Tactility | The Official Guide
Tactility will take place in the Jannes Library at KCAI from May 17 thru September 20th. It will end in a Closing Party on 9/20/2024 from 1-2:30pm.
To make the exhibition more accessible, we have included this digital reference guide of all the works showing in the Tactility exhibition. Where possible, the words were left to the artist. Where no direct description is given, materials and any known processes will be included. Gloves are optional and will be provided to use by the library. Please return when finished. (*) mark where we used descriptive titles when work was untitled.
Supplemental material can be found at www.linktr.ee/Tactility. You can also scan the QR Code to go to the site directly.
Why Touch?
We are delighted to announce “Tactility: An Exhibition of Touch” an exploration that encourages artists and audiences to delve into the intricate and meaningful connection between touch and artistic expression. In a world often dominated by visual experiences, “Tactility” aspires to reshape our interaction with art, placing a significant emphasis on the sense of touch, all while fostering a crucial conversation around accessibility in the visual arts. We aim to stimulate connections between galleries, museums, artists, designers, audiences, and the disabilities community about how we can shift the “Look, but don’t touch narrative” to make exhibition of art as accessible and multisensory as the making of art.
1: Alex Coffey | *White Scarf
Description
Woven, huck-lace patterned table runner. It has small lifted sections and holes that are meant to be touched to experience the ways threads interact in the structure
Dimensions
L: 72 in. x W: 16 in.
Contact Info
Photo
2: “Lu” Hsiu Yu Lu | Cuddlepiller
Description
The “Cuddlepillar” is a caterpillar-shaped device initially intended as a heat pad to help ease menstrual pain. Adapting to design challenges, it now utilizes a vibration feature to provide comfort. When pressed, a button on the Cuddlepillar activates gentle vibrations, offering soothing relief during menstrual periods.
The initial design of the Cuddlepillar, tailored for women, featured a flower shape to specifically address menstrual pain relief. Recognizing the universal need for pain management, the design was transformed into a caterpillar shape to appeal to a broader audience. This strategic redesign emphasizes the commitment to inclusivity and comfort for all users.
Dimensions
9” x 45”
How to Touch
Press button on inside near center of chest, feel vibration in area near abdomen.
Contact Info
Photo
3: Keith Kirkland | Intro + Design for All India
Description
3A. 2 Introductions – Top
by Keith Kirkland
by ChatGPT (Using the original as a prompt)
3B. Pullout Reading Experience – Design for All India – Keith Kirkland
3C. Haptic Rap in Large Print
Dimensions
11” x 17” Color laser printed paper
Contact Info
KCAI: kekirkland@kcai.edu
Business: keith@thehaptic9.com
Photo
4: Clint Hanson | Evolve
Description
Evolve was a sculpture I created in a large piece of Alabaster. I chose alabaster because it is known as a crystal that is believed to have healing properties against medical issues like tension, headaches, and problems that are related to painful joints. I felt it fit me. This moment and object was meant to be representational of the beginning of a late transition of a moment in my life after I re-injured my lower back. I chose to address this issue of where I was now in my life. With new physical limitations it was something I felt I needed to do. A task that I placed on myself to prove I could evolve back into a productive moment in my life that had given me many limitations.
The sculpture is pinkish and translucent in color which gives it a fleshy organic appearance. In its shape and form it represents a repeated line that could easily be seen as a spline that is exposed on the surface and flowing repeatedly in different areas. Alabaster is strong and solid, yet very fragile and scares easily. There is also a series of ridges that represents a spline that becomes exposed in areas while it is twisting as it shifts from one side to the other. This sculpture also has fishers, cracks, and imperfections throughout its surface which reflects how I felt about myself as my life has been put into a constant state of change.
The sculpture has four sections which represent the different time periods of the careers that I have had in my life. It also has what could be seen as a pinnacle at the top when it stands in its upright tall position. There is an impression that represents that something is missing from its overall form. This is meant to be the loss of mobility and movement in my life that has been taken away with my injury.
It has been designed without a top and bottom front or back, could be placed in different positions and take on a different look or feel, and can be upright and tall or on its side lying in a different orientation. This decision was to make it flexible in its aesthetic appearance. This is how I have had to be throughout my life flexible and able to take on a different role in time. Even though the work is personal, I think it can represent a different narrative to other people. Evolve is a piece that is also meant to be physically touched.
Dimensions
9″ x 7″ x 16 3/4″
Contact Info
Photo
5: Alison Wood | *Dodecahedron
Description
Yellow Felt. The form was 3D Modeled in Rhino. Added software was used to flatten 3D models into 2D patterns capable of being assembled. Originally created as an example project to show students for Soft Goods Prototyping elective in Product Design.
