The Museum of Modern Art Uses Sennheiser MobileConnect to Deliver an Inclusive Listening Experience
July 10, 2023
The New York City museum’s visitors hear audio at their own pace and volume.
New York, New York July 10, 2023 – The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City has become one of the first organizations to work with Sennheiser to customize the iOS and Android app for MobileConnect, an easy-to-use and intuitive Assistive Listening system that utilizes the Bring-Your-Own-Device philosophy.
MobileConnect is available to visitors in the Museum, with streaming audio that can perfectly sync with video and film works of art. MoMA visitors can use MobileConnect as an accessible assistive listening solution via their personal smartphones without the need for cumbersome and potentially difficult-to-clean wired headphones.
Another way MoMA is using MobileConnect is to allow visitors to experience multiple audio works in the same space, without creating an unpleasant cacophony or compromising audio quality or visitor experience.
MoMA installed an additional fiber network and switches in the exhibition space to accommodate the approximately 40 MobileConnect stations. Since visitors might not have their own devices or understand how to download and operate the MobileConnect app, the MoMA Audio Visual Department sourced, tested, and provisioned mobile devices and headphones that would be appropriate to hand out to visitors. This included hygiene solutions for devices and headphones. MoMA’s Visitor Engagement staff were employed and trained in the use of the system and how to best communicate its use to visitors.
A recent pilot at MoMA marked an unprecedented implementation of assistive listening/accessibility for audio works in a museum environment. With MobileConnect, MoMA estimates that over 95% of the art works with audio in an exhibition can be fully accessible to the hard of hearing.
