The Complexity of Touch is in immersive installation project I began in 2022. It has been generously supported by Arts Council England.
The Complexity of Touch is a tactile immersive installation designed to be explored through sight, sound, and, most importantly, touch. The installation invites a haptic journey where the imagination is ignited and memories activated through physically touching everything in the installation. A combination of made objects (some very large and some small), moving image and audio create a space that visitors can explore through all their senses, feeling, rather than merely seeing, the beauty in form, like a composition for the hands in three dimensions. Visuals in the form of projected moving image is integrated into the tactile experience and the specially commissioned soundscape, created by Nye Parry, explores the tactility of sound and vibration through resonant objects in the space.
The installation probes the role touch and body play in sculpting perception, memory and imagination. It has been informed by original psychological research undertaken at Royal Holloway University as part of a collaboration between artist Madi Boyd and psychologist Professor Polly Dalton. The research phase, which included participant trials at the laboratory in The Attention Lab at Royal Holloway University investigated the effect of variations in complexity in different sensory modalities and particularly whether there is a ‘sweet spot’ in haptic complexity for aesthetic experiences. The trials assessed what combinations and levels of complexity of sensory input are most memorable, attention grabbing and compelling, and more likely to induce mental imagery or cause ‘overload’.
Further collaboration with Professor Hannah Thompson at Royal Holloway has helped to
shape the design of the installation such that people’s diverse sensory needs and
preferences act as inspiration throughout the creation of the work.
The installation includes a variety of materials such as ceramic objects, fabrics, rope, husks, lavender, feathers and metal.