Dimensions
14” x 14” x 14”
Contact Info
Photo
6: Aaron McIntosh | *Walnut Live Edge Table
Description
A live edge walnut table and stool set. The consistency of live edge tops, and Japanese joinery, creates a harmonious visual experience. The chatoyancy of the wood creates ripples that appear so real upon appearance yet completely fictional upon touch. The smooth feeling of the table top, soothes those that engage with it while hues of brown dance in such a way that you can almost feel its energy. It is so new but so old, so bold yet so serene, it is alive changing all the time just as we are.
Dimensions
36” x 52” x 25”
Contact Info
How to Touch
The chair can be sat in. Both it and the table use joinery as a way of avoiding nails or glues. Table and chair flat pack and reassemble.
Photo
7: Sara Enríquez | Calladita te ves más bonita
Description
“Calladita te ves más bonita” or “Quiet, you look more beautiful” is a mixed media that combines techniques to create a piece to proclaim women rights and equality. It is inspired by my Mexican heritage and how I was raised in a society where I was told women should be seen but not heard. It has multiple surfaces to touch but you need to lift part of the clothing to interact with the piece. Underneath it has some words or phrases that as women we have always in our heads even if we don’t talk about it. It also comes with a zine that is in English and Spanish to make the full statement and representation.
Dimensions
33” x 35” x 2”
Contact Info
sara.enriquez.norton@gmail.com
Photo
8: Snow Gray | The Hug
Description
The Hug is a form that was created to house a bluetooth speaker. It’s outer form is meant to feel like a hug. 3D Model made in walnut wood with a CNC machine.
Dimensions
12” x 10” x 5”
Contact Info
Photo
9: Alabaster Hymer | Filth
Description
“Filth” is an art book all about embracing degeneracy and dirtiness. I grew up being “the fat weird kid”, and no one cared to learn anything else about me. I developed an aversion to the usual “dirty” parts of growing up; things like playing in the dirt, sports that make you sweaty, and eating sugary treats at birthday parties. Items like candy bar wrappers, open sauce packets, and donut glaze are strewn about in this piece, hidden from the public eye in its own safe space. I became an internet-obsessed recluse and was groomed online due to my misguided safety in strangers and fear of judgment in the real world.
The contrast of sticky greasy filth which contests anime stickers and marker doodles represents the era and space of the internet I inhabited at this time. Sometime into my adolescent years, I realized what happened to me was wrong, and I realized that this “filth” I had projected onto myself was nothing more than just that; a projection. I became proud of this filth I was so afraid of growing up, and decided to take pride in the parts of me that made me human. From the sticky sauces of foods that keep me nourished, to the hair that keeps me warm, “Filth” is a representation of all the things that make me proud to be a dirty living creature.
Dimensions
8” x 10”
How to Touch
A table-top display would work best, and gloves may be provided due to sensory or sanitary issues.
Contact Info
Photo
10: Ryann McKinney |
Description
Description: Two offering jars adorned with skulls and gold ropes connecting them. The offering jars have cups that act as lids and people can gently lift them and leave their own offerings in the smaller jars or they can simply leave an offering in the cup as it sits atop the jar. The three vessels are porcelain with a crackled light green glaze and exposed clay with carbon trapping leaving a dark burnt orange/brown color.
Dimensions
11in x 5 in x 5 in with lids on / 11 in 5in x 3in with lids off
How to Touch
This work is very fragile because of the many skulls that line the edges. People would need to be very mindful in how they handle the lids as they place their offering into the vessel. The lids should be handled from the bottom where there is no decoration and they should be gently lifted from and placed back onto their respective vessels. Or if they would just like to lift and look into the lids as there is a skull on the bottom of the inside as a little surprise. People would be instructed to leave a note or an item of their choosing that reminded them of a time they appreciated or confronted their mortality. These can be displayed on a pedestal or table top. Something people can approach, and scrap pieces of paper would be located near them with a writing utensil in case people do not have an object they’d like to offer.
Contact Info
Photo
11: Jade Kizer Jr. | “Fae Diamond”
Description
This artwork titled “Fae Diamond” has two contrasting elements. The outside is hardboard wood which was chosen for its uniform texture. This causes the diamond to appear plain, solid, and smooth. But inside is a hidden world of vibrant color and soft texture. All the inner panels are lined with upholstery foam and covered in a layer of fabric. This creates a magical, soft, and squish interior to juxtapose the exterior. It is like an amethyst geode in that way.
Dimensions
L:28″ x W:8″ x D: 8″
Contact Info
Photo
12: Zoe Still | Untitled
Description
My piece is a speaker with a subtly curving wooden surface that resembles a soft flower in silhouette. Its top surface has a series of holes drilled into it which are five arcs arranged into a swirling shape that mimics the form of the speaker itself. The wood is a dark, warm-toned walnut with lighter and darker stripes of the grain running horizontally across.
