Sensing the Gallery

MA/MDES Design [Interaction] Design Dissertation

SENSING THE GALLERY Adding a new sensory experience through the introduction of Sensory Substitution Devices.

Amanda Jean Tichenor 40179661

Supervised by Peter Buwert August 2015

Acknowledgements Thanks go to Peter Buwert, for supervising the integrity of this work, as well as to Mairi Lafferty and Patricia Allerston for their patience, help and cooperation within the interviews.

Abstract We find ourselves in a crossroad of aesthetic change, one where our surroundings are underlined with an aesthetic concern for the beautiful, with a tendency to make everything into a spectacle that shimmers before our eyes. Our senses are now taking over, making their way back into spaces that have tried to lock them down. One of these is the Art Gallery, creating a new type of visitor, one concerned with the reality of our digitally altered surroundings. Consequently new types of aesthetics in the art and gallery appear, making the visitor’s presence key to the piece and place.

Sensory Substitution Devices (SSD) have the ability to expand our sensory abilities and grant us the opportunity to sense a new dimension we rarely get to explore. Within an Art Gallery setting these devices can offer a new way of understanding the exhibited pieces.

Key words: Sensory Substitution, Senses, Art Gallery, People, Experience, Interpretation

List of Figures Cover Photo - Rachel Ashe (2006), An illustration of the five senses using my eye, hand and mouth combined with Nikki’s nose and ear. [Illustration] Retrieved from: https://flic.kr/p/9x9pZ Fig 1.1 – Adrian Niederhaeuser (n.d.), five senses controlled by the brain [Illustration] Retrieved from: http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-59068843/stock-photo-five-senses-icons-controlledcontrolled-by-brain.html Fig 1.2 – Bach-y-Rita (1969), Dental chair with tactile display [Photo] Retrieved from: http:// www.joostrekveld.net/?p=383 Fig 1.3 - The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System (2008), Artist rendering of the chair contraption [Illustration] Retrieved from: http://filmword.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/ alternative-visions.html Fig 1.4 - Maxim Dupliy, Amir Amedi and Shelly Levy-Tzedek (2008), An illustration of the EyeMusic sensory–substitution device (SSD), showing a user with a camera mounted on his glasses, and using bone-conductance headphones, hearing musical notes that create a mental image of the visual scene in front of him. He is reaching for the red apple in a pile of green ones.

[Photo] Retrieved from: http://brain.huji.ac.il/site/em.html Fig 1.5 – Amir Amedi (n.d.), Screenshot of the rendering the EyeMusic creates from the original video footage. [Screenshot] Retrieved from: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/eyemusic-hearingcolored-shapes/id805461054?mt=8 Fig 1.6 – TEDTalk (2015), Still image from David Eagleman’s talk about the V.E.S.T. in which the vest is shown in front of its functionality diagram. [Photo] Retrieved from: http://ideas.ted. com/how-to-hear-the-world-through-your-chest/ Fig 1.7 – David Eagleman (2014), Diagram of how the V.E.S.T. translates sound. [Illustration] Retrieved from: https://twitter.com/davideagleman/status/520756274829357057 Fig 2.1 – Image Arcade (n.d), Visualization of Sound waves in relation to colours to insinuate an idea of cross-modal interaction. [Illustration] Retrieved from: http://imgarcade.com/1/musicsound-waves-wallpaper/ Fig 2.2 – Grace Johnston (2015), The original photo of the Blue-and-black/White-and-Gold dress. [Photo] Retrieved from: http://swiked.tumblr.com/post/112073818575/guys-pleasehelp-me-is-this-dress-white-and Fig 2.3 – DervalResearch (2015), 39 colour spectrum. [Illustration] Retrieved from: https:// www.linkedin.com/pulse/25-people-have-4th-cone-see-colors-p-prof-diana-derval

Fig 2.4 – Shutterstock (n.d), Smelling colours. [Photo] Retrieved from: http://www.psmag.com/ books-and-culture/color-smell-85662 Fig 2.5 – Human Connectome Project (n.d.), mapping of the brains neuronal wiring.

[Illustration] Retrieved from: http://www.abc.es/ciencia/20131019/abci-cerebro-humanotrabaja-borde-201310181556.html Fig 2.6 – Due North Audio (2014), Insinuation of patterns being formed in the brain. [Illustration] Retrieved from: http://duenorthaudio.com/converting-brain-waves-sound-waves-sound-blip/ Fig 2.7 – David Senior Illustrations (2012), Music and emotions. [Illustration] Retrieved from: http://www.davidseniorillustration.com/projects/scientific-american-2/ Fig 2.8 – Eelco Kruidenier (2005), interior of a middle class house from around 1350 at the archaeological themepark Archeon. [Photo] Retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ smiling_da_vinci/14117932 Fig 2.9 – NorthAmerica Wood Furniture (n.d.), Representation of a bedroom in the modern times. [Photo] Retrieved from: http://www.northamericanwood.net/product/monroe-bedroomdark/ Fig 2.10 – Discovery (2013), optical Illusion. [Illustration] Retrieved: http://news.discovery. com/human/evolution/optical-illusions-you-brain-way-ahead-130823.htm Fig 2.11 – Nest (2013), sensation of hot and cold. [Illustration] Retrieved from: https://nest. com/blog/2013/04/02/why-some-like-it-hot-or-cold/ Fig 2.12 – Ivy Zhang (n.d.), hand caressing a sculpture. [Photo] Retrieved from: https://zmy26. wordpress.com/2010/12/13/touching-art_sculptures-from-lourve-museum-art-review/ Fig 2.13 – Amanda Tichenor (2015), “No touch” sign at the Fruitmarket Gallery. [Photo] Retrieved from: own source.

Fig 2.14 – Museum and the web (n.d.), The “Sorting and Matching” interactive screen at Studio Play. [Photo] Retrieved from: http://mw2014.museumsandtheweb.com/bow/studio-play/ Fig 2.15 – Michael Alesich/Visual Crash (2011), the five senses. [Drawing] Retrieved from: http://visualcrash.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/monday-notepad-image-002-5-senses.html Fig 2.16 – Sean Conrad (2005), woman imitating the sculptures of Auguste Rodin. [Photo] Retrieved from: http://standbyyourstatue.blogspot.co.uk/2005_01_01_archive.html Fig 3.1 – Leonardo Da Vinci (1503-07), portrait of Mona Lisa (La Gioconda). [Digital

Reproduction] Retrieved at: http://www.profesorenlinea.cl/artes/monalisacuadro.htm Fig 3.2 – Christian Faur (2009), wonderful image-sculptures out of custom-cast crayons. [Photo] Retrieved from: http://otherthings.com/blog/category/synesthesia/page/2/ Fig 3.3 – Cleveland Museum of Art (n.d.), 40 foot-wide touch screen. [Photo] Retrieved from: https://crunchy.co/most-innovative-uses-large-touch-screens/ Fig 3.4 – Doug Wong (n.d.), Original CLOUD sculpture at Nuit Blanche Calgary. [Photo] Retrieved from: http://incandescentcloud.com/aboutcloud/ Fig 4.1 – James Harris (2015), Scented room created by Kengo Kuma. [Photo] Retrieved from: http://www.dezeen.com/2014/01/21/sensing-spaces-exhibition-royal-academy/ Fig 4.2 – Deezen (2015), A look at the galleries ceiling offered throught the creation of Pezo von Ellrichshausen. [Photo] Retrieved from: http://www.dezeen.com/2014/01/21/sensingspaces-exhibition-royal-academy/ Fig 4.3 – Gizmag (n.d.), Example of how the EnChroma glasses enhance the perception of colour. [Altered Photo] Retrieved from: http://www.gizmag.com/enchroma-color-blindnesssunglasses/24167/pictures Fig 4.4 – Valspar (2015), Man using EnChroma glasses to view art work. [Video Capture] Retrieved from: https://roobla.com/tv/video/43792/video-colour-for-the-colour-blind/ Fig 4.5 – Worry and Peace (n.d), Layout of the Soundscape exhibition. [Photo] Retrieved from: http://worryandpeace.com/buzz/soundscapes-exhibition-opens-at-the-national-gallery/ Fig 4.6 – Andrea Comas (2015), Visitor touching the tactile enhanced replica of the artwork.

[Photo] Retrieved from: https://in.finance.yahoo.com/photos/humpback-whales-at-theuramba-bahia-malaga-natural-park-slideshow/visually-impaired-visitor-touches-representingleonardo-da-vincis-photo-123813286.html Fig 5.1 - Amanda Tichenor (2015), Scottish National Gallery. [Photo] Retrieved from: own source.

Fig 6.1 - Amanda Tichenor (2015), Green textured Wallpaper. [Photo] Retrieved from: own source Fig 6.2 - Amanda Tichenor (2015), Paintings surrounded by tapestry [Photo] Retrieved from: own source Fig 6.3 - Amanda Tichenor (2015), Red textured wallpaper. [Photo] Retrieved from: own source

Fig 6.4 - Amanda Tichenor (2015), Overall look from the Red Rooms. [Photo] Retrieved from: own source Fig 6.5 - Amanda Tichenor (2015), Closeup from the painting. [Photo] Retrieved from: own source Fig 6.6 - Amanda Tichenor (2015), Becoming the artwork. [Photo] Retrieved from: own source Fig 6.7 - Amanda Tichenor (2015), Overall feel from the SNGMA room. [Photo] Retrieved from: own source Fig 6.8 - Amanda Tichenor (2015), Reflecting the darkness within the gallery. [Photo] Retrieved from: own source Fig 6.9 - Amanda Tichenor (2015), Texture at the FruitMarket gallery 1. [Photo] Retrieved from: own source Fig 6.10 - Amanda Tichenor (2015), Texture at the FruitMarket gallery 2. [Photo] Retrieved from: own source Fig 6.11 - Amanda Tichenor (2015), Staircase at the FruitMarket Gallery. [Photo] Retrieved from: own source Fig 6.12 - Amanda Tichenor (2015), Narrow dark pathway. [Photo] Retrieved from: own source Fig 6.13 - Amanda Tichenor (2015), Texture at the FruitMarket gallery 4. [Photo] Retrieved from: own source Fig 8.1 - Eyal Toueg (n.d.), Amedir using the EyeMusic. [Photo] Retrieved from: http://www. brainvisionrehab.com/#!picsformedia/zoom/c1psv/i2fzl Fig 8.2 - Ursula Barton (n.d), Painting representing the Department of Speech and Hearing and Sciences and a representation of sound in pictures. [Illustration] Retrieved from: https://www. pdx.edu/sphr/portland-artist-ursula-barton-contributes-art-to-sphr

Contents

Acknowledgements v Abstract vii List of Figures ix Introduction 17 Chapter One: Sesnory Substitution Introduction 17 Sensory Substitution Devices 17 Visul-to-auditory:The EyeMusic 20 Auditory/Visual-to-Tactile: The VEST 22 Chapter Two: Placing the Senses, Positioning the Gallery Introduction 25 Placing the senses Vision 26 Sound 28 Touch 31 Positioning the gallery 34 Chapter Three: The Aesthetics turn Introduction 41 Art Aesthetics 41 Sensory Aesthetics 43 Gallery Aesthetics 45 Chapter Five: The senses in the gallery 49 Chapter Six: Methodology 55 Chapter Seven: Case Studies 61 Discussion 73 Conclusions 79 Bibliography 81 Appendices 91

Introduction We find ourselves in a crossroad of aesthetic change, one where our surroundings are underlined with an aesthetic concern for the beautiful, with a tendency to make everything into a spectacle that shimmers before our eyes. But as Welsh said in 1996, “Where everything becomes beautiful, nothing more is beautiful”, and this is our current stage. We have become desensitized to our surroundings, capable of ignoring most of what we perceive and struggling to find a connection beyond the visual. We are now seeking a deeper construction capable of creating relations between our sensory triggered bodies and the world.

Our senses are taking over, making their way back into spaces that have tried to lock them down.

One of them is within the Art Gallery. As Classen states (2012) “it seems that we have so often been warned not to touch that we are reluctant to probe [it] even with our minds” (p.xi). There is a feeling of entrapment through the visual that we are currently trying to break free from. This has created a new type of visitor, one concerned with the reality of our digitally altered surroundings, in which the materiality of objects is becoming obsolete. Consequently new types of aesthetics in the art and gallery appear, making the visitor’s presence key to the piece and place.

This concern for the embodied understanding seeks experiences beyond the usual. We want our senses to be challenged, rather than satisfied on a superficial level through digital inclusion, circumstance that is outlined throughout the body of work. Even though there are several examples of this growing tendency, there is an untouched territory of cross-modal interaction.

It is the idea of impacting more than one sense at a time, offering an involvement resembling artificial synesthesia, thus going beyond the mediated experiences. This is where Sensory Substitution devices (SSD) can make the difference. They have the ability to expand our sensory abilities and grant us the opportunity to sense a new dimension we rarely get to explore.

But this integration raises the question of how this new sort of experience would be understood by the user. Would it become an interactive experience in its own right or would it be an extension of the curatorial information? This is the main question this paper aims to answer. To achieve this, the current state of affairs in reference to Sensory Substitution, the senses and the gallery are outlined.

At the same time, this paper responds a subconscious question in regards to the one-sense-at-atime approach that galleries are believed to have. Without this added dimension of multisensory engagement, are galleries really as uni-sensory as we believe them to be, or are they already offering a deeper layer of embodiment? This question is fuelled by the findings of the primary research in regards to the current experience galleries have to offer, where interviews deepen our understanding of the space.

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CHAPTER ONE: SENSORY SUBSTITUTION

Introduction Throughout this chapter the ability of sensing a visual cue, such as colour or text, through another sensory modality is discussed. I focus upon the application of sensory substitution devices (SSD) in regards to this new experience by explaining how they work, and what they offer, with special attention to how their use has evolved.

It sparks the interest behind an opportunity to create new forms of communication between us and our surroundings by distancing SSDs from their current imprisoned environment and taking advantage of their cross-modal nature.

Sensory Substitution Devices As revealed in the video How blind people see the world (Taylor, 2013), the cognitive perception, which is understood as the way we remember where objects are, is different for sighted and blind people. Sighted people create a map of the area and then make relations to the objects, whereas blind people create a relation from their starting point that focuses on perceived times and distances rather than on visual representation. These differences in making sense of the world mark the importance of examining how everyone interprets it, in order to improve communication. There should be a tendency towards a multisensory experience for everyone, promoting an understanding beyond the visual (Fig 1.1).

Fig 1.1 - Five senses controlled by the brain

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Riskin asked in 2002 if it could be possible to distinguish shapes through visual recognition if one had never experienced this before, asking “to what extent did sensation correspond to external reality and to what extent was it subjective?�. This correlation between subjectivity and reality, and the possible relation between our understandings of different sensory modalities is what sensory substitution makes use of.

Throughout time a variety of SSDs have been created to assist a deprived sense. They allow the information received from the external world, engaging a specific sensory modality, to be translated into a different stimulus affecting another sensory modality (Bach-y-Rita, 1969), they are a non-invasive alternative to electronic prosthetics deemed invasive for requiring surgery to be effective (Stiles, 2012).

Fig 1.2 (left) - Dental chair with tactile display | Fig 1.3 (right) - Artist rendering of the chair contraption

SSDs have their origin in the 60s, introduced by Paul Bach-y-Rita. They appeared as huge devices with limited portability (Fig 1.2), which often due to technological limitations would irritate the skin or cause pain. Their successful use was dependent on training sessions that would last over 15 hours (Auvray, 2007), making them unpopular. These first models were concerned with functionality over pleasantness (Fig 1.3), having a purpose of complete sensory substitution (Auvray, 2007).

