Last week brought a wave of excitement to NCW as ITV News journalist Ben Chapman and a film crew visited our campus to speak with students about an extraordinary new musical project that’s transforming how we experience art.

The visit centred around Dolby’s innovative initiative, “Sound of a Masterpiece”—a multi-sensory album created specifically to enhance the experience of visual artwork for blind and partially sighted individuals.

Working alongside partially sighted composer Bobby Goulder, award-winning artists from the New Radiophonic Workshop, and Dolby Atmos mix engineers, the project reimagines iconic masterpieces—such as Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Edvard Munch’s The Scream—as immersive audio experiences.

Our students were invited to share their thoughts and reactions to the project, reflecting on what it means to experience art through sound. For many, it was a powerful and emotional experience—opening up new ways of connecting with iconic works that are typically only accessible through sight. They spoke about how the music evoked vivid imagery, emotion and memories. It was a truly inspiring moment to see students engage so thoughtfully with the idea that art is not just something we see, but something we can feel and hear as well.

The album is available now on Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon Music and all proceeds go to RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People), supporting their ongoing work in building a more inclusive society.

• Sound of a Masterpiece – Tracklist:
• Mona Lisa – Leonardo da Vinci
• The Water-Lily Pond – Claude Monet
• The Scream – Edvard Munch
• Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbirds – Frida Kahlo
• A Bigger Splash – David Hockney
• Kings of Egypt – Jean-Michel Basquiat
• The Persistence of Memory – Salvador Dalí

This project represents a major step forward in making the arts more accessible and inclusive—and we’re thrilled that NCW students could be a part of it.

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