Dimensions
7” diameter x 2.5” height/thickness
Contact Info
How to Touch
To be placed on a flat surface and felt with both hands on the top surface OR held in both hands to feel the hills and valleys of the wood form around the outside.
Photo
13: Sascha Merryfield | “Geiger Angel”
Description
“Geiger Angel” is a soft sculpture made of varied fabrics, many of which are second-hand remnants. One side of her body is a smooth, reduced horse-shape, complete with a shapely tail, main, and unicorn horn. Her other side is covered in many soft, sagging projections, as if she is beginning to melt. Her patchwork skin, which includes bits of quilting cotton, satin, soft cotton voile, and an old pair of pantyhose, is dyed in browns and bruise-like tones with a mix of Procion dyes and Black Walnut. Beads and marbles are stuffed into some of her feet and the projections on her body to add weight and tactile interest.
Dimensions
26in x 20in x 45in
How to Touch
Geiger Angel would be best set on a soft chair or couch in the library. Visitors may sit on the chair with her, hold them in her lap, or touch her / pick her up while they stand if they prefer.
Contact Info
Photo
14: Lynze Fant |
Description
A bluetooth speaker pillow that tells you bedtime stories as
you lay on it.
Dimensions
20” x 20” 6”
Contact Info
Photo
15: Ryann McKinney | *3 Cups
Description
Description: The work is 3 individual cups meant to be used and made with intent of tactile stimulation for your hands. Two cups are pink and yellow gradient with gold luster on raised bumps. One is larger with a handle (a) and one is smaller without a handle(b). The smaller one has both raised bumps and carved detail for variety in sensation. The third small cup is brown and green with an inset shelf with four small skulls stacked on each other(c). This allows the viewer to feel and observe the space on their cup, the rest of the surface is smooth. All are food safe and ready to be used.
Dimension
A. 5in x 5in x3in | B. 4in x 3.5in x 3in | C. 4in x 4in x 3in
How to Touch
These can be kept on a table top, people. May pick them up as they please. One cup has a handle and the others do not.
Contact Info
Photo
16: Keith Kirkland | The Haptic Egg
Description
A vibrating egg-shaped form CNC’d in wood. It has a light blue 3D printed cradle with a wooden laser-cut platform ring. When you pick the Haptic Egg, it will randomly pick a direction that it wants you to find. With the Haptic Egg in your hand, turn in a 360 degree circle while standing in place.
Can you figure out the correct way to go without being told? Once done, sit back in the cradle. The technology in the Haptic Egg helped the first person who is blind to fun in the NYC marathon. The WearWorks’ HapticNav™ app uses your phone as the haptic egg tech to give you turn by turn directions using only vibration. It is FREE on iOS and Android.
Dimensions
14 x 10 x 3
How to Touch
Picking up the Haptic Egg from its cradle will activate it and it will start vibrating.
Contact Info
Photo
17: Haven Lee | Haptic Ruler
Description
A haptic ruler that enables the user to feel 45° increments when rotated on the page. Pressing slightly on the bar along the top sets the rotational position to zero, allowing pre-existing lines to be referenced and drawn parallel or perpendicular to this new reference line. The ruler is comprised of an engraved acrylic base, and a 3D printed housing.
Dimensions
10” x 2” x 2”
How to Touch
When you feel a pulsing vibration, you will know you are on the 45 degree line. It is very sensitive to 1 degree, so pay attention to what you feel and turn the ruler slowly. Feel free to practice on the paper provided.
Contact
Photo
18: Danielle Luyet | Speaker
Description
A speaker designed to sit vertically
Dimensions
10” x 7” x 7”
Contact
Photo
19: “Lu” Hsiu Yu Lu | Flower Pad
Description
Goal: Use heat to ease menstrual pain. Target users are female, therefore the original form is designed to be flower. The fabric is treated with a special dye, changing color when it’s heated. Between the fabric is a layer of heat-generating textile. Inspired by a project on Adafruit
Dimensions
4” x 4”
Contact Info
Photo
20: Brian Cummings | Ritual Stone
Description
The Ritual Stone is more than just a tool; it’s your personal mindfulness companion. Designed to deepen your focus, it harnesses gentle vibrations to guide you into a state of present awareness.
Ritualistic by Design: Inspired by age-old practices, the Ritual Stone demands attention. The moment your focus wavers, it vibrates—a gentle nudge to return you to the here and now.
Dimensions
4” x 3” x 1.5”
How to Touch
1. Activate Your Focus: Begin your journey by holding the Ritual Stone. Wrap your hands around its sensor-laden surface to initiate.
2. Stay Engaged: Maintain your light grip and let the stone’s subtle vibrations anchor you. The vibrations are not just reminders but bridges to deeper mindfulness
3. Timed Sessions for Structured Reflection: Each session is timed, allowing you to fully immerse in the moment without the distraction of watching the clock.