It has since become clear that SSD have limits and ethic boundaries, they can no longer be considered a way of achieving full recovery, instead they are a way of enhancing our sensory abilities (Auvray, 2014). Therefore it is better to understand these devices as a sensory extension rather than a substitution, where their functionality has to be half perceptual and half cognitive (Auvray, 2014) to overcome certain limitations of one’s surrounding. It is a field focused on developing solutions for a smoother interaction with the world by bringing disciplines of

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psychology, computer science and engineering together (Taylor, 2013), providing them with a “new artificial dimension to examine perceptual organization” (Stiles, 2014, p.2). The sensations transmitted through SSDs are perceived as something different to the ‘regular’ five senses but still reminiscent of them, “a cross-modal union of different sensory modalities” that resembles the perception of synaesthesia (Farina, 2013, p. 12).

We live in an era filled with technology that acts as an extension of ourselves, where the most obvious example is the one of learning how to drive a car or make use of a computer (Auvray, 2007). Every day that passes we function more and more by extending our bodies through machines, feeling a sensation of void whenever these technological apparatus are taken away from us. In this era SSDs have the opportunity of becoming a new extension of ourselves, opening a new, or extended, Umwelt (German for surrounding world) to experience our environment (Eagleman, 2015b), opening the world beyond our visual faculties.

The functionality of SSDs, in present times, has taken a turn towards pleasantness. There is an interest in designing with comfort in mind to assure a prolonged and relaxed use (Auvray, 2007), a shift towards user-experience. Its focus lays within the brains plasticity and its aptitude for assigning meaning to patterns (Walter, 2015). Our brain works with electrical signals, where “the brain doesn’t care how it gets them” (Eagleman, 2015), and these signals or stimulus can be sent through the SSDs. Two examples of current devices that engage with this idea of pleasantness and extension of oneself are: EyeMusic (Visual-to-Auditory translation), created by Amir Amedi and colleagues; and the V.E.S.T (Auditory-to-Tactile/Visual-to-tactile translation), created by David Eagleman.

Each one of these devices aims to translate the specific cues of one sensory modality into another, creating new experiences of what is being translated.

The experience they offer is what makes them interesting to situate in a new realm, outside of laboratories and training environments. But before this idea can be discussed further it is important to define how they work and what exactly they are capable of achieving.

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Visual to Auditory – The EyeMusic

This is a device that emerged in the 21st century as a way of translating visual stimuli into sound, aimed to help the blind community to integrate an understanding of colour as well as shape and form in their use of SSDs. Through this device the user gets to hear pleasant musical notes, or soundscapes, conveying colour, shape and location information of the world (Doctopolis web, 2014).

Up until that moment, most visual-to-auditory devices would have their focus on translating contrast to make sense of the environment; functioning only through a perception of the world in grey scales, and ignoring the fact that colour is an important aspect for object recognition.

They are considered spatial imagers concerned with spatial relations, but this new device is concerned with surface and therefore considered an object imager (Lacey and Sathian, 2012).

Fig 1.4 - An illustration of the EyeMusic sensory–substitution device (SSD), showing a user with a camera mounted on his glasses, and using bone-conductance headphones, hearing musical notes that create a mental image of the visual scene in front of him. He is reaching for the red apple in a pile of green ones.

The way these devices work is through the use of a portable camera that can be aimed and moved around by the user, becoming the decider of what they want to focus on (Fig 1.4). Through technological advances this SSD is cheaper, smaller and lighter than other in the market; it is even being incorporated into smartphone devices (Doctopolis web, 2014; Technology web, 2014).

The images captured by the camera are translated, through the use of an algorithm, into a sonic outcome received through headphones. These allow a precise control of inter-aural communication by eliminating echoes and noise produced by the room (Moore, 2013). The 20 | Sensory Substitution| MA Interaction Design | Amanda J Tichenor

sonic outcomes are musical notes; according to the pentatonic scale; of different instruments chosen by musicians for a pleasant experience, where each one represents a different colour to avoid possible ambiguities (Amedir, 2015).

Fig 1.5 - Screenshot of the rendering the EyeMusic creates from the original video footage

The way the algorithm works is by resizing the current visual image to an image of 40x24 pixels and `colour-cluster´ it to get a 6-coloured image; to then process it column-by-column from left to right creating an auditory output according to each column (Fig 1.5). Each pixel is represented by setting: musical instrument according to colour; musical note according to column position; and volume for each note according to luminance value. These are then clustered together to represent one column at a time in the final audio file (Amedi, 2013).

It has been proven that the brain areas responsible for visual cues can be activated through the use of other senses by utilising this device. As Amedi said in 2014 in his Ted-Talk, “different features of an object are analysed by disparate brain areas, and then combined to create a single Gestalt-like percept”, this means that we use different sensory areas of our brain to make sense of what we see, which enables the cross-modal learning. This device’s primary goal is to make visual information accessible to the blind; but it doesn’t, and shouldn’t, end here. It is a device capable of adding a new sensory ability to the ones we already possess, within minutes of hearing the explanation of how it works people are capable of reading with their ears, as can be seen in the video “Seeing with the Ears, hands and Bionic Eyes” (Amedi, 2012).

People were able to hear facial expressions and recognize object outside of the studied spectrum, providing new levels of understanding. It is a device that could be used to awaken everyone’s brain, train new areas, and gain new knowledge.

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Auditory/Visual to Tactile - The V.E.S.T. (Versatile Extra-Sensory Transducer)

Eagleman developed a compact and light SSD that is capable of adapting different types of sensory modalities into tactile vibrations. His inspiration behind creating this device sparked from the idea that we don’t see most of what happens in our surroundings; we are not equipped with the necessary biological receptors to experience certain aspects of the world, and he wants to open this possibility (Eagleman, 2015b).

Fig 1.6 - The V.E.S.T. is showed infront of its functionality diagram

It consists of a physical vest equipped with an array of vibrational matrixes located at the back side (Fig 1.6). The matrixes contain embedded sensors that are responsible for the vibrations and sweeps, representative of the translated data it receives (Li, 2015). These vibrations felt through our backs make up dynamic patterns that our brain, with enough training, adds meaning to, just as it does to assign meaning to our subjective perception. Our brain ends up learning the language so we can feel the sonic world around us (Kurp-Rice, 2015).

The way this vest receives the data can vary, it is capable of receiving its information through a microphone attached to the vest, or receive it through an app that sends data, such as text and numbers, via Bluetooth. In both cases the obtained information is transduced into vibrations, reflecting the perceived frequencies. It does not work as Morse code, you are actually feeling a representation of sound (Fig 1.7). It follows a similar concept to the Apple Watch, where each pattern of vibration represents a different action, it’s about “assigning meaning to feeling” (Li, 2015).

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The primary goal behind it is to give deaf people the possibility of perceiving their auditory environment. Nonetheless, it is also about understanding how our brain makes sense of this sensory information received through a different modality, to investigate into the possibility of adding new senses to the human experience (Coward, 2015). In recent years SSDs have been used for more than helping the disabled, they are extending people’s experience by giving them the opportunity to see in the dark or feel certain types of data that we are not built to perceive (Eagleman, 2012).

Fig 1.7 - Diagram of how the V.E.S.T. translates sound

This vest is a step towards the future, where objects become a neural input device that feeds us information we would usually not render, enhancing our natural senses and expanding our realities to new dimensions; to sense data and connect to the emotional state of the world (Eagleman, 2015b).

We are starting to leave the era of the visual to enter an “era of data sensing” (Eagleman, 2015b). Every day we receive new evidence that our eyes can `lie´ to us and we don’t notice until we are made aware by others. It is a mistake to assume that what we see is a faithful representation of what is out there, since we only perceive what our brain tells us (Technology Or, 2014). We are constantly influenced by context and expectations, making up our world from what we know rather than from what is really before us. We don’t miss what we don’t perceive (Eagleman, 2012).

Now it is time to expand our sensory worlds and train our brains to understand this new sensed reality that this vest is capable of offering. To perceive what we never missed and engage with a new dimension of communication.

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CHAPTER TWO: PLACING THE SENSES POSITIONING THE GALLERY

Introduction This chapter aims to outline the current and relevant states of two different fields; fields that collide and intersect with each other, setting out the knowledge necessary to comprehend this new spectrum. It places the senses and how they are engaged in our understanding of the world to then describe the evolution of the gallery setting with an emphasis upon the sensory evolution they present.

This establishes a connection between the selected SSDs and the experiences they have to offer by presenting a deeper description of what our senses are capable of achieving. It then moves beyond the capabilities of the senses to portray how they used to be engaged in the galleries, to offer a more intricate view on the nature of these spaces, acting as a contrast point to the current aesthetic tendencies in relation to art, the senses and galleries, to be discussed in Chapter Three: Aesthetics.

Placing the senses To understand how the senses affect our interactions it is essential to outline where they stand within our everyday lives. The senses chosen to be described in the following sections are those we mostly rely on to comprehend our surrounding, vision, sound and touch (Swiss, 2006), especially when it comes to art appreciation (Howes, 2006). They are also related to the SSDs described in Chapter One: Sensory Substitution.

Each one has a different emphasis upon their description, outlining the most relevant characteristics they have to our understanding of artistic elements. Even though each one is responsible for specific sensations, it is important to remember that they all “seamlessly blend together into a holistic experience� (Fig 2.1) (Stiles et. al., 2014, p.1).

Fig 2.1- Visualization of Sound waves in relation to colours to insinuate an idea of cross-modal interaction

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Vision

We construct our realities through experience and memory (Greenspan, 2004). The way in which we make sense of the world through our sense of vision, is influenced by our experiences.

The things we observe are stored in our brain to create associations that help us interpret each situation. This process is not yet present on an infant, who has yet to learn how to focus and adjust his eyes (Birren, 1978, p.34).

One significant aspect to our interpretation of the world is colour. It provides a capability of identifying and distinguishing between objects (Auvray, 2007) as well as boosting our memory (Morton, 2010). This constant stream of information received through our eyes is the reason why we often tend to close them in order to concentrate, by eliminating our constant focus upon the dynamic world.

Fig 2.2 (left) - The original photo of the Blue-and-black/White-and-Gold dress Fig 2.3 (right) - 39 colour spectrum

A clear example of this constructed reality, with emphasis upon colour, can be found in the recent scandal about the blue-and-black/white-and-gold dress, where depending on the person they would see it in one combination of colours or the other (Fig 2.2). This interpretation is a consequence of how our eyes evolve and how our brain takes into consideration the effects of light, we either interpret it as illuminated with day-light or with night-light (Griffin, 2015). But it is not only determined by lighting, it is also influenced by context (Fishwick, 2015).

Another example is that of a colour test, created by Diana Derval, which suggests that not all of us are capable of perceiving the same amount of colours (Fig 2.3). In this spectrum of colours only 25% of the population are capable of seeing all 39, a phenomenon that is defined by the 26 | Placing the Senses, Positioning the Gallery | MA Interaction Design | Amanda J Tichenor

distribution of the colour receptors in our eyes (Fuller, 2015). This scientific explanation in addition to our experiences defines the way in which we interpret colour.

Colour is not only relevant to our navigation of the world, it is also an element used to give meaning to certain aspects of life. In the past, colour was associated with direct interpretations of life and earth (Birren, 1978, p.54), where the sun could be represented by bright tones; and fire by vibrant and intense tones. It was not concerned with aesthetic motives; the use of colour as a “thing of beauty” only started to appear in the Renaissance age (Webexhibits, 2015). It has evolved to become an element used for self-representation (Quiet Mark, 2015). We live in a time in which we have control over how we want our personal spaces to look. We design them according to our own standards, making our surroundings an active space that changes with us, representing our personal taste (Abrams et. al., 1990).

Fig 2.4 - Smelling colours

But our perception of colour goes beyond what we perceive through our eyes. The relations we built towards different tones are instigated by a bodily reaction to seeing it. As Birren stated in 1978, “one might…smell colours through one’s nose” or give tactile properties to it such as “[…] sticky, smooth and rough” (p.28-29). We even relate colour to certain activities in our lives, such as listening to music, eating certain foods, or even feeling temperature, having the power to change our moods. Our true organ of perception and interpretation is the brain (Birren, 1978, p. 29).

This idea of colour being interpreted through our brain, rather than just our eyes, opens up the possibility of other senses being capable of interpreting colour. There are examples of this, where a blind person regained his vision, and what he had learned through tactile experience was contradicting what he could actually see, indicating that there was an understanding of colour through touch (Birren, 1978, p.29, p.41). This tactile understanding of colour can be explained by the fact that colour is perceived through waves of radiation that the eye is sensitive to, but this radiation also affects the object, making it release a small radiation of heat (Webexhibits, 2015). This heat is usually not perceivable for people engaging all five senses, but when one of our senses is compromised, others become heightened, being able to sense this.

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Sound

In our everyday lives, our perception of sound helps us identify our spatial position; and identify sound sources to further understand our surroundings, helping us determine the correct way to direct our visual attention (Moore, 2012). This is possible through our learning of “naturalistic sounds, familiar tunes and our mother language”, elements we group according to timbre, pitch and proximity in space, allowing us to memorize and recall these to make sense of a given situation (McAdams et. al., 2001). This process is comparable to our capability of interpreting visual cues, in which we not only group our perceptions according to similarity in colour but also by proximity in space (McAdams et. al., 2001). This explains the common complexities of perceiving if one of the modalities is compromised. In visual representations of sound, made through laboratory machinery, the separate sources become one united frequency, indicating that this separation of frequencies is only perceivable through the communication between our ears and brain, where the brain makes sense of the received stimulus through our auditory nerve (Moore, 2012).

Vision is a key element to our process of perceiving sounds, it allows us to interpret spatial cues and determines our orientation more easily (Moore, 2012). This allows us to improve our “localization abilities” through simple head movements, even in noisy environment, as Hirsh demonstrated through a series of experiments in 1971. These experiment help in understanding how the sounds change according to our movement, enabling us to assign each frequency to the right source (Moore, 2012) and developing more accurate soundscapes (Sacks, 2007).

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Vision and sound often complement each other. Even our brains capability to create stereo perception is linked to them; where the disparities between ears and eyes create our conception of distance and depth; a phenomenon that causes a temporary “flattening” of the world when one of the two modalities loses its stereoscopic capabilities (Sacks, 2007). But nonetheless, as Sacks wrote in his book Musicophilia, “if visual input is suddenly lost, very extensive reorganization and remapping occur[s] […] with the development […] of intermodal sensations” (p. 163) (Fig 2.5), indicating that our brain’s plasticity enables us to adapt and improve, creating an illusion of stereoscopy.

It has also become clear that we are programmed with an auditory memory, which means that there is a space in our memory that is dedicated to this modality; where we have pre-set audio schemas that enable us to decode noises. This is evidenced by our ability to associate noise to a form of speech, sounds or melodies. An example of this is found in our tendency to imagine that our own name is being called through the crowd whenever the sound approximates our name’s acoustics; a phenomenon that occurs because of the high frequency in which our name is said (McAdams et. al., 2001). This hypersensitivity to hearing things is also influenced due to the “tonal context” in which we find ourselves. Sounds are not heard independently, we take context into account to interpret and make sense of what we hear.

