ModTech

A Multi-Sensory Experience Project for the Grey Art Gallery

This project was a collaboration with Grey Art Gallery to make their visitor experience more accessible by creating sensory experiences, tactile graphics, and audio to supplement their displayed artwork. The goal is to create a valuable sensory experience for –

  • those who have visual impairments
  • differing cognitive capabilities
  • those seeking to experience the artifact in a new way
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Time to complete: 4 Weeks, Spring of 2023

My Role: Designer, Fabricator (Touch Object)

Team: 3 Experience Designers

Tools used: Laser Cutting, CNC, Crafting, Illustrator

Installation space: Grey Art Gallery

Time to complete:

My Role: 

Team:

Tools used:

Installation space:

9 weeks,  Spring of 2023

Designer, Fabricator (Touch object)

3 Experience Designers

Laser Cutting, CNC, Crafting, Illustrator

Grey Art Gallery

A Conversation with Grey Art Gallery

Our team decided on participating in one of the gallery’s guided tours to understand the space and to decide on appropriate artwork for touch object replication. We also met with the stakeholders for Grey Art Gallery to facilitate discussion of aesthetics and safety considerations. Our goal was to spend the first  3 weeks planning and designing how we’d like to incorporate the replica into the gallery space as well as getting familiar with the various techniques used to replicate the works.

Understanding the Gallery's Needs

  1. Anticipating a change in location of the Gallery soon, we  did not focus on  designing with the aesthetics of the current space in mind, but rather the sustainability and mobility of the pieces.
  2. Many physical replicas (ex. 3D model for a sculpture) would take up space in storage, especially if the original art piece is not a permanent display.
  3. With more paintings and framed pictures than sculptures, we had to find more creative ways to represent them in pursuit of making the gallery experience more accessible.

Selecting the Artworks

Within the spectrum of real to abstract, visual descriptions would be helpful towards the more realistic visuals while the abstract would benefit from other forms of representation. Art that falls within the intersection of these two categories would benefit from additional multisensory experience.

Criteria for selecting artwork for this project –

  • Duration of display in exhibit
  • Ease of maintenance
  • Containing abstract elements that will benefit from multisensory description
  • Popularity and importance to the gallery

RÉSONATEUR (RESONATOR) BY FRANCIS PICABIA

Why a touch object? 

  • Smooth lines, geometric shapes, and symbols making it easy to maintain accuracy
  • Can be replicated using digital fabrication techniques
  • Artwork protected by glass so touch object can be placed next to it

The goal with the touch object is to maintain the accuracy and quality of the artwork and for visitors to be able to feel the exact brushstrokes, lines, and colors come alive beneath their hands.

The following artwork was chosen by my fellow designers to curate soundscapes consisting of mixed sounds that best represent the ambiguous and visually complex nature of the work.

RAIN BY JEANNE REYNAL

PORTRAIT #9 BY PHILIP SMITH

Prototyping

The first step was to trace a digital image of the painting in Illustrator. Next, the shapes and symbols were separated into two layers based on color. The final size is approximately A4 (8.3 x 11.7 in) since it is the closest ratio to the board of the original artwork. Using a cardboard base, the two layers underwent a few iterations in a laser cutter to get the initial prototype.

The corrections to the prototype included a layer of mod podge so that the glossy smooth surface was easy to clean after being touched repeatedly. The wire symbol was initially hard to distinguish, so steel wires were manually pressed into the etched laser-cut guide. 

The Day of the Exhibit!

Weekend at the Square on April 15, 2023, was the perfect platform for starting our user tests. The updated versions of our prototypes were displayed in the gallery for visitors to experience. By keeping the accessibility needs of certain visitors in mind, we set up a website for relaying necessary information about this multisensory experience project – Click here to see the page.

We also printed leaflets for visitors to pick up from the front desk, which also has all this information from the website about the project and the works, the map, and the QR codes for the soundscapes.

Visitor Interaction and Observations

Visitors: 14
Age Range of average users: 35-65
Ease of use of technology for them: Moderate to low
Gender: Mixed

While there was some initial hesitancy to interact with the touch object, all seemed to enjoy listening and interacting with all of the pieces.

  • Provides an added layer of experience (touch + visual)
  • Gives a different interpretation than what visitors may initially think
  • What if the touch piece was the same size as the original artwork?
  • Interest in more touch experiences in other galleries and museums
  • What if we touch the piece first blindly before seeing the artwork?

Final Words

  1. Visitors were excited to experience new interactions in a gallery or museum and expressed wanting to see more variations.
  2. Peer and user feedback was very useful in getting to our final product for each artwork as well as trial and error with certain materials
  3.  It is important to create a sensory experience that compliments the original work rather than distracts from or overshadows it.