Materiality

Reaserchers:

David Kadish, Jeanette Angel, Aleksandra Dulic

An interactive media installation that combines and crosses over visual, tactile, olfactory and auditory elements in the construction, representation and engagement with the word “materiality.” Each letter of the word stands approximately 11 inches tall and is made from a different physical material, some of which are found in their raw forms in natural environments, such as tree bark or moss, others of which have been altered or transformed for human needs, a computer motherboard, dyed cotton velvet, black goose feathers or synthetic woven leatherette. The word, displayed on a wooden rack 5 feet off the ground, contains a sampling of materials chosen for differences in texture that allow varied sensations as the letters are experienced through sight, touch, sound and smell. On a hook below the rack is a sensor attached to the index finger of glove that has a wire leading to a set of headphones on another hook. The gallery attendee is encouraged to put on the glove and headphones and then gently stroke the letters. Depending on the texture of the material and quality of touch, the sound registering in the headphones changes slightly in timbre. The texture becomes a sonified experience with eyes closed; it is felt and heard. In addition, the letters engage the olfactory senses, bringing forward the smell of Ponderosa Pine, moss and earth or melted plastic. The installation allows for playful sensory exploration while engaging the tension between humans, nature and technology.