Fig 2.6 - Insinuation of patterns being formed in the brain

We implement this access to auditory memory as a way to form acoustic patterns, helping us perceive and understand speech; but it is also responsible for our ability to recognize melodies and music, which are created by a variation in pitch (Moore, 2013). These sounds are initially just an “agglomeration of atmospheric vibrations that strike the eardrum” (McAdams et. al., 2001, p.2), that in reaching our brain become patterns which we fill with meaning (Sloboda, 1985, cited in McAdams et. al., 2001) (Fig 2.6). Since music is considered to be a temporal art form (Imberty, 1969, cited in McAdams et. al., 2001), the act of memorizing it is done through Amanda Jean Tichenor | MA Interaction Design | Placing the Senses, Positioning the Gallery | 29

a constant linking of the past and the present; where we continuously access our auditory memory to compare and contrast our established patterns to create a new one. Therefore, a full melodic configuration is only ever memorized fully if listened to long enough to create a pattern (McAdams et. al., 2001).

Although music can be viewed just as an arrangement of patterns, it goes beyond this technical description. It is a composition capable of evoking feelings and emotions (McAdams et. al., 2001), lighting up new parts in our brains (Fig 2.7). As Imberty said in 1979 (cited in McAdams et. al., 2001), “Every musical work communicates a way of feeling, seeing, and interpreting”, which explains why white noise is often associated with a colourless sensation (Moore, 2012).

Nonetheless music is an abstract art form, its interpretation lies in the brains of the listener, we mirror with our bodies the “narrative of the melody”, adapting our posture, actions and facial expression to it (Sacks, 2007).

Our musical tendency is often present without the need for any external triggers. `Playing´ music in our heads nonstop throughout the day is instigated by internal stimulations – such as memories, emotional states, thoughts and others. Even external triggers are often as simple as verbal associations (Sacks, 2007). We all have a natural inclination towards melodic rhythms, trying to understand them through visual, tactile and auditory cues. However, musical talent is not always present, it is an aspect that needs developed (Sacks, 2007).

Fig 2.7 - Music and Emotions

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Touch Touch is a sense that receives attention, leaving it for granted and forgetting that it is responsible for the experience of ourselves and the world around us (Classen, 2012). Our worlds are mediated by our constant interactions with other humans and objects (Weiss, 1999, cited in Paterson et. al., 2012). We, the “civilized” European, have now become a society that focuses on the visual world, whom Classen (2012) referred to as the “eye-man”, as opposed to the “skin-man” who experiences the world through the use of touch.

Fig 2.8 (left) - Interior of a middle class house from around 1350 at the archaeological themepark Archeon Fig 2.9 (right) - Representation of a bedroom in the modern times

Our need to experience the world from a tactile perspective is influenced by two key aspects.

On one hand, until the appearance and use of light bulbs and better insulated homes, people would rely on their sense of touch to navigate through their surroundings (Fig 2.8, Fig 2.9), there was a practical use for touching (Classen, 2012). On the other hand, sight defects were not corrected until the eighteenth century. Therefore, the tactile prevailed as an important method of comprehending the world (Braunstein, 1988, cited in Classen, 2012).

The evolution of the civilized world decreased the need for the tactile; there was a newly enlightened sense of sight. Where we used to rely on our sense of touch to gain knowledge about the world; now we require our vision, we figure the world out through books (Classen, 2012). Nonetheless it is important not to forget that to access the understanding of the physical world, even now, we require to immerse our bodies into context (Paterson, 2012). our senses need to be open for a complete experience.

We now live “see[ing] with a feeling eye, feel[ing] with a seeing hand” as Goethe wrote in Römische Elegie V (1794, cited in Classen, 2012). We have suppressed our need to touch, training Amanda Jean Tichenor | MA Interaction Design | Placing the Senses, Positioning the Gallery | 31

our bodies to implement the use of our visual sense. This phenomenon was psychoanalytically analysed by Freud, asserting that this shift represented an appropriately disciplined body and a mature self; representing the faculties of an adult person. From a young age, we experience the world by touching; but as we evolve, we focus on our audio visual perception. There is a change in how we decide to understand the world.

This change started to appear in the late eighteenth century where the need for touching for aesthetic comprehension, started to be seen as vulgar (Schiller, 1982, cited in Classen, 2012).

As Denery stated in 2005 (cited in Classen, 2012), we started to become an “eye-minded culture of modernity”, were visual contemplation was increased. Because of this, our natural inclination towards touching as a way of confirming the validity of what we see is being supressed.

Fig 2.10 - Optical Illusion

Throughout the book The Deepest Sense, Classen writes some circumstances where touch would be implemented as a way of proving what we see. She writes “viewers were enticed to touch the vivid hues that so powerfully caught their eye […], it induced an irresistible desire to touch” (p.127). This demonstrates our want to create relations between our senses; we seek a tactile association to what we are visualizing (Fig 2.10). It is the sense that provides “reliable evidence of the natural origin of the images”. We use this sense for practical reasons that help us develop a realistic image of the world, it “function[s] to correct the misconception of sight”, letting us distinguish between reality and optical illusions. In the words of Diderot (1751), “of all the sense the eye is the most superficial and touch the most profound and most philosophical” (Letter on the Deaf and Dumb, p.45).

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In present times one of the only places where all our senses are free to interpret what lays in front of us is the department store; a place where, according to Classen (2012), “all sensory effects shimme[r] and merge into one captivating whole� (p.197). It is a place of wonder and immersion, with a secret agenda of making people spend money. It is a place that attracts visitors and pays special attention to our sensory experience, making us swoon for it (FrauMeigs, 2013).

In contrast there are fields in which the absence of touch is of importance, and is changing the way we engage with our surrounding and our social interactions with the city landscape. New technologies are changing the embodied relationships, doors open automatically and water flows through the taps without the need for touching. We are starting to live in a space that reacts to our bodies in an automatic way, without the need for direct contact (Paterson et. al., 2012).

We find ourselves in a time where science and rationality have arguably conquered all areas of human experience, leaving little to wonder about (Jenkins, 2000, cited in Paterson et. al., 2012). Since there are explanations for every action we undergo, the curiosity of touch becomes avoidable. However, touch is central to what it means to feel human. Our worlds are shaped by what we touch or interact with. Through the use of our bodies, making sense of the intangible (Paterson et. al., 2012), our feeling of temperature is considered part of our tactile experiences (Fig 2.11). We need to re-imagine where touch can be placed.

Fig 2.11 - Sensation of hot and cold

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Positioning Galleries Leonardo da Vinci once told a story where a king would prefer the painting of his departed wife, because it was something he could see and touch, rather than a poem or song about her since this he could only hear, and it implied less physical contact. This ownership over a picture, and the proximity it made possible, became intoxicating. It established a link between us and what was represented (Hoffer, 2005, cited in Classen, 2012), becoming a personal experience. Our brain has the ability of going beyond the observed to create new embodied experiences that affect each of our sensory modalities (Bacci and Pavani in Levent et. al., 2014).

Fig 2.12 - Hand caressing a sculpture

Not just with painting did this physical connection exist; it was ever so present when surrounded by sculptures. These elements made it possible for people to touch representations of objects that were otherwise untouchable, inviting a curiosity through the sense of touch (Classen, 2012),. Denying this accessibility denies the viewer to experience art at its highest level, which according to Marden Nichols (2006, cited in Classen, 2012) was considered to be touch. This shows that touch and art go hand in hand; art pieces have not always had their place upon walls and where displayed as fragile elements (Fig 2.12).

Galleries have not always been a place of “sitting and marvelling over those fine works, and having no other feeling but that of pleasure or astonishment”, as described by Teather in 1984 (cited in Classen, 2012). Touch was a key element in the early galleries of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; it formed part of a satisfactory viewing of the collection and “enabled visitors to acquire an embodied understanding” (Classen, 2012, p.149). In those times, visitors were expected to show their interest in the exhibited work by asking question and touching the elements. Furthermore, the curator was expected to offer these objects to the spectator; for touching and deeper investigation,. However, not all curators were pleased with this for fear of objects being stolen (Classen, 2012). A starting point towards a hand-offs experience.

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During the middle Ages, the primary method of communication was through the use of an expressive body; but this has now shifted to the visual. This distancing in the way we communicate is present in galleries, where we rely on the written text, presented next to the work of art, to gain a better understanding. We come from a time where “paintings often were cropped to fit frames or wall space, or altered to suit current tastes” to move into an age in which “it seems that we have so often been warned not to touch that we are reluctant to probe [it] even with our minds” (Classen, 2012, p.xi), a time where textured walls have become white (Pallasmaa in Levent et. al., 2014).

It is important to recognise that the texts purpose is to offer a new medium to understand art; it aims to bring us closer by containing our need for touch. Paintings are often seen as an element that portrays only visual relevance, where physical sensations are restricted to the level of tactile expressiveness that it visually presents; making us forget about the manual labour and “painterly touch” the creation requires (Classen, 2012), which the curated text reminds us of.

It is a way of giving meaning to the artwork in present times, a lot of pieces have been created years ago but they are still capable of speaking to us now through their mediation (Museum Hours, 2012).

Fig 2.13 - “No touch” sign at the Fruitmarket Gallery

Nonetheless, the elimination of touch in modern galleries is not, and cannot, be seen as a natural evolution. It was a measure of correction, a response to the difficulty of controlling the visitor (Classen, 2012). When collections were privately owned, one could limit the access; but once these collections became public, the visitors could “no longer be permitted to run around and grab everything”, thus transforming these surroundings into a place of “aesthetic enjoyment and intellectual stimulation” (Classen, 2012, p.177), where elements are hidden behind displays

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and barriers (Lacey and Sathian in Levent et. al., 2014). It has become a space where there are certain norms of behaviour (Fig 2.13), respecting each other’s personal space and talking in whispers in order to not disturb the possible concentration of others. Even though touch is banned; other body related sensation are not (Bacci and Pavani in Levent et. al., 2014), we notice our heart beat change, our breath deepen, and even our own bodily functions.

Fig 2.14 - The “Sorting and Matching” interactive screen at Studio Play

Although touch is restricted, there is a new tendency towards enabling some form of interaction to satisfy our thirst for contact. Touch screen interfaces are now placed within the gallery settings as a way of engaging with our senses (Fig 2.14), changing our embodied relation and becoming a common element that can be spotted all around the city (Paterson et. al., 2012). We live in a time of spectacle, where all our surroundings are mediated through aesthetic appeal. Therefore it is important that the artists and galleries act as promoters for new ways of understanding beyond the beautiful (O’Neil, 2014), acting within the present sociocultural space and moving forward from the tactile and sonar neglecting that has occurred (Cluett in Levent et. al., 2014).

Nonetheless we need to reflect upon this. The mere introduction of touch through new digital aids cannot be embodied as a new experience; or a turn towards the integration of the senses, it appears too superficial to create an actual connection. Touching by itself might not be the best solution (Bacci and Pavani in Levent et. al., 2014), attention needs to be drawn towards our brain’s capability to interpret certain stimuli from other sensory modalities; to search for ways of translating art’s meaning and message through new sense that go beyond a stream 36 | Placing the Senses, Positioning the Gallery | MA Interaction Design | Amanda J Tichenor

of information (Bacci and Pavani in Levent et. al., 2014), creating alternative relationships between the visual and touch through tactile models, or integrate music for sonic interactions (Howes, 2006b).

This new tendency towards the integration of our senses in the museum realm is in the hands of curators, who have the task to “mov[e] between and beyond the boundaries of its field” as O’Neil says in his book The Culture of Curating and the Curating of Culture cultures (2014, p.32). For the longest time, its only object was to reveal how art was displayed, mediated and discussed through its context (O’Neil, 2014). They now have the task of questioning and exploring the boundaries of the artworks, portraying them in exhibitions (O’Neil, 2014), to pay attention to each sense (Fig 2.15) and how it plays a role in the understanding of artwork, expanding its sensory vocabulary (Cluett in Levent et. al., 2014).

Fig 2.15 - The five senses

Curation is in charge of responding to today’s aesthetic challenge;, adapting them and incorporating them to change people’s perception and “Construc[t] subjective “new truths” about art (O’Neil, 2014, p. 40). It is central to acknowledge that it is a “triangular network between artist-curator-audience”, this merging of all three participants provides a deeper argument towards the ideology behind aesthetics, and all are occupying a centre position in the making of a gallery. Visitors have become more informed and know how to articulate their own words and thoughts towards art (Voegelin in Levent et. al., 2014).

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Fig 2.16 - Woman imitating the sculptures of Auguste Rodin

As artists began to take into consideration their social, relational and situational context; curators were given a more proactive, creative and political role for mediation, opening the possibility for exhibition to become an artful event in itself (O’Neil, 2014); an event where both artist and curator are now aiming to bring the viewer into play, since it has become clear that the visitor’s bodies contribute meaning to the artwork (Bacci and Pavini in Levent et. al., 2014).

By acknowledging the relational and cross-modal aesthetics that emerge in today’s society, galleries have the role of becoming a place where relations between viewers, objects and places are thought about as an influential element (O’Neil, 2014), going beyond the mere display of material elements by taking advantage of our bodies capability to anticipate experiences (Bacci and Pavini in Levent et. al., 2014).

It is well known that we as humans are capable of empathy; and it has been proven that this capability of relating to someone else’s condition makes us aware of the situation and our personal position (Casile and Ticini in Levent et. al., 2014). This phenomenon is translatable to the art world; it has been proven that our aesthetic appreciation increases when we know more about the artist’s used techniques, increasing if we perform similar embodied activities (Casile

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and Ticini in Levent et. al., 2014; Bieber and Rae, 2013) (Fig 2.15). This embodiment in the art galleries is now made possible through technological integrations beyond touch-screens. It is changing the way we think and aiding to create a unique space of experience (Levent et. al., 2014) to create bonds between viewers and within their own senses.

Where we come from informs where we are going; and in the case of galleries we come from a place of embodied experiences and are now in a place of distant and seemingly uni-sensory contemplation (Candlin, 2008). There is a need to bring back the multisensory and adapt them into the new layout of these places, encouraging a deeper engagement with art (Lacey and Sathian in Levent et. al., 2014). This is where we are at now, creating and testing new ways of experiencing, by placing our bodies in the “space and time of art itself� through a feeling of self-awareness (Bacci and Pavani in Levent et. al., 2014, p.47) in which the galleries are no longer just a visual space.

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CHAPTER THREE: THE AESTHETIC TURN

Introduction There are three fields in this study for which the aesthetic undertone is important to outline; assisting to understand our position towards art, our senses and the gallery in today’s reality.

But before the aesthetic tendencies can be defined for each area (Art, Senses and Museum) it is important to frame the general concept. Our surroundings are becoming a sphere of experiences inspired by the entertainment industry; constructing an aesthetic reality underlined with economic purposes (Welsh, 1996). This aesthetic is one concerned with beauty; not only beauty in the highest sense; it includes pretty or stylish, forging our lifestyle and interactions according to the newest technological advances and trends. We are placed in a society where everything is designed to be visually pleasing, but as Welsh says, “Where everything becomes beautiful, nothing more is beautiful” (1996, p.18).

Therefore a new need to re-imagine reality has made an appearance; a change that is informing small sectors of life, such as art, the senses and the galleries. In the next sections I will discuss these aesthetic changes in order to situate the three selected fields. This placing of the aesthetic environment is linked with the evolution of the gallery atmosphere discussed in Chapter Two. It is important to be aware that there are different tendencies influencing our surroundings, and these influence our responses. In this case all three aesthetic movements are working together to bring us into a new sphere of relational behaviour, focusing on the world as an embodied place, that should be experienced through the engagement of all our senses without restrictions beyond the necessary.

Art Aesthetics Art is by no means restricted to the fine arts, it is “a way of life, a mode of existence, the goal of communal process” (Millard, 1961). It is understood as a feeling that inspires new ways of discovering the world (Leiber and Voigt, 2014). But we have stumbled upon a moment of crisis similar to the appearing of photography, where a need to justify paintings was at its high, since now it had to go beyond its representational faculties to attend deeper levels (Gokey, 2014).

