Our project was co-constructed to fulfill a dual ambition: to conduct innovative research (ERC OSPAPIK) and to make this research inclusive. By using consultative design to create an object adapted to the needs of blind and low-vision children and parents and professionals, this work offers an unprecedented multi-sensory experience that combines scientific knowledge, aesthetic pleasure, and artistic practice.

The project received the Seal of Excellence from the European Research Council for its quality and societal impact and was labeled “The Sea in Common” by the Ministry of Ecological Transition as part of the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3).

The expression “ghost nets” refers to fishing nets and gear lost or abandoned that pollute the oceans. In Australia, Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists transform these deadly marine wastes into vibrant works of art.

For over 20 years, Géraldine Le Roux, an anthropologist and curator, has collaborated with these artists to study their work and, more generally, cultural representations of the ocean. Understanding this art involves a tactile exploration: following the gestures – from sorting to transformation – and feeling the material.

This is why OSPAPIK partnered with the publishing house Les Doigts Qui Rêvent (a pioneer in tactile books for 30 years) and the Natural History Museum of Le Havre, which holds the largest collection of ghostnet art in France.

OSPAPIK, Les Doigts Qui Rêvent, and the Museum implemented a vast consultative design process. More than 20 workshops were organized across Europe (France, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal) and Australia.

The goal? To engage more than 300 participants – adults and children, with and without visual, motor, or mental disabilities – to test the prototypes and to pinpoint the practical requirements for inclusive cultural outreach. This inclusive approach led to a final object validated by its future users.

More than just a book to read alone, the Papik sensory box set is a device intended for the collections of art and natural history museums, aquariums, media libraries, and institutes for blind and low-vision children and parents. It can also be used in a classroom.

How does it work? Thanks to the included user guide and educational worksheets, scientific and cultural mediators have a “turnkey” scenario to facilitate inclusive workshops. The goal is to create meeting spaces where sighted and blind and low-vision people learn together, by handling the same objects and sharing their feelings.

A Committed Distribution
In accordance with our commitments to accessibility (ERC Public Engagement), part of the production will be subject to targeted donations to organizations serving audiences far from scientific culture or with limited resources, ensuring that the price of the book is never a barrier to knowledge.

For an authentic experience, the box set is made with the artists’ own materials: ghost nets collected from the coastline, marine wastes, and mother-of-pearl from Oceania.

Social Inclusion: The collection and cleaning of the nets are entrusted to an ESAT (Support and Service for Work Assistance), promoting professional inclusion.

Sustainability: Regarding eco-design, we are currently working to replace synthetic paper with bio-sourced materials.

Craftsmanship: The whole set is a hand-sewn book, assembled by the seamstresses of the Les Doigts Qui Rêvent workshop in Dijon.