Contact Info
Photo
21: Sophia Koch Holdsworth | A Set of Cups
Description
A set of small cups with thumb indents on one side. Each cup has illustrations of various animals. The thumb indent has a bare clay and a different texture to the rest of the cup. The cups are drinking and food safe.
Dimensions
Cups (set of 5): 2.5″ tall 3.5″ wide
Contact Info
skochholdsworth@students.kcai.edu
Photo
22: “Laney” Yuan | Haptic Reminder Case
Description
A smart phone case with six buttons for easy task management.
Five buttons set reminders at intervals of 3, 10, 15, 30, and 45 minutes, while the sixth acts as a stop button. Vibrating alerts ensure timely task completion.
Dimensions
6” x 3” x 0.75”
How to Touch
The first button is a stop button. The remaining buttons act as timers, each set to 4 seconds for demonstration purposes.. Press any button to activate the vibrating motor. Use the first button to stop the vibration.
Contact Info
Photo
23: Haven Lee | Speaker
Description
A 3d printed speaker made using parametric modeling tools in Rhino called Grasshopper.
Dimensions
5.7” x 2.8” x 0.3”
How to Touch
Please handle it carefully. Speaker comes apart into two pieces. Wire to the second speaker has been disconnected to allow users to look inside. Feel free to pick up from the bottom. Please put the piece back together when finished. It only fits back in one configuration.
Contact Info
Photo
24: Danielle Luyet | Feel the Internet
Description
This project aims to create a haptic interaction system for a website using Node.js, Johnny-Five, Firmata, Express, Socket.io, and Serialport. The system allows a webpage to communicate with an Arduino board, enabling users to experience a variable haptic intensity effect based on an HTML slider and a simple graphic interface. In the future, different haptic effects based on hover and click actions will be implemented.
Dimensions
6” x 6” x 2”
Contact
Photo
25: Olivia Gordon-Hauser | Haptic Pace Keeper
Description
Haptic Pace Keeper for runner in an Armband sleeve. As a runner, one of the ways to prevent an injury is maintaining a consistent running pace. The haptic metronome helps runners stay on a set pace by sending vibrations. User connects the device to the computer and sets the increments of steps per minute.
Arduino Pro-mini, Haptic Driver, Vibrating motor,
Dimensions
6.5” x 4” x 1”
Contact Info
ogordonhauser@students.kcai.edu
Photo
26: Brian Cummings | Artist Speaker
Description
A bluetooth speaker design for Artists.
Dimensions
20” x 9” x 6”
Contact Info
Photo
27: Szo Nemeth | Untitled
Description
A large wearable doll with a birthday cake bag and a birthday party hat.
Dimensions
48” x 36” x 8”
Contact
Photo
28: Keithius | Haptics (We Have a Vision) in Braille
Description
“Haptic” means Touch. “Haptics (We Have a Vision)” is a rap song about the word haptic. What does it mean? How is it being used? And how two millennia of under-investment in research dollars spent understanding touch has impacted haptic innovation. Listen to the full song on Soundcloud!
Written and performed by Keith Kirkland (ASCAP Keithius), produced by 2x paralympian Markeith Price (ASCAP Sonic P.) and arranged by Rhys Hall (ASCAP The Source Academy Kid). Recorded at Billboard HQ in NYC. Debut performance at SXSW ‘23. Braille was printed with support from the Kansas State School for the Blind.
Dimensions
12 x12 Paper with printed Braille Dots.
How to Touch
Begin at the top most page at the top left most corner. Slide your finger from LEFT to RIGHT and then from Top to Bottom, just like reading in English.
Contact Info
Photo
29. Sophia Koch Holdsworth | “Brian”
Description
A medium sized creature similar to a porcupine with ceramic spines that twinkle when it is moved. The body is made out of pink insulation foam that was glued and carved. Then a layer of quilt batting was sewn around the body to help smooth out the body and add a layer for the fiber to adhere to. The entire body then had brown and white fiber felted on to it to create fur. Looser tufts have been added on to the back and sides to make a pattern and visual interest. His names Brian
Dimensions
Brian: 23″ tall x 15″ wide
How to Touch
Brian can be a pet and his nose can be wiggled around to make a twinkling noise.
Contact Info
skochholdsworth@students.kcai.edu
Photo
30: Olivia Gordon-Hauser |
Description
A Tactile Experience with Fiber based materials. Some fur, felt, woven, knit, curtain, rope, and plenty of other textures ranging from soft to stiff.
Dimensions
3’ x 4’
Contact Info
ogordonhauser@students.kcai.edu
Photo
31: Myla McCune | *Handbag + Ceramics
Description
Handbag made with fabrics and ceramics. Soft Good Prototyping elective in Product Design,. Fall 2023.
Dimensions
8” x 12” x 2.5”
Contact
Photo