With the scientific advances throughout the last decades, subjectivity is pushed to a side to leave us with a “meaningless understanding” of the world (Brassier, 2007); one where sensory experiences are separated from physical ones, a phenomenological distancing (Shaviro, 2014).

This tendency brought up the anxieties of the twenty first century related to the nature of the real; the deep involvement of the digital in our personal lives makes us wonder whether the real even exists (Shaviro, 2014). The need for physical objects is becoming redundant (Flusser, 1987), we have access to hundreds of ’items’ through the swipe of a finger. Reality is becoming virtual.

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Fig 3.1 - Portrait of Mona Lisa (La Gioconda)

Even a piece of art can be separated into several levels of understanding. Take for example the Mona Lisa (Fig 3.1); on one level it is a fictional three-dimensional flat image representing a forgotten woman, but additionally it can be viewed as a thin layer of pigment suspended on a canvas. Nonetheless on another level it is an artistic icon in its own right, one that is recognized and studied by millions (Gokey, 2014).

Therefore the aesthetic perception of art in today’s society is concerned with the subjective, where the displayed objects go beyond a visual understanding due to a discrepancy between “our concept of the object […] and what the object is in itself” (Shaviro, 2014, p.43). There is a phenomenological tendency that puts emphasis on the sensible experience, viewing the perception of art as an embodied activity (Shaviro, 2014, p.55), there is a need to feel and recover our senses (Sontag, 1964). Our knowledge of the world lets us guess an objects purpose before knowing its real use (Heidegger, 1919); we form ideas based on what we have experienced, a phenomenon present in art observation.

This aesthetic tendency is underlined by a speculative philosophy in which our imagination and intuition work as a basis, without distancing ourselves from conceptualization (Leiber and Voigt, 2014). It is interested in moving beyond anthropocentrism, gaining an understanding fueled through multiple world views, incorporating nonhuman as well (Hayles, 2014). Human perspective has evolved, it is structured through the differences in language and cultures as well as the incorporation of devices invented to expand our sensory ranges (Hayles, 2014).

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This widening of our perceptions is the start of the relational aesthetics that is so vivid in the present. It started in the 1990s, where works of art functioned as a medium for creating new social relationships (Gokey, 2014). It is a combination between our relations to the setting and the relations between the objects themselves, the anthropocentrism meeting the isomorphism.

Through our presentness we create an ‘empathic projection’ upon the displayed objects (Jackson, 2014). It is a return of the art to things, to make object stand out (Hansen, 2008), and in this day and age it focuses upon the digital devices that create and observe our reality (Jackson, 2014). There is a special focus on the internet, a source capable of seeing and placing itself, and consequently powering works of art (Simanowski, 2014), a new instrument of creation together with television and computer (Stiegler, 2014).

The relation, this new aesthetic wants to define, is how the viewer’s representation of the work wins over the material basis. It is concerned with our realization of the mechanism, powering the work of art, rather than our personal experience of it (Jackson, 2014). We are witnessing the work’s creation of itself. In Simanowski’s words it is a “replace[ment] of the human agency by the self-expression of objects” (p.361). We are being entertained through an indirect influence upon the art work, a piece often created by the information gathered on the internet which every one of us is fueling (Simanowski, 2014). We are becoming active participants and co-creators (Hansen, 2008), there is little division between producer and consumer (Stiegler, 2014). It is a way of “see[ing] the world of things as things in a world, rather than our world, with things in it” as Bogost wrote in his talk Seeing Things (2011). This new aesthetic strives to impact our perception, by making us pay attention to the devices around us and their “secret lives” (Simanowski, 2014).

Sensory Aesthetics The return of the senses in the perception of art comes together with the arrival of ‘digital natives;’ a newer generation growing up fluent in computer language, video games, and the manipulation of smartphone technology (Rosin, 2013). We are now in an era where tablets and smartphones are merged together within our domestic clutter (Rosin, 2013). This technology is being introduced and used with the desire to re-sensitise, making us aware of how we implement our senses to navigate the world (Levinson, 1999, Lutterodt - Quarcoo, 2013).

Most of them are powered through touch technology, reacting to it and letting something happen immediately as we swipe (Rosin, 2013). There is something rewarding about the immediate feedback that is accompanied with a form of vibration or sound (Rosin, 2013), a consequence of the new attention given towards our sensory modalities (Freeland, 2012).

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It is designed as a certain type of cross-modal relation, where what we see is being confirmed or denied through a translation into sonic and vibrational cues. Without the need for observation, we often know if we have received a message and even from what social media this message is. It is a start towards the cross-modal aesthetics of the senses, influenced by touch. There is a clear mapping between action and reaction (Palmer and Popat, 2007), a phenomenon that is being exploited to engage us more easily with technology; where one certain sensory event will be acknowledged by several sensory modalities (Fig 3.2).

Fig 3.2 - Image-sculptures out of custom-cast crayons where you can perceive the tactile dimension

Our aesthetic sensibility is a creation from within, where we weave together our sensory experiences, but is also tainted by the external codes of conducts (no touching, no chatting…)

(Bishop, 2004). It is a slow evolution from a time where the “sensory motto…was look but don’t touch” (Classe, 2012, p. 120). Our senses have developed according to social codes. We come from a time in which the senses have been separated, viewing our interactions as a one-sense-ata-time type of action (Howes, 2006). It is in recent years that an interest for the cross-modal has appeared, challenging the conventional sensorium constructed by the five sensory modalities (Howes, 2006b). The same concept is present in the relational art works which now seek intersubjectivity rather than individual opinion (Bishop, 2004), the senses are not excluded from one another anymore. Howes said in 2006, that “when doing art […] it is surely advisable to cultivate…two senses, rather than one” (p.16), an idea that is now being integrated in our lives.

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Gallery Aesthetics In the gallery field of aesthetics, there is an interest in engaging the visitor in a deeper level, often utilising games and technology interfaces for this purpose (Alexander et. al., 2013).

Through this incorporation, there is a hope to encourage the viewer and awaken their curiosity; to connect more actively with the artwork; be it by associating drawn squiggles from the viewer with paintings utilising similar lines, or through an interactive wall of paintings that lets you explore those that captivate your glance (Alexander et. al., 2013).

Fig 3.3 - 40 foot-wide interactive touch screen

Galleries in the present day want to deliver information, so it feels like an experience and not a lesson (Alexander et al., 2013). The aesthetic purpose is to create a shared social bond (Rancière cited in Elliott, 2009) and restore a “collective space of shared social engagement” (Bishop, 2012, p.275). The general public often ignores the curational information that goes along side the art, going straight to what captivates their attention and then reading more information upon that specific element (Alexander et. al., 2013). This indicates that there is a discrepancy between what the intent is and how people actually browse. Every person has their own reasons for visiting and will act accordingly (Rounds, 2006, cited in Alexander et. al., 2013). The curated pieces are offered to all kinds of gazes, there is no limit between the art world and the everyday life (Rancière cited in Elliott, 2009).

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Right now galleries are on an ironic path, when placed besides the artistic and sensory aesthetics tendencies. There is a common interest towards the phenomenological, yet most of the interactive technologies are virtual or tangible through a flat screen. It is a mistake gallery settings are making. They incorporate this digital dimension as an afterthought, by planting a few interactive touchscreens at the entrance which are never thought of again (Rodà, 2015). They are just an hypnotizing element far from a socially engaging experience (Orselli, 2009). Touchscreens don’t satisfy people’s expectations; it is not in accordance to the path of communicative aesthetics that galleries should be headed towards, they do not provide a dialogue (Hanse, 2008). Audiences do not want to be a passive bystander anymore (Bishop, 2012).

Fig 3.4 - People interacting with the original CLOUD sculpture at Nuit Blanche Calgary

On the other hand we have galleries that separate themselves from this touchscreen environment, a place where gamification is incorporated, “a game experience in non-game context” as Ripoll defines it(2015); where people are encouraged to pose as sculptures or imitate facial expressions (Alexander et.al., 2013). It is the era of multidisciplinary work, to seek new collaborations to reimagine the gallery’s content (Rodà, 2015), an approach that distances itself from the one-sense at a time approach (TrendsWatch, 2014).

There is a turn of the spectator from passive to active. Only being capable of viewing elements has limited us to be passive, but has awoken a need to be more involved (Rancière cited in Elliott, 2009). As visitors we have always observed, selected, compared and interpreted, translating art through our own experiences; even if this was not intended by the artist. But now there is a desire to be challenged (Bishop, 2004), to move away from the “passive spectatorial consumption” (Bishop, 2012).

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It is the time for participation, a shift from looking at object to engaging with them (Great Museums, Ah-ha! Moments, 2011) (Fig 3.3). It seems that it appears as form of compensation in a time where “participation [is] threatened in other spheres” (Foster, 2004 cited in Ennis et. al., p.194); an aesthetic movement that actually strives to give “a sense of purpose and direct involvement” with the audience (Larsen, 1999). The audience has been redefined by the artist throughout time; it has gone from aiming at crowds, to the masses; to the people, to the excluded; to communities, to the emerging of “today’s volunteers whose participation is continuous with a culture of reality television and social networking” (Bishop, 2012, p.277).

This path of aesthetics in the gallery can be seen as an ‘ethical turn’. Peter Dews declares it as a place in which “questions of conscience and obligation, of recognition and respect, of justice and law (...) have returned to occupy, if not centre stage, then something pretty close to it” (cited in Bishop, 2012, p.25).

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CHAPTER FOUR: THE SENSES IN THE GALLERY

Introduction We have seen how sensory experiences are making their place in galleries, being an ever so important topic in today’s aesthetic appreciation. Our perception of the world constantly evolves with our surroundings, and so do our senses, as discussed in chapter two. We are in a state of multisensory integration, as was outlined in chapter three in regards to aesthetics.

A lot of what has been laid out remains on a philosophical level, a lot of ideas and concepts of which are here, where their reality and physicality is presented, to see where these current state of affairs are found.

This presentation of examples is distributed on different sensory levels (general, vision, sound and touch) to convey an overall consideration of what sort of changes and arrangements can be done to challenge our senses. At this stage we need to be conscious that, although the galleries are aimed towards visual contemplation, in an underlining atmosphere all our senses are engaged. Now, however, is the time for direct involvement, which the following galleries have attempted to achieve.

General A general introduction of the senses into the galleries can be found with the exhibition Sensing Space: Architecture reimagined at the Royal Academy of London in 2014. This exhibition invited seven architects from six different countries, to re-imagine the interior of the exhibition space to awaken the visitor’s senses (Royal Academy of Arts, 2014) (Fig 4.1).

Fig 4.1 - Scented room created by Kengo Kuma

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Kate Godwin, curator of the exhibition, mentioned in 2014 that “Galleries exist […] on this sort of flat plane. You look at white walls, sculptures, but never at the space” (said in Time Out London, 2014). Therefore, this exhibition aims to change this perception, and offer a new embodiment of the space, to see it from a new perspective (Fig 4.2). Each work is done to captivate one of the five senses, so once you have wandered through the exhibition all your sensory modalities will have been engaged in a direct and intended manner (Moore, 2014b).

Fig 4.2 - A look at the galleries ceiling offered throught the creation of Pezo von Ellrichshausen

It is well known that spaces already provide a sensory experience, such as temperature and acoustics, but it often remains in our subconscious perception (Moore, 2014). It is now time to bring these experiences to the front and make the visitor aware of them. In this exhibition it is all about making the visitor draw their own conclusions through an experience that is personal but collective, all at the same time (Time Out London, 2014). It becomes a space where you draw relations between yourself and the atmosphere, being free to wander in whatever direction you feel like (Deezen, 2014).

Vision Throughout the years, the sense of vision has been the most obviously engaged in gallery surroundings. Even though there is a general tendency to step away from this uni-sensory experience that is often offered to us, there is a way to improve our perception even through this sense.

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Recently the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago has started offering their visitors EnChroma glasses (Fig 4.3). These are capable of correcting colour blindness by enhancing people’s colour perception through making colours appear more vivid (Chung, 2015b). It is a device capable of improving people’s visits by offering an enriched view.

Fig 4.3 - Example of how the EnChroma glasses enhance the perception of colour

The impulse behind it comes from the realization that the experience of colour is private. There is no way of proving if one’s perception of red is the same as someone else’s since there are so many factor that affect this (Blaufuks, 2015). It is an experience that one hardly can explain but has a huge impact upon us, and it is often taken for granted (Johansson, 2015). For this reason, these glasses were a good concept to put colours in the centre of discussion, giving people with difficulties for colour perception a chance to perceive the emotional responses that come with colours (Channick, 2015), and at the same time offering the visitor an opportunity to see colours in a more vibrant hue, making them stand out and attracting our bodies towards them.

It is a simple device that has the power to awaken responses beyond the usual, a new experience that sparks the visitor’s attention, impelling more than a glance at each work of art (Fig 4.4).

Fig 4.4 - Man using EnChroma glasses to view art work

Sound If we focus on the sense of hearing within the current gallery environment, it is usually composed of background noises or soundart. In the example discussed below, by the National Gallery in London, this inclusion goes beyond this. They treat music as an added value to the exhibition, as a new way of interpreting the already created art work.

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The exhibition is called Soundscapes and forms part of the Gallery’s programme ‘National Gallery Inspires’, which aims to offer fresh views of the Gallery’s paintings (National Gallery London, 2015). In this occasion they worked with six musicians and sound artists, each one chose a painting from the Gallery to create the music or sound art in response to what is being observed (Euronews, 2015).

Fig 4.5 - Layout of the Soundscape exhibition

Each soundtrack brings out new characteristics that people might have not noticed before, encouraging the visitor to observe the paintings (Luke, 2015; Jones, 2015) in more detail. It must be acknowledge that this lingering and detailed observation is achieved in combination with new spotlights and aural accompaniment, and the placement of each painting in its own soundproofed room (Coomer, 2015) (Fig 4.5).

Even though this initiative is bringing new visitors to the Gallery, and is capable of engaging a new sense, it must be said that what we are listening to is one person’s interpretation, partially taking away our subjective interpretation to adapt to the musicians expectations. It interferes with the expected silence we have grown accustomed to, and therefore it is no surprise that some people would require time to adjust to this atmosphere (Hudson, 2015).

Nonetheless it sparks our imagination and changes our response towards the art work. Where we often would only glance at it, now we stand in front of the piece and create a relation between what we see and what we hear. It forges a cross-disciplinary exhibition, moving away from the purely visual aims of a gallery space (Holmes, 2015). [Read another example of Sound in the galleries in Appendix 1]

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Touch It is now the era of participation, but this doesn’t always mean games and touch-screens. It is also about perceiving the artwork itself through a new sense, enhancing the material characteristics the piece has to offer beyond what it is representing. At the Museum del Prado, in Madrid, a new exhibition has started called Touching the Prado, in which the materiality of six painting (from different genres) was copied through a special technique called Didú that recreates the piece in relief, to generate tactile pieces whilst maintaining the colour values (Arce, 2015).

It is an exhibition aimed towards the blind and therefore there was a strong collaboration with this community (The Guardian, 2015). It wants to provide them with an emotional perception of the piece received through a mental creation obtained from touch; touching to see by using one’s fingers as eyes (Chung, 2015). In addition to this tactile piece the artwork is accompanied by audio guides and braille text to deepen the experience (Arce, 2015).

Even though it is aimed to the visually impaired audience, it is not limited to them. The institution offers opaque glasses for an enhanced experience with these relief copies, where people gain consciousness of what the artwork feel like, and how their tactile capabilities interprets what is under their fingers (Fig 4.6). It adds a new dimension to the otherwise flat looking paintings (Museo del Prado, 2015; Frayer, 2015).

