few years ago, three murals were created in Vienna. These are the first murals in Austria that have been made accessible to everyone. Street Art Belgrade selected the pictures together with Jakob Kattner.
He is leading a major street art event in Vienna called Calle Libre.
This is Spanish and means free road.

The murals for everyone are at Karl-Farkas-Platz. This is a square in the 7th district of Vienna. There is also a park there. At the entrance to the park there will soon be a tactile model for each mural. A tactile model is a small model that looks exactly like the work of art. Blind people can touch it and experience the work of art. There is a description in Braille underneath the tactile model.

There is also a board with information for people,
who can see. And there is a QR code. If you scan it, you get more information about the artwork.

Wall picture Inclusion

Every year, the Zero Project organizes a large meeting for people with and without disabilities from all over the world. In 2023, a mural will be created at this meeting together with Street Art Belgrade.

Everyone can then see and experience the mural.
It will be exhibited in Vienna: in the House of Philanthropy. The mural is intended to show: This is what art can look like for everyone.

Interview with Martin Essl

Martin Essl is an entrepreneur himself. He has seen that there are many advantages
when people with disabilities work in the company.

Martin Essl wants to show this to other companies. That's why he started the Zero Project. With the Zero Project, he is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities can fully participate in society.

The museum guide had a conversation with him.

Museum Guide:
Why do we need art that everyone can perceive and experience?

Martin Essl:
Because everyone has the right to art. Austria signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2008.
This means that Austria has to comply with it.

The UN Convention states: It must be possible for all people to participate fully in society. This naturally includes museums. Because museums are important in society. In addition, many museums receive
also receive money from the Austrian state. The UN Convention therefore also applies to them.

Museum Guide:
What does an inclusive museum look like to you?

Martin Essl:
If art is there for everyone, everyone can experience it together. The museum is then a place where people with and without disabilities meet. Through art we also learn to see things differently.

Everyone should have the opportunity to experience art.
But they should not be forced to do so. Inclusive art should be there for everyone, regardless of whether they have a disability or not.

Museum Guide:
Does this mean that inclusive art is also good for people without disabilities?

Martin Essl:
Yes. We all want to experience things with as many senses as possible. This way we remember them for much longer. So it is good for everyone to
when they can experience art with multiple senses.

You can see this, for example, in statues that are completely smooth in places. Many people like to touch statues. Another example is music. You can not only hear the rhythm of the music, but also feel it. That's good for deaf people. But it's also exciting for people who can hear.

Museum Guide:
There have been incidents in museums recently. Young people who are committed to climate protection have come to museums. There they have made works of art dirty. Are museums now afraid that the works of art will be damaged if people can attack them?

Martin Essl:
Of course, works of art must be protected. But there are many ways to make works of art accessible to everyone. There are also technical possibilities,
that help with this.

Not all works of art have to be accessible to everyone. Some works of art are enough. No one can remember all works of art anyway,
when he has visited a museum. That is why it is okay if not all works of art are accessible to everyone.

Museum Guide:
Is it possible to make all art accessible to everyone?

Martin Essl:
At the Zero Project, we are always looking for new ideas on how to do this.
We have already collected many examples. They show that there are already many possibilities today. This way, museums can see what is possible. And people with disabilities can see what new ideas and developments are available.

Explanation: Zero Project

Zero Project is English and means zero project. It is pronounced like this: Siro Protschekt. The name is intended to show that the organization works for a society in which there are no obstacles for people with disabilities.

Zero Project works to ensure that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is actually implemented. The following topics are particularly important in the UN Convention:

• Accessibility
• Work
• Education
• Self-determined life
• Have a say in politics

Every year, Zero Project looks for new ideas on these topics. These are particularly often in the areas of information technology, but also art. Every year, 500 new ideas are submitted from more than 100 countries. The organization works with experts all over the world. More than 1,000 experts select the best ideas together every year. These best ideas are presented at the Zero Project Conference. This is the big meeting that Zero Project organizes every year. It takes place at the United Nations Center in Vienna. You can find more information here:
zeroproject.org