This experience is capable of changing the way we interact with the gallery setting. These spaces are often crowded with paintings that after a couple of hours just look the same and induce a feeling of fatigue and tiredness (Halliday, 2015). This ability to engage our sense of touch offers us a break to the otherwise monotonous feel of the gallery. There is a clear interest in galleries to invite all audiences and offer a new multisensory experience, adding a new dimension to this otherwise blunt space (Randal, 2015).

Fig 4.6 - Visitor touching the tactile enhanced replica of the art work Amanda Jean Tichenor | MA Interaction Design | Placing the senses in the gallery | 53

CHAPTER FIVE: METHODOLOGY

To grasp a better understanding of how a sensory substitution experience fits within a gallery setting it is important to comprehend the current real world sensory experience these places offer. To get away from what is written about it or expected and record how these immersive places are perceived and interacted with by the visitor. It is also significant to comprehend how sensory experiences are thought about by the people who make the exhibitions happen, in order to better understand how the senses are integrated.

In order to investigate these issues an immersion into the art gallery setting is selected, since the acquisition of the Sensory Substitution devices was out of reach in the limited time frame.

To gain meaning for this immersion, an approach of three case studies has been selected. It is about understanding the details of what is happening, paying attention to any particulars of the space rather than the general (Thomas, 2011). As indicated by Simons (cited in Pink, 2009) this is achieved through an in-depth exploration from multiple perspectives, in this case through the senses, in a ‘real life’ context. The focus is upon the human behaviours and their phenomenological experience, bound within these locations, through an ethnographic research.

This ‘real life’ context defines the beginning and end of each case study, each ‘real life’ situation is chosen to be site-specific, a concrete gallery, which are viewed and interpreted through three (vision, auditory and tactile) out of the five senses defined in Western culture, as a way to achieve the multiple perspectives of the place. Our social interactions in a space are not merely verbal communications and visual impacts, as Sarah Pink expressed, these interactions are “fully embodied and multisensory”, which is what is hoped to portray. The three setting chosen are: The Fruitmarket gallery, Scottish National Gallery (Fig 5.1) and Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (One).

Fig 5.1 - Scottish National Gallery

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The bits of information gathered in each gallery are then compared and contrasted to offer and show the interrelations they presents. As Thomas (2011) states in How to do a Case Study, this is a ‘cross-case analysis’ where the importance of the study is located at the comparison that will be done, speculating about an event that is different from the norm, which therefore is known as an Outlier Case Study. This norm makes reference to our current state of visual dominance in the appreciation of art.

The purpose of this approach is to explore the specialness surrounding the space (Thomas, 2011) and use the gathered information as a way of setting a point of reference from which to draw speculation about the effects of integrating SSDs. It is an interpretation of people’s behaviours, always acknowledging that the world that surrounds us is constructed by each of us differently and that the observations are distorted by my own perspective and position (Thomas, 2011).

I myself become a participant in the culture surrounding the gallery settings, recording important facets of what is being observed. It is an informal observation to try and understand what is going, an unstructured observation (Thomas, 2011).

But this part of the Case Study goes beyond the written text, it aims to map the sensory journey carried out through the gallery, transforming each sensory modality into an expressive category (Pink, 2009) on the mapping. In this case experiences are understood as multisensory and therefore “neither dominated by nor reducible to a visual mode of understanding (Ingold, 2000, cited in Pink, 2009). This importance upon the sensory journey through the gallery space in this study can be understood through the words of Yi-Fu Tuan in 1977, “an object or place achieves concrete reality when our experience of it is total, that is through all the senses as well as with the active and reflective mind” (cited in Pink, 2009).

Therefore a visual map representing each sense will be shown for every gallery, in addition to photographs of the space, which have the capacity of “suggesting textures, smells, tastes, lightness and darkness, heat and cold of their environment” (Pink, 2009). It is a way of representing the interconnections and become a visual tool for interpretation, providing a complete understanding of the space. As Thomas pointed out in 2011, image-based methods provide a powerful extension of observation and open up a new range of possibilities to be interpreted, in this case throughout an emphasizes upon vision, hearing and touch.

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A key aspect to point out is the component of limits and boundaries, as stated by Ragin in 1992 (cited in Thomas, 2011), boundaries define cases, and furthermore Thomas states (2011) that we study the complexity of the state of affairs bounded within the case. This means that the case study lies within the limits that we set, for this approach the limits are given by time and place. Due to the nature of the research and the location I find myself in, the case study is set in galleries around Edinburgh that still remain open during the preparation period for the festival time in the city.

The on-going nature of the methodology is based upon a Sensory Ethnographic study, in particular how Sarah Pink approaches her research in the domestic home. She describes the homes as an environment that is “constituted, experienced, understood, evaluated and maintained through the senses” (2009, p. 13), a statement that can be translated into the gallery setting, emphasizing the observations upon the sensory reactions of the viewer, rather than just describing the space.

And although all the senses are involved it is important to acknowledge that one or more senses might dominate a situation or experience (Rodaway, 1994, cited in Thomas, 2011). In modern western cultures this is dominantly vision, as was argued by Howes in 1991 (cited in Pink, 2009).

The procedure of the case study therefore seeks to attend the question of experience within these spaces, by emphasizing on the “relationships between bodies, minds and the materiality and sensoriality of the environment” (p. 23) as Pink writes in reference to her study. She also remarks the importance of comprehending one’s own sensorium to understand other people’s sensory modalities, which is the reason for stating that all the gathered information throughout the observational stage are viewed and interpreted through my own sensorial experience, which then contributes to the interpretation of meaning behind people’s behaviour.

As an added value to the Case studies, the intention of carrying out interviews is present. An unstructured approach is adopted, which enables the creation of a moment of collaborative and reflexive exploration (Pink, 2009) that is not tied to a set of questions nor a specific person and remains flexible towards any situation. This approach is common for interpretative case studies, which is the philosophy underlining this research, being closer to a conversation where there is no fixed direction (Thomas, 2011). It is important to see these encounters as a sensory experience in its own, where the participant engages with the environment by “using their whole

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bodies, all their senses, available props and the ground under their feet, to narrate, perform, communicate and represent their experience” (Pink, 2009), paying attention to body language and not just to the words.

The reason behind it being an unstructured and semi improvised interview style lies within the limitations of the time in which these are being conducted. With the Arts and Fringe Festivals (placed in August) approaching, in addition to holiday season, people have condensed agendas and little time to dedicate to an interview, in special curators of galleries, therefore the interview took place towards the final stages of the research, and with a limited amount of people, as such the dedicated time for analysis was less than ideal.

With more time an ideal number of four to five people working as curators, or with positions in the gallery’s management, would be interviewed, in addition to the attendees that get to see and experience the way people engage with the gallery’s settings. These would then be analysed during a period of two weeks through a qualitative IPA (interpretative phenomenological analysis) approach, as specified by Smith and Osborn in chapter four of the book Qualitative Psychology: A Practical Guide to Research Methods.

The interviews that were carried out are integrated into the Case Studies as a new perspective of viewing the interactions and interrelations within the space through a sensory emphasis, it also enables the opportunity to comprehend other views upon the idea of integrating Sensory Substitution Devices within that specific site and how it would affect the environment. They provide an inside view in the construction of these environment that goes beyond speculation.

The interpretation behind these sensory observations and interviews relies upon a qualitative interpretation of the notes and photographs, capable of reconnecting me, and the reader, with that non-verbal experiences “involving memory and work of imagination” (Pink, 2009). The photographs and sensory maps are a focus point in the interpretation of data, offering the reader a path for understanding and imagining the tactile, audio and visual elements of the environment.

The data gathered was through immersion in the spaces at four levels: visual, auditory, and tactile (auto phenomenological experience) in addition to observation of people’s behaviours.

It is narrated to the reader as an experience where the most memorable actions are selected and described, laying out the field for the Discussion chapter.

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The extracted information and drawn conclusions are founded upon experience based knowledge, informed by my position as an interaction designer and former product designer with special interest and focus upon human interactions. As Pink stated, “the text becomes an ethnographic place where theoretical debate, written descriptions, visual evocation and more are intentionally brought together and interwoven� (p.137), and this is what these case studies aim to become.

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CHAPTER SIX: CASE STUDIES

Introduction As we have learned through the last chapter, the senses are starting to become present within many institutions, aiming to gain new visitors, and present new ways of engaging with the artwork by going beyond visual.

The phenomenological experience of the galleries has been documented through a sensory mapping [To be found in Appendix 5] according to our sense of vision, hearing and touch of each floor. The description of this journey is done according to rooms and floors, rather than distributing the rooms into the different senses, since the experience of a room involves all of the before mentioned senses. The first two case studies present a small segment of the complete description in order to not overwhelm the reader; the complete descriptions, next to the field notes, can be found in the Appendix 3 and 4.

In addition to these descriptions and mappings, the case studies dedicated to the Scottish National Gallery and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, feature interviews with those involved in curation. Dr Patricia Allerston, Deputy Director and Chief Curator for SNG; and Mairi Lafferty, Daskalopoulos Curator of Engagement for SNGoMA contributed to these. The recordings of these interview are not available, as requested by the participants. [Find List of Questions in Appendix 2]..

During my visit to these sites, the intention was to appreciate the sensory journey it offers, with emphasis upon visitor observation. Therefore I followed a trajectory according to the numbering of the rooms.

Case Study 1: The Scottish National Gallery This gallery houses a collection of early Renaissance to end of the nineteenth century paintings, and is free to visit. It invites us to stroll around the premises and have a glance (Scottish National Gallery, 2015).

Phenomenological experience

My personal journey started upstairs with bag in one hand, camera hanging around my neck and notebook with pencil in the other, ready to start. I entered a seemingly dark space, a feeling induced by the heavy looking green textile wallpaper and carpeted brown floor (Fig 6.1); where the light levels are actually bright, despite one’s feelings, reflecting upon the glass frames protecting the work of art. Only when you step closer to the frames can you appreciate the works of art as if there was no glass; being able to appreciate their texture and brush strokes, a phenomenon that occurs throughout the gallery. The room penetrates your skin through a Amanda Jean Tichenor | MA Interaction Design | Case Studies | 61

sensation of warmth and humidity (Fig 6.2) that makes the space feel smaller the longer you linger in it. You can see people wandering through it at a slow pace but without stopping. Only when the door opens do you feel some drafts of air that give you strength to continue.

As far as sensory engagement goes, it sticks to the visual by setting up boundaries to keep the visitor from touching. There is an obvious withholding of the natural impulses, keeping hands as close to the bodies as possible whilst moving back and forward in a nervous manner. Even small ticks like scratching noses, touching one’s lips or the biting of nails appear as a way to satisfy our urge of touch. Observing this sends one’s body into an oppressive state from which it wants to get out of, explaining the quick visits and fast glances. This behaviour only intensifies as you go through the different rooms.

Fig 6.1 (left) - Green textured Wallpaper | Fig 6.2 (right) - Paintings surrounded by tapestry

The sounds in the space are muffled and kept on the low side. The loudest it gets is when groups wander through the space together, laughing and murmuring about what they observe, as well as the sporadic phone or camera taking a picture. You can keep track of people’s movement as each step sets the floor into a squeaking and creaking state, as well as hearing people’s clothes rub against each other and the constant switching of bags that we are expected to balance throughout the space.

On to the next set of rooms as we descend back down the stairs. Now we are invaded by red textured wallpaper (Fig 6.3) and a green carpeted floor, the light levels have increased, may it be because of the high ceilings, a shift in the weather conditions or a feel of relief from the upstairs. This floor opens up your bodily freedom, as you can see the entire floor without having to move from one room to the other. There is more space to move around and you feel cooler.

More air drafts, this changes as you move towards room 13 and people start taking off jackets, hats, glasses, anything. Despite the openness we all keep towards the walls, as we inspect the pictures from top to bottom and zoom in with our heads to appreciate the textures. Text is mostly ignored until we hit a painting that actually grabs our attention beyond the superficial.

In these paintings people trace the contours of the shapes and point at details in them (Fig 6.5).

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The only elements people tend to actually touch are the text panels or seating areas, in which you hear constant sighing of people enjoying their moment of comfort. Finally the bags are out of hand, for the moment.

Fig 6.3 (left) - Red textured wallpaper | Fig 6.4 (right) - Overall look from the Red Rooms

Since this area is at street level, you can hear bagpipers and car noises merged together; with footsteps and beeping to enter staff rooms. Everyone murmurs and whispers to respect each other, except the attendees which talk at normal tones. There is a sea of sounds that accompany all the rooms, such as sneezes, coughing, bags rustling, humming, sighing and squeaking. In these red rooms people, seem overwhelmed by the paintings covering the walls at every inch possible, so they quickly glance at them and move on (Fig 6.4). [Read the complete experience in Appendix 3].

Fig 6.5 - Closeup from the paintings

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Interview with Dr Patricia Allerston

The interview with Dr Patricia Allerston was conducted in her office, a space overlooking the gardens and where the senses are just as engaged as in the actual gallery. It was a room within the gallery, a side of it that you rarely get to experience.

The overarching theme of the interview was aimed at finding out what experiences the gallery space has to offer and how they are thought about.

In this conversation Allerston indicates that the galleries approach is visitor oriented, this means that any event or change within the gallery is a direct response to people’s expectations.

Although there is a tendency towards integrating more and more direct sensory engagement, it is also of importance to maintain the neutral experience these spaces offer. There are as many people who want to engage in a deeper level as ones that just have the desire to be surrounded by art itself, without any sort of interruptions.

For this reason this additional level of engagement is offered as a possibility that you often need to ask for, or through special events that take place throughout the months. This way the clean feel of the gallery is maintained.

Nonetheless Allerston makes it clear that the general sensory experience is always present, each room in each gallery is carefully mediated and thought about. There is a lot of thought that goes into the sensory perception of these spaces, which are revised every so often to make sure they are in accordance to people’s needs. This quality check is done through questionnaires that are revised quarterly; this feedback even informs future projects.

All these additional layers are about paying attention to how people best learn and engage with art. The gallery has a big interest in engaging all the audiences and making everyone feel as part of the experience. She tells us that in some cases, whenever primary schools are attending some activities throughout the gallery, and are re-enacting certain aspects of the paintings, people around them will get more interested and actually pay further attention to what is being displayed.

She believes in the gallery being a story telling space, where the artwork lends itself for this purpose. It is for this reason that so many projects have been developed to interpret the paintings through a new artistic approach, giving people the opportunity to experience art through a new

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level of interpretation, one that embodies you and makes you see it from a new point of view.

Every event they put on is in direct relation to the paintings they offer on display, providing tours for the new interpreters to gain a deeper knowledge of what the painting reveals beyond the visual.

With regard to the digital realm that is fast approaching this space, Allerston presents a calm approach, everything that is integrated or offered through the gallery has to be carefully thought about, she says “there is nothing worse than having something integrated in the gallery that then doesn’t work�, for this reason every element is carefully planned. This is also influenced by the representatives of the focus groups that they bring into the gallery. They have often expressed concern towards the integration of digital technologies within the setting of the galleries. Most concerned with this shift in focus are primary and special school teachers; who find this new dimension too distracting if placed permanently within the galleries. For this reason, there need to be a balance between the digital and the physical, always having the option to enter a space without this realm.

Case Study 2: The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (ONE) This gallery, dedicated to modern art, presents its own permanent collection in the second floor, containing paintings from French and Russian art of the early twentieth century; cubist paintings; holdings of the expressionism and modern British art; a collection of Scottish art; and a post-war collection. It also displays some special loans on the first floor, which during this visit contained paintings from Roy Lichtenstein and an exhibition called Reflections (Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, 2015).

Phenomenological experience

On this occasion, as you enter the first corridor to your right, you can sense the feeling of a modern gallery; where all the walls are white and the floor is a neutral grey colour, with no carpeting. It has a certain industrial feel to it, with a more polished aesthetic. The light hitting this space is artificial and comes from a row of fluorescent lights on the ceiling, reminiscent of high school corridors, or public buildings where one is discouraged from lingering.

In this corridor, a myriad of portraits in various styles are hung from the walls. You get the feeling of being observed at each step you take, whilst being surrounded by a humid and warm environment, with the occasional breeze from the front doors.

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At the end of the corridor, you become part of the art work by seeing the reflection of your upper body in a mirror; suggestive of the position taken in most of the paintings. The sounds that accompany you through this journey towards the mirror are quiet and muffled. There are murmurs of other guests, and each step taken by them is complemented by light sand crunching, a sound persistent until the moment you leave. It is also a place of readjustment, where people are indicated to hold their bags in their hands; and fully packed, walk through the space. You clearly perceive the bags rustling as they find their place in a soon to be cramped hand.

Fig 6.6 (left) - Becoming the artwork | Fig 6.7 (right) - Bright room with unsettling art

The corridor offers us our first encounter with the works of art, which are mesmerizing. Due to the vast selection, you will always find something to look at without having to wait for others to move along. There is a clear stopping in front of a painting, only if it talks to our personal taste (Fig 6.6). Here, little gestures like hands close to body and hands on mouth, start to make its appearance whilst we wander to the next room.

This next room appears slightly brighter than the corridor, but invites us to think of it as dark, because of the slightly weird artwork (Fig 6.8), and absence of natural light, despite the windows.

This makes it seem small and you are trapped. No one really dares to go beyond the first metre of the room. In this room, we are followed by the white walls, switching to wooden floors, which start creaking upon entering. Due to the covered windows, your eyes automatically focus upon the blinking light of the ventilation system, hidden underneath; action that is immediately followed by the sound of the ventilation, present in each room as a constant buzzing. You are also kept alert by sudden metallic knocking throughout the rooms, in addition to beeping of phones and cameras.

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As this experience ends, we move on to the next space; one that receives us with bright natural light and a cold atmosphere; portraying what seems to be a sculptural art piece in the middle of the room. The attendees nicely invite you to walk along the walls of the room, so you do not get near the sculptures, which you wouldn’t want to do anyways because of the unsettling nature they present. As you move along the walls, your footsteps echo and you hear the murmur of the people behind you, as each step they take, makes a clinking sound of keys, in addition to the constant squeaking of the wooden floors (Fig 6.7). Once you have finished your round you are on to the next room. [Read the complete experience in Appendix 3]

Fig 6.8 - Reflecting the darkness within the gallery

Interview with Mairi Lafferty, Daskalopoulos Curator of Engagement

The interview was conducted, through my request, in the café area, making this event an embodied experience, as you find yourself surrounded by visitors and staff members having a break, whilst chatting, eating and having some coffee. All your senses are involved at one degree or another. The overall theme of the interview was aimed at present experiences the space offers as well as future possibilities. This institution aims towards a user generated experience, inspired through the visitor’s feedback.

When asked whether such devices as SSDs, or even the listening of poems in regard to a specific painting (part of their programme ‘Inspired? Get writing! That can be accessed through https://www.nationalgalleries.org/play/play-menu/), could be interpreted as an extension of the artwork or be an experience in itself, she responds: Amanda Jean Tichenor | MA Interaction Design | Case Studies | 67

“[it is a] layered interpretation, any kind of reading of the work, anything that makes you feel or think about it is a way of interpreting. Whether or not it becomes the art work is not the question, it’s about how they add to the ‘experience’ of the work, what we do is encourage people to interpret [it] in their own way within their own context or frame of reference. It is up to you to make something out of it.”

So rather than it becoming a new experiences it should be considered a new layer of interpretation that aims to help people think about the artwork and create new relationship towards it.

Even with the programmes in regards to musical acts or dance performances inspired by the artwork displayed, she presents a firm belief that they represent a new layer of understanding, a new dimension to the artwork’s interpretation. The intention behind these events or devices that accompany you through your journey are never intended to be an extension of the artwork itself or change in any way the artist’s purposes, they are an extension of the interpretation. The same principle applies for workshops and guided tours.

As we moved towards aims and expectations it became clear that one of the most important aspects of art is to get people talking about it. She suggests that the visitor’s reactions are what bring art alive. This is reflected upon their integration of a space to encourage discussion about art, the Resource Room, which has been subject of improvement and is in constant adaptation through people’s expectations. Offering a room, dedicated to the integration of different material, rather than plastering the walls full of information and links that might be of interest, is considered a more appropriate approach to avoid overwhelming the audience. Lafferty suggests it is important to acknowledge that there are people who do not seek the interaction aspect of a gallery.

For this reason the additional dimension, or layers of interpretation are offered as an extension to the art works context and place in the world. This means that they can be accessed through one’s own will, giving us the option of participation rather than advertising it throughout the exhibition. This added layer can be accessed through the Resource Room, signing up for guided tours and workshops or even by visiting the performances they offer at specific occasion. So even though at first glance it appears focused upon the visual attraction, they offer a whole new level of activities tailored to people’s needs. It seems that these added experiences of interpretation are elaborations to specific projects concerned with visitor’s engagement, putting them on a different level to the artwork itself.

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From this conversation it also crystalized that current experiences in galleries, without this added layer, are already embodied experiences. Each room is carefully designed by curators that understand the place in levels we often don’t acknowledge. Lights are adapted to paintings as well as the overall feel, even audio levels are tinkered with to achieve a certain atmosphere.

This embodied experience within the exhibition space is related to their desire, and duty, of maintaining the structural design of the building, so the appearance of the room heavily influences the positioning of the artwork.

Through this interview one becomes aware that galleries are far from being uni-sensory experiences, even without the added layers all our senses are being considered.

Case Study 3: The Fruitmarket Gallery This is a small gallery that offers an intimate encounter with art, for free. Recognising the impact art can have upon one’s life, they work in cooperation with artists from all over the world. At the time of visit, the exhibition held was by Phyllida Barlow, an exhibition designed with this site in mind, therefore occupying the space entirely (The Fruitmarket Gallery, 2015).

Phenomenological experience

As you enter this gallery, you have to look close to find where the exhibition starts, since you move through a shop and can see the happenings of the café before noticing the art rooms.

There is no rhyme or reason to the order in which you follow this exhibition, no numbers and no indications. For this reason I start my visit downstairs, since I am already at this level.

Here you enter a big room with high ceilings, walls are mostly white but contain splashes of the artwork and minor damages. The floor is made of wood and fairly dirty. It brings an industrial feel to the space. It is over the idea of perfect aesthetics. This space is low lit and contains no natural light, making the artwork appear washed out. This artwork is everywhere, filling the room completely from top to bottom. People look up and down, swirl around and even touch the artwork, to confirm with their hands the texture that they see.

Despite this being a big room, it feels small due to the narrow space you can actually walk on.

There is a certain feel of still being outside; a feeling that you learn afterwards is what the artist intended. It is a recreation of dump sites on streets where people leave their furniture to die.

The artwork is cramped with different textures where most of it appears rough and spikey (Fig 6.9 and Fig 6.10). As people move through, extending their hands to feel the sculptures, you are

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surrounded by the noise of people moving up the metallic stairs and a constant knocking, mixed with the café noises of people eating and chatting. The small room at the end of this has adopted the feel of a closet, one filled with wood spikes and paint splashes. It is dim and warm. No one dares to go in, observing it from the distance of the door frame.

Fig 6.9 (left) - Texture at the FruitMarket gallery 1 | Fig 6.10 (right) - Texture at the FruitMarket gallery 2

Whilst your brain is making sense of this embodied experience, you move towards the stair case, start to ascend it (Fig 6.11), completely surrounded by the artwork that is just above you.

You hear your own metallic footsteps, leaving the café noises behind, hearing them at every step, more and more distant. Once upstairs you feel cornered (Fig 6.12), the only path that makes sense is the one leading back downstairs. There is a giant sculpture that occupies the whole floor; reaching to the walls and leaving only a narrow pathway to walk around it.

As you face the enormous sculpture wondering how to tackle it; you leave behind you the video room, one in which the artist´s explanations are being played on a monitor, and several books are there to inform you. This room is brighter than the main room, and offers benches to sit on, an element missing throughout the other rooms. There you hear papers and breathing, whilst being able to listen not only to the artist’s video but also to the personal life of the attendees.

Fig 6.11 (left) - Staircase at the FruitMarket Gallery | Fig 6.12 (centre) - Narrow dark pathway | Fig 6.13 (right) - Texture at the FruitMarket gallery 3 70 | Case Studies | MA Interaction Design | Amanda J Tichenor

Back to the main room; it is overwhelming. The artwork goes in and out, filled with texture and colour. It goes from bright to dark, and you can move into the little nooks and cracks of it (Fig 6.13). You never see people, but you can hear their footsteps as they move around the piece.

The visit is fast lived and pretty quickly you hear the metallic footsteps of people descending the stairs. During the inspection of the piece, you are made aware of the traffic noises, perhaps due to the nature of the sculpture imitating the trash outside, or because it is always audible.

Although in the room downstairs people actually touched the artwork, here, no one dares. There is a large sign of prohibition, so people only glance with looks of wonder, keeping their hands tight to their bodies.

As you move around, it feels like the artwork is coming closer and might actually fall on you.

You keep as close as possible to the walls until you reach the stairs again, exiting the space and approaching the cafĂŠ noises once again. You end up leaving this intrusive experience with a feeling of having been close to the work. It is memorable.

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DISCUSSION

The way we communicate differs between people and it is based upon our interpretation of the world. There are people that navigate the world better through the visual and others through the auditory, as was mentioned in the interview with Allerston, marking the importance of addressing these different types of understanding in a setting like the gallery as a way of improving current communication.

Through the phenomenological mapping it becomes clear that galleries already offer a multisensory experience, but this is often just perceived through our subconscious and doesn’t distance our visual tendency of interpreting paintings. It affects the way we navigate the space, but has little influence on how we view the paintings.

This is where devices like SSDs have the opportunity to make their way into the gallery, distancing them from their laboratory nature. Because of their capability of translating sensory cues attained to one specific sense into a new sensory modality (Bach-y-Rita, 1969) they can offer a new interpretation of the artwork, making them accessible and interesting to people who learn and focus better through another sense, besides the visual. In Chapter Two it is made clear that our visual understanding varies from person to person, depending on our brains interpretation of light cues and the number of colour receptors in our eyes, what we visually perceive is far from being a faithful representation of what is out there, so this new level of understanding can create an enhanced experience of interpretation, giving meaning to the subjective perceptions.

Fig 8.1 - Amedir using the EyeMusic

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This speculation is based upon the qualities these devices present in today’s day and age. In Chapter One we have seen how SSDs have taken a turn towards pleasantness, and are seen as a way of enhancing our sensory abilities rather than being associated with a full sensory recovery (Auvray, 2014), in addition they are now smaller, cheaper and lighter. These characteristics make them plausible to be used by everyone, moving outside of their targeted audience. They have the potential of being integrated with the collection of technological devices that we already use as an extension of ourselves, such as smartphones or cars (Auvray, 2007).

This statement is reinforced by the fact that some of these devices, or the concept behind them, have already made their way into certain areas of our lives, such as night goggles for surveillance or the different vibrating patterns on our phones to indicated different received messages (Eagleman, 2012), this triggers a feel of reward since we are getting immediate feedback of what we see, as suggested by Rosin. This in relation to the fact that understanding the language of the devices is now quicker and easier, as demonstrated by Amedi who told an audience how it worked and a minute later they could hear the visual world, shows how flexible they are to be introduced and acknowledge by the gallery goer.

The motivation behind integrating SSDs into a gallery setting is brought forwards by the fact that they are able to activate new parts of our brains that usually remain inactive, or develop areas of our brain that are used in rare occasions. This means that if SSDs start to get integrated at a gallery level, and visitors start using them, more and more people will be awakening their brains, the true organ of perception, creating cross-modal relations between sensory modalities, approaching a sort of synaesthesia induced interpretation of the world.

The way the selected devices (The VEST and the EyeMusic) make this possible is by playing with the sensory capabilities that are equipped with. The EyeMusic’s sonic outcome takes advantage of our auditory memory, even with no training upon first listen provoked by the paintings our brain will associate certain patterns with memories and feelings that give meaning to what we observe (McAdams et. al. 2001) so everyone will obtain a new interpretation in addition to what is visually perceived, having the power to make people concentrate on specific part of the painting that they might never have noticed before, as suggested by the exhibition Soundscapes, only with this it is not mediated through an artist, instead you make your composition through the way you aim the camera. It would merge perfectly into the way people act around paintings in the present since it is about aiming a camera at the painting, which would substitutes the pointing and contouring of shapes done with our hands.

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In the case of the VEST it engages with our sense of touch, creating a link between the written text and a tactile experience. This device would be fuelled by the curatorial panels located next to the paintings, creating a different vibrating pattern on our backs as we focus on one painting or another, alleviating the need for touch that so often makes an appearance in gallery environments as is made obvious through the visitor’s observations done for the case studies, where people automatically start to scratch their noses and never stay still. Without needing to stand close we could feel the paintings, it is an approach that stands behind the idea of touch through touchscreens not always being a solution for tactile impulses, it has the ability to create a new layer of understanding the paintings beyond reading or observing, it is about feeling.

Both devices are offering a new layer of understanding the art work, even a new experience.

But the question remains, to what degree are they an interactive experience in their own right or an extension of the curatorial information? The answer to this is neither, what they offer is a new way of understanding the artwork that becomes a new layered experience, as Lafferty and Allerston suggested it would be an addition to the layers of interpretation that are currently present (text, videos, audio guides‌). It is about encouraging new modes of understanding through which the visitor can create their own interpretation of the art. Even if fuelled by the curatorial information directly or being a translation of the visual appearance of the artwork itself, the experience remains an extended layer of interpretation relating the art to the context

Fig 8.2 - Painting representing the Department of Speech and Hearing and Sciences

and a representation of sound in pictures

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and frame of reference from the viewer. It is not an interactive experience in its own right because it relies on the art work to have meaning, and it is not an extension of the curatorial information because it is not designed for each picture to work different, it is fuelled by the artwork and regardless of which painting it is it will translate it in the same way.

It represents a natural step towards the digital world integrated within the gallery and respects the need for participation and engagement of the senses, offering a new dimension of interpretation, but without making it available for everyone throughout the whole exhibition since this is not wanted by everyone, as we have learned through Chapter Four and the interviews.

The integration of devices, capable of enhancing one’s aesthetic experience, offered through the gallery comes with the need for direct involvement of our senses and a desire for becoming part of the artwork rather than a passive bystander, a tendency made clear throughout Chapter Three. The visitor wants to become active, and this means integrating in a direct way all of our senses, it is about stepping from passive to active through a change from subconscious to conscious perception.

This does not mean that galleries are not already engaging us in a multisensory experience; galleries are not a uni-sensory environment even if their major concern is occupied with the visual attraction of the art work. Through our brains capability of going beyond the visual to create embodied experiences, as suggested by Bacci and Pavani (2014), we are constantly engaged in a multisensory level where we can feel our own bodies reacting, there is temperature, noise levels and lights inviting us to an embodied experience, this is made obvious through the phenomenological mappings.

The reason why we believe that our senses are tackled one at a time is because we live in a time where everything has been dissected, torn apart in search of the answer to what makes us the way we are (Howes, 2006). We were made to believe that our senses are separated, when in reality we rely on all of them at the same time, and in cross-modal relations, to understand our environment, a phenomenon that is just now making its way into scientific fields. So there is

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really no surprise to the statement that galleries, without the added devices, were and continue to be multisensory experiences. It is now the time of leaving subtlety behind and being direct with this sensory engagement.

Each space in a gallery is carefully mediated by people that understand the space beyond our capabilities, designing it to attend all our needs, and now this attention has just been enhanced, making it less subtle and engaging us in new levels. Not only through the space are galleries far from being uni-sensory, they also offer programmes tailored to everyone’s sensory needs, and SSDs could become an addition to this sensory expanding.

We must be aware that galleries have all sorts of visitors, so in order to not overwhelm the space with crowded information, or offer interactive dimensions that a lot of people might not be interested in, it is wise to keep these additional layers of understanding as an option and maintain the physical space as elegant and simple as possible so the artwork remains at the centre of attention. This is why elements like SSDs would work perfect, since they do not require to be in the space 100% of the time.

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CONCLUSIONS

Through this deeper investigation into the world of the sensory and its´ relation to the gallery setting, it has become clear that we are aware of a small fraction of what goes on. A gallery is composed of more than just a collection of paintings and art works; it needs to answer to certain aesthetic tendencies in order to maintain the visitor’s expectations. More often than not it is within this environment where opportunities and prospects are tested out, being an impulse platform for new ways of thinking and feeling about the world.

Without a doubt it is a space for creating deeper layers of understanding that then extends to the rest of the world. This is one of the reasons for which it is the perfect space to introduce SSDs. In recent years, neuroscience has occupied itself with this cross-modal communication that occurs in the brain. It is now clear that it has the ability to process certain inputs through a completely different sensory modality (Freeland, 2012), which indicates that SSDs are a possible method of interpretation. In this sense it is now in the hands of galleries to bring these devices to the rest of the world and expand their use.

SSDs are capable of offering a new experience of interpretation, and whilst it does this it can train new areas of your brain to activate through other sensory cues. In this ever so visual world that we find ourselves in, this is the opportunity to move beyond visual responses triggering the visual cortex, to enhance the multisensory response. The reason why it is beneficial for these devices to start out in a gallery setting is because of the calm atmosphere they offer, where visual elements are static as opposed to the dynamic outside world. This gives people time to familiarize with the devices and slowly grow accustomed to their output.

As discussed throughout the former chapter, these devices must be seen as an added layer of interpretation that adds to our experience. It always relates to the viewer’s context and frame of reference in relation to the artwork. Therefore it does not aim to offer an interactive experience in itself, and it can’t, it is tied to the physicality of the paintings and its surroundings, without this the output would be meaningless. SSDs come alive through the sensory input that they receive.

They then translate into a new pattern for our brains to fill with meaning, which becomes the new layer of interpretation.

Ultimately it is about adding a new experience of interpretation to the already established layers and challenging our senses. It needs to work in agreement with the mediated space that strives to engage with our senses. This is not only in the hands of the additional aids of interpretation; it is an existing concern in the design of the space itself. Our sensory journey is always carefully mediated, it just so happens that we have moved on from a time where this was wanted to be subtle and remain in the backdrop.

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Appendices Appendix 1 – Placing the Senses in the Gallery; Sound – Additional Information Appendix 2 – Interview Questionnaire Appendix 3 – Phenomenological Experience Appendix 4 – Field Notes Appendix 5 – Phenomenological Mapping of Galleries (Envelope at Rear) Diagram 5.1 – Base Key

Diagram 5.2.1.1 – Scottish National Gallery – Lower Level Floor Plan Diagram 5.2.1.2 – Scottish National Gallery – LL Light Level Diagram 5.2.1.3 – Scottish National Gallery – LL Sound Level/Types Diagram 5.2.1.4 – Scottish National Gallery – LL Temperature Sensations Diagram 5.2.2.1 – Scottish National Gallery – Ground Level Floor Plan Diagram 5.2.2.2 – Scottish National Gallery – GL Light Level Diagram 5.2.2.3 – Scottish National Gallery – GL Sound Level/Types Diagram 5.2.2.4 – Scottish National Gallery – GL Temperature Sensations Diagram 5.2.3.1 – Scottish National Gallery – Upper Level Level Floor Plan Diagram 5.2.3.2 – Scottish National Gallery – UL Light Level Diagram 5.2.3.3 – Scottish National Gallery – UL Sound Level/Types Diagram 5.2.3.4 – Scottish National Gallery – UL Temperature Sensations Diagram 5.3.1.1 – Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art – Ground Floor Plan Diagram 5.3.1.2 – Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art – GF Light Level Diagram 5.3.1.3 – Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art – GF Sound Level/Types Diagram 5.3.1.4 – Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art – GF Temperature Sensations Diagram 5.3.2.1 – Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art – First Floor Plan Diagram 5.3.2.2 – Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art – FF Light Level Diagram 5.3.2.3 – Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art – FF Sound Level/Types Diagram 5.3.2.4 – Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art – FF Temperature Sensations Diagram 5.4.1.1 – Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh – Ground Floor Plan Diagram 5.4.1.2 – Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh – GF Light Level Diagram 5.4.1.3 – Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh – GF Sound Level/Types Diagram 5.4.1.4 – Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh – GF Temperature Sensations Diagram 5.4.2.1 – Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh – First Floor Plan Diagram 5.4.2.2 – Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh – FF Light Level Diagram 5.4.2.3 – Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh – FF Sound Level/Types Diagram 5.4.2.4 – Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh – FF Temperature Sensations Amanda Jean Tichenor | MA Interaction Design | Appendices | 91

Appendix 1 Placing the senses in the gallery

Sound

In the case of Mark Applebaum’s exhibition, called The Metaphysics of Notation, the artwork was created with this exhibition in mind and intended to have a musical outcome, rather than the music being an added element to it (Whitehorn, 2009).

His exhibition took place in 2010 at The Cantor Arts Centre at Stanford, California. It presented twelve pictographic score panels and two pictographic score mobiles that were spread throughout the space. These pictographic scores are seen as a new musical code containing graphic elements to be understood and interpreted by musicians (Doyle, 2011). Applebaum argues that these scores are a visual consequence of what he wants to hear, he believes that visual arts and music can communicate (Arnold, There’s no Sound In My Head, 2010).

So in addition to this graphic work the exhibition offered weekly performances where different musicians would interpret these scores, following them at an emotional level since there are no guidelines of interpretation, to offer an unexpected performance each time. One of the performers, Jaroslaw Kapuscinski, describes the scores in the movie There’s no sound in my head as “a guide with various answers and a lot of questions”.

Although there are a vast amount of interpretations, it is interesting to note that most of the performers would interpret the scores according to what they had learned, reading them from left to right, where detailed drawings are equal to more notes, and denser parts are equal to louder noises and drawings placed on top of the paper where associated with high pitched notes and descended from there on (Doyle, 2011).

This exhibition intends to show the link between music and art. The scores are a transcription of soundscapes in Applebaum’s head (Chambers, 2013), in which classic notation fails to portray it. This configuration, although aesthetically appealing would mean nothing without the musician’s interpretation, this musical element is what gives it power (Innova, 2010).

The musical intend is ever present during the exhibition, making its way through to the visitor’s minds, reaching a point where the images hung upon the walls cannot be seen without associating a certain sound to it. It is a step towards hearing the visual (Saeed, 2012).

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Appendix 2 Interview Questionaire

GENERAL

Name and background What is your current job title and what does it mean?

What is the role of your job within the gallery?

What are the objectives of your job?

What are your expectations in what you do?

AESTHETICS How would you define the aesthetic environment of the gallery?

What are the exhibition’s aims?

Within recent years there is an interest towards the multisensory and technologically enhanced space, is this present in the gallery?

What is the desired experience you hope visitor’s get from their visit?

Is the art work used as a tool towards engaging the visitor’s sense or is this done through the use of other elements such as light levels?

SENSES What place do the senses have within the gallery?

How are they taken into consideration within the exhibition?

Which senses are most though of and why?

Have there been recent changes in how exhibitions are interacted with?

Is the engagement of the visitors bodies are key aspect of successful exhibitions?

If there is an interest in engaging the visitor’s senses, how is the success of it measured?

What is the future of the senses in galleries?

Are there any programs or future exhibitions that are concerned with the sensory journey of the visitor in specific? Or is this a general concern that is always present?

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CURATION What curatorial information does the gallery offer?

How many people curate the exhibition?

Is the visitor’s journey curated? How? Why? Is the curation done in collaboration with the artist?

To what extend can curation be an experience in itself?

How is the success of the curation measured?

Do people engage with it enough?

SENSORY SUBSTITUTION

Are there currently any devices offered to experience the art through a new sensory modality?

Are these devices an extension to the curation?

Is it possible to experience “visual” art through another sense?

What senses do you think art should be experienced through apart from vision?

Does sensory substitution have a place in galleries?

Could sensory substitution devices become an element of curation?

Would this translation of the visual into another sensory modality be a new experience or an extension of the curation?

If nothing is altered and these devices are offered as is, would the experience they offer be a translation of the curatorial work as well (since each room has been curated), or just would they just offer a new experience of the art work?

Could the integration of Sensory substitution devices become a curated experience? How? What would it take for these devices to become an extension to the curation of the artwork rather than a curated experience?

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Appendix 3 Phenomenological experience

Case Study 1: The Scottish National Gallery

[...] In the middle of this red sea we find two rooms that break up this routine. They are small octagonal spaces with blue painted walls and stone floors where the squeaking is replaced with tapping. Although the light levels might be the same it appears darker and therefore it feels cooler. These rooms are tackled with care, entering slowly and taking the whole room in before admiring the paintings. Whilst you go through the room, in a clockwise motion, you are followed by the loud ventilation noises, which from then onwards are perceptible in each room, accompanying this sound are footsteps and breathing, no one dares to talk.

Once you reach the end of the space you enter two rooms with lower ceilings, darker lights and an overall feeling of being trapped. It gets warm and humid again, and you have the same sort of feeling you had in room 1 only more intense because of the long journey you already had to go through to reach this are. Here we are surrounded by green painted walls and green carpeted floors, which make the place even smaller and tighter looking. It seems like this is a space of transition, you are in a hurry to get back to the light and spacious surrounding of the red walls.

In here the sounds are more silent, murmurs become quieter and you seem to forget about the constant squeaking of the floors, these rooms are a quiet area of quick contemplation. Tiredness is starting to show on the visitors as they reposition their belongings and grunt at each step, the darkness is also providing a good opportunity to readjust one’s looks and check phones.

With this floor covered you start to feel nervous and slightly cranky as you realise that there are two more floors to cover. So back upstairs it goes, this time a different set of stairs. As you ascend you feel it getting cooler, which is gladly appreciated, and noise levels go down, you are also greeted by a smiling attendee that indicates you which room you should start with. The walls in this floor are either painted blue or aqua in combination with beige carpeted floors, making the spaces look more welcoming and less overpowering, it also appears brighter.

There is almost no perceptual conversations, the noises that surround you are footsteps, laughter, bags rustling and of course the ventilation. But there are two new sounds that strike one’s ears, a robotic voice telling you the floor you have reached coming from an elevator, and the ticking of a clock in a corner room, people clearly hear these as they look around for the origin of them, having a look of relieve once they find the source.

In this room the colours present in the pictures are relaxing, less harsh, which is clearly influenced by the change of wallpaper. This feeling of relaxation is evident in the lingering of the visitor, who doesn’t seem to want to go back stairs, just sitting on the couches situated in the middle of the rooms and having a chat with the attendee as to where he is from and why he is working there, a good distraction from the overwhelming feeling of observing so much artwork.

Now the time has come to direct oneself to the last floor. Down it goes into the basement, descending two flights of stairs by having to pass through the red and green rooms again. As Amanda Jean Tichenor | MA Interaction Design | Appendices | 95

you go down the second flight of stairs you can feel drafts of air stroking your body, it starts to feel cooler and darker as well.

Upon entering the basement you notice that the natural light is gone, fluorescents have taken over, giving this space a colder feel. The walls are painted with grey undertones and you step on a brown carpeted floor. The drafts of air you feel when descending the flight of stairs if ever so present in the actual rooms, giving you a break from the warm spaces in the middle floor.

As you walk through it you can see faces of relieve and people walk slower than in the rest of spaces, one visitor even dared to walk barefoot, feeling the softness of the carpet under their feet, she had a clear face of relaxation and spent the most time actually looking at the paintings.

This area is silent, similar to the second time you go upstairs, there is no rush and no sound invades with one’s thoughts. You experience sounds that are easily ignored, such as breathing, footsteps and silent whispers. There is a beautiful coordination between people, respecting personal spaces and almost taking turns to look at the art, it seems like the people who make it to this level have adopted a new code of behaviour.

With this feeling of cooperation and respect one makes its way to the loud outside world, a transition that is made easier by having to pass through the red rooms to reach the exit, and thus the journey ends with a feeling of peace but slow adaptation to the hectic behaviour of the streets.

Case Study 2: The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (ONE)

[...] This one is colourful, bright, and happy looking, but it greats you with overwhelming warmth. Although there is a desire to stay because of its rather amicable atmosphere, the need for fresh air makes the visitor look at it quickly. The first thing to capture anyone’s attention is the big colourful wall, which makes you aware of the high ceilings and the nature of the space itself, it captivates people in a way that it makes them move slower into the room, so the creaking floor is quieter. After this distancing from the white wall atmosphere people look around without moving around, and leave again.

On we go to the next room, a small space with low lid lights and covered windows, with a cushioned bench in the middle of the room from which you can observe a collage of photographs stuck behind a glass frame. You get to feel the softness of the seat whilst hearing people comment on the work, coughing or sighing. In this tiny space people get ready for the next set of rooms by readjusting their belongings and looks, and with hands close to one’s body we enter the next space always respecting each other’s personal space, one person at a time goes through the corridor doors.

The next three rooms contain the works of art of Roy Lichtenstein and are very similar in nature, they are all dimly lit spaces that welcome you with a pleasant temperature, you are

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invited to linger in these spaces through an addition of benches and explanatory catalogues that help deepen our understanding of the space. None of these rooms offer natural light, protecting the artwork from possible sun damage. The artwork in them is also the most dynamic in nature, since it incorporates three dimensional pieces and paintings that utilise words to describe sounds, and some of the bigger pieces include mirrored parts that reflect the galleries rooms and atmosphere.

These three rooms are also the loudest and most engaged with, a space where you hear kids running around and winging, at the same time as being completely fascinated by certain pieces.

You can distinguish arguments held between groups of visitors and people flipping through catalogues, as well as the common sounds of footsteps and creaking floors.

The last room you enter on this floor is the brightest, where the whiteness of the walls surrounds you, offering a break from the dim past by opening the windows blinds. There is also little engagement with the artwork since this is plastered on the same level as the wall. The only sounds you experience here is that of papers moving and quiet coughing or yawning, no speaking or murmuring in the room itself. In this space people relax their bodies by rubbing their necks and relaxing their faces.

It’s time to go upstairs. The overall feel you get whilst ascending the stairs is that it becomes brighter despite the fact of there not being any natural light at the first corridor you encounter.

The walls continue to be white and filled with paintings at eye level, these do not show much dimension and neither does the room. There is not much going on and it is treated as an inbetween space, getting ready for the next set of rooms by adjusting their belongings and starting to speak in a silent tone again. The only things you really hear in this space are bags rustling and footsteps starting to slow down.

In-between corridors you stumble upon a square looking room that is just as bright as the others, the artwork induces a feeling of heaviness that clashes with the brightness, accompanied by heavy textured frames, you start to notice that the paintings are treated different to the below floor, it has a more classic feel to it. This in the first space in which a visitor has decided to conduct his phone conversation, so as you move along you get to hear this person’s problems and life troubles while he wanders around the sculptures present behind glass displays. You also hear elevator noises going up and down as the floor continues to squeak underneath your feet.

In the next space you are surrounded by abstract work, a style that I personally associate with musical sounds. This room appears to be brighter as well, since natural light is hitting the paintings in the room. People actually stop to read the text panels and adopt relaxing positions as they move along the walls, no one talks and you can only hear the breathing and slow footsteps of the visitors around you. This behaviour and general feel follows through to the next space, where the abstract nature of the paintings continues, but with a more immersive colour usage.

You can clearly feel people getting antsy though, moving faster and only glancing at the work.

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Moving forward you stumble upon a square room in the corner, one with deeply textured artworks that invite you to come closer and distance yourself a few times to perceive the whole sensation of the painting. It comes out at you, being able to visually feel the volume of each brush stroke. In this narrow space there is a lot of movement, every person zigzags between the wall and the centre of the room, moving fast whilst you hear knockings on walls and beeping of staff rooms opening and closing. The one person that actually bothered to read the general explanation panel of the room is biting her hair as she does so, behaviour typical of nervousness.

The room next to this one feel a bit calmer and more open, a sensation that is appreciated after the tightness of the room before. There are air drafts brushing your skin as you move along, and people feel more relaxed. Some visitors are even staring at the artworks in a semi-laid down position, and start imitating the sculptures around them, there is a physical engagement with the artwork without touch. This feels like a happier space where one’s energy get renewed, there is laughter and louder conversations.

This relaxed and renewed energy is quickly forgotten as you enter the next space, one with dim lights and lower ceilings, where a sensation of warmth greats you. This place is filled with glass displays, and all around it are paintings filled with colours, there is so much to see and explore that people are clearly overwhelmed and only glance at the works and move on. Nonetheless the artwork is astonishing, one that immerses your full body by attracting you towards it through its use of powerful colours. No one really stays longer than necessary in this room, being the most interesting behaviour when one leaves it, where you hear a girl singing into a fan and laughter of other visitors. It seems that the lost boost of energy suddenly returns when leaving this space.

On to the environment, a busy space filled with three-dimensional works that come out of the walls. It is a busy weird feeling space, in which a lot of background noises happen. There is laughter, coughing, sliding of feet, bags readjusting, whispers and walky-talkies speaking. This is an area where groups of visitor stay to fool around and comment between laughter things about the artwork, this is the first space where selfies are taken.

You continue to hear this weird room even when entering the last one, a low lid room with gigantic works of art that fill the whole wall. The whole journey starts to make its way on your shoulders as you feel the end approaching, there is a mixture of relive but nervousness, you hear sirens and weather noises, whilst still hearing the laughter from the adjacent room. This appears to be a room of respect, one where people wait till the other person is outside.

With this you finish your journey and descend the stairs to get to the exit, where a fresh breeze of air welcomes you to the outside.

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Appendix 4 Field Notes

Case study 1: The Scottish National Gallery

UPSTAIRS Room1: Two partitions Visual: Art works, Green patterned Wallpaper, Carpeted brown floor, Bright lights from above in the middle of each partition, Change of light when blinds close related to sound, Glass reflections, Painting look flat from a distance, but looking close reveals texture and brush strokes, Dim Tactile: Touching of the text panels next to the artwork, Touching of the table placed in front of one of the artworks, Textile based wallpaper, Boundaries setup through pedestals and rods, Softness of carpet underneath shoes, Warm and humid feel, Cloth on display table, Air drifts when doors open, Textured drapes and frames, Feels like a tight space Sound: Conversations related to what is being observed, Whispers and murmurs, Ventilation system and automatic blind operating, Floor creaking and squeaking under the carpet, Small group discussions, Camera and phone photo noises, Textiles rubbing (Jacket, pants…), Sliding of feet along the carpet, Bags rustling, Laughs of younger people, Silent breathing Behaviours: Moving in place when observing a piece of artwork that has caught one’s interest, sign of intranquility, Zooming in via head movements to view details of artwork, Pictures are scanned from top to bottom, Hands are placed behind back or crossed in front of chest, A lot of nose scratching, “small itches”, People have a general quick view of the room, only stopping at specific pieces of art, There is every so often “zielstrebig” behaviour, Visit starts to the right and follows the walls, The only text red is the one pertaining to artwork we actually stop to observe, Head movement between text and picture, First read then observe the artwork, When reading hand is on mouth or scratching, Respect for personal space, Contouring of paintings shapes and brush strokes, Tendency of standing next to picture instead of right in front of it, Not a lot of pictures are taken, Confusing looks when entering the room, Nail bitting , Neutral expressions, Comments are often done in the staircase.

RED ROOMS Room2: Visual: Red textile walls, Green velvet carpet, Art works from top to bottom, There is a distinction of the floor covering to distinguish the in between spaces (stone) from the inside (carpet), Blinded by the ceiling windows above, Glass reflections, Painting look flat from a distance, but looking close reveals texture and brush strokes, Brighter, There is a better appreciation of texture on painting without glass, Tactile:Feeling of openness, Colder area, Air drafts, Dry, Touching of the display tables

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Sound: Back pipes from the street, Ventilation, Footsteps, Footsteps from upper level, Opening and closing of bathroom doors and main entrance door, Murmurs about what is being observed, Camera and phone photo taking, Watchers talking at normal tone Behaviour: Despite being the room number 2, people go into the opposite direction, People are more rushed and look at art through a glance, Less stopping to see the pictures, Walking alongside the walls, Hands are placed behind back or crossed in front of chest, or close to the body, People working in the gallery step harder against the ground and are louder, Pictures are taken from further away, Observations are made from afar, Clockwise viewing, A lot of looking up to appreciate all the paintings Room3: Visual: There is less use of glass so textures are clearly visible, Red brings out that tone in the paintings, Kids asking to hear stories about the paintings Tactile:Softness of cushions when sitting on them, Softness underneath feet Sound: Contained silence, Humming, Sneezing, People talking in adjacent rooms, Squeaking of seats , Creaking of floor under the carpet, Bags rustling and textile rubbing from sitting up and down, Coughing, Watchers talking, Conversations from outside/screams, Beeping from staff doors opening, Foreign languages Behaviour: Carrying the bag in hand is becoming stressful, There is a seating area in the middle which makes it more comfortable, People reading their own books, More general viewing, no observation of details, Slower walking, Reading is rushed and rare, When sat down people tend to comment on the artwork in front of them, There is an admiration of the space rather than just the art, Neutral expressions dominate in individuals, smiles are only present in groups, Pacing in place to read or observe, signalising movement and hurry, General viewing before entering the room, With kids walking by everyone gets louder, Nose scratching, ticks, keep hands busy, Creation of personal space through bag placement Room5: Visual: Walls covered in paintings, Only gold framing, Bags rustling, Textiles rubbing, Footsteps on carpet, Glass reflections and textured paintings Tactile: Air drafts, Softness of floor, No touching at all Sound: Comments on the size of the text, too small, Coughing loudly, Laughter, Watcher talking out loud, Whispers, Sighs, Opening and closing of toilet doors, Textiles rubbing, Conversations about art, Floor creaking Behaviour: Stepping back for better viewing, More people actually stand in the middle of the room, Neck rubbing and holding, Pictures are glanced at fast, Readjust belongings, Pointing of texts, Hands close to body, Wrist and back pains from carrying and observing Overwhelming feeling of so much to view, Scanning the whole wall space, Pointing out of pictures on top of the wall to indicate interest 100 | Appendices | MA Interaction Design | Amanda J Tichenor

Room7: Visual: No use of glass, Less art, One selfie Tactile: Phones, Soft seating, Warmth Sound: Louder conversations, Bottle taping , Opening and closing of doors, Squeaking of seating area, Watchers talking, Textiles rubbing, bags rustling, Comments on paintings style and comparison between pictures, Comments on text size, Conversations from other rooms, Coughing, Talking out loud, Camera and phone photo taking, Squeaking of boots, Feet dragged across floor Behaviour: When one stands up so do others, Respect personal space, Pointing and commenting, Scratching, Readjusting items, Hands close to body or occupied, People wait to read panels till other finish, Respect each other’s personal space Room10: Visual: Black frames focus attention within the picture, Full wall coverage of artwork, Symmetry of elements Sounds:Noises from staircase, Camera noises, Body movement through the space, Footsteps, Bags Behaviours:Calm walking, Pointing at specific paintings, Contouring art with hands, indicating a more detailed observation, pen mouths Room11: Visual: Busy Tactile: Phones, Tables, Seats, Soft, Warm Sounds: Beeping, Paper moving, More laughter, Sneezing, Bags rustling and opening, Nose blowing, Hunger noises, Stroller moving on carpet, Shoes squeaking, Sniffling, Ventilation, Talking in seated area, Blinds moving, Phones Behaviours:Nervous feeling if people invade personal space, Pointing needed to know what one is talking about, Confusion of where to go, There is a limited seating time to let other sit, Distancing from the wall to observe, A need for sitting down, Closeness to objects Room12: Visual: Brighter Tactile: Phones, Soft carpet , Warm with no air drafts Sounds: A lot of sighs, Keys and coins, Clicking of pens, Toilet doors opening and closing, Bottle tapping, More laughter of young people, Loud background talking, Camera noises, Footsteps against carpet

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Behaviour: Almost no stopping, Standing in the middle of the room, Anxiety, Faster observation, Hectic moving around Room13: Visual: Bright, Symmetry Tactile:Warm, Invaded space Sounds: Talking from other rooms, Feet strolling along the carpet, Staircase steps and conversations, Paper rustling, Loud staff indications (don’t put the rucksack on!)

Behaviours: Hands in pocket, Looking for information through task setting od teachers for students, Situating papers in hands, Taking off jackets, Reading glasses are held in hand, Walking along the walls, Placing oneself in the middle of the room

MIDDLE ROOMS Room4: Visual: Blue painted walls, Eye levelled paintings, Stone Floors, Break from the intense red walls, Only gold frames, Dark paintings, Bright light from ceiling window Tactile: Smoothness of floor, Hardness of floor, Colder Sounds: Louder footsteps, Ventilation, Ventilating oneself with papers, Louder conversations, Humming Behaviour: Slow entry, Looking at the whole place, Conduct of in between places, Back pain from carrying bag, Less time is spent in there, The scanning with the eyes goes out of the picture itself, Hands are busy at all times Room6: Visual: Darker pictures, Gold framing with use of glass, Big invading pictures Sounds:Quiet whispers, Breathing and footsteps, Knocking on walls, Shutting and opening of doors outside, Textiles rubbing, Floor squeaking outside, Ventilation, Papers rustling Behaviour: Can I sit? People look at the seat as if it is art, There is an understanding of not spending too much time in there DARK LOW ROOMS Room8: Visual: Very dark, light only on paintings, Low celling with no lights, Green painted walls, Green carpet floor, Small and tight Tactile: Warm, Frames, Tablet, Donation Bin 102 | Appendices | MA Interaction Design | Amanda J Tichenor

Sounds: Falling of papers, Footsteps, Watchers talking out loud, Scratchy women voice, People descending stairs, Louder speaking, Loud floor squeaking, Talking in staircase, “Come close, look at the texture�, Sighs, Murmurs, Footsteps, Photo taking Behaviours: Phone checking, Overall tiredness, Everyone looks up because of the low ceiling, Pointing of pictures and walking along the wall, Fast observing, rush to get to the next room, Readjusting hair and position, Arms are crossed, Observing of the cracks in the artwork, Taking off jackets, Readjusting belongings Room9: Visual: Mirror that catches attention Sounds: Footsteps, Bags rustling, Textiles rubbing, Louder conversations, Laughter, Knocking from above, Echoes, Art comments Behaviours: Pointing of shapes and colours, Bragging of knowledge about a picture, Scratching and nail biting, Little time spent, rush to next room, Passing around, Walking after stopping becomes faster UPSTAIRS 2 Room14: Visual:Beige painted framing around blue painted room, Beige carpet with textured paintings, Bright without ceiling window Tactile: Hurting wrist, Soft sofa like seating, Phones Sound: Loud footsteps, Conversations, Laughter of young people, Shuffling of bags in hands, Textiles rubbing, Very silent, Silent, Ventilator and breathing Behaviours: When observing artworks arms are crossed, Phones in hands, Everyone has different taste, Vivid coloured pictures are most photographed Room15: Visual: Beige framing of aqua painted wall, Beige carpet floor, Seats that are not for sitting, Shiny and textured artworks Tactile: Colder Sounds: Ventilation, Silent, No comments, Lift noises, Opening and closing of doors, Lift beeping and voice, Footsteps Behaviour: Clear confusion of what room this is, Close observations of the paintings and scanning, Moving along the walls Room16:

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Visual: Beige painted framing around blue painted room, Beige carpet with textured paintings, Different coloured frames, Narrow space, Black seats, No glass, texture is visible Sounds: Floor squeaking Behaviours: Little to no reading, Up close looking of pictures, People only glance at sculptures they don’t stop, Slow walking, relaxed state, Hand rubbing Room17: Visual: Beige framing of aqua painted wall, Beige carpet floor, Dark paintings, Lighter coloured frames Tactile:Phones and tablets Sounds: Laughter, Clock ticking, Bags rustling, Phone ringing, Textiles rubbing Behaviours: Speedy looks, Close looking and almost touching the art, Walking along the walls, Picture taking of small details in a painting Room18: Visual: Beige painted framing around blue painted room, Beige carpet with textured paintings, Pastel coloured paintings Tactile:Phones Sounds: Sighs, Loud observer, Keys, Talking, Footsteps in staircase, Photo taking Behaviours:Hair touching when entering the new room, Pointing of observed features, Scanning with fingers, Favourite room, Hands on hip, More text reading, Nose touching, Sitting in the middle to better observe the paintings DOWNSTAIRS B1 and B8: Visual: Fluorescent lighting, Dark, Dim, Clashing of styles, Grey painted wall, Brown carpet floor Tactile:Drafts of air, Back pain, Cold Sounds: Bags rustling, Doors opening and closing, Keys, Conversations, Discussions of way finding, Whispers, Ventilation, Echoes Behaviours: Nervous feeling, More respect of personal space, we let other go ahead and then start viewing, Zig zag walk along the corridor, Jackets come off, Tired eyes take time to adapt, Less busy, Phones and watches are held and constantly looked at B2: Visual: Dark, low lid, Blue glass displays, Flat prints, Glass reflections

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Tactile: Glass, Wood stands and leaning on frames Sounds: Louder conversation, Whispers and normal conversations Behaviours:Scratching and readjusting belongings, Sitting on watchers place, Reading catalogue to rest, Placing arms on wood space for rest and conversation B3: Tactile: Warm Sounds:Phone pictures, Conversations, Floor squeaking Behaviours: Close observations, Look at pictures and then read B4: Visual: Narrow, Contrast of colourful paintings and dark paintings, Cave like sensation, light at the end of the tunnel Tactile: Cold, Air drafts Sounds: Floor squeaking, Footsteps from above, Pencil writing Behaviours: Hands in face, Conversations at the end of the corridor, Slow walking, Pointing of artwork, Observation of texture up close

B5: Visual:Green painted walls, Brown carpet floor Tactile:Glass display for sculpture, 3D sensation of paintings Sounds: Voices from far away, Coughing, Whispers Behaviours: Comparing of what painting is more 3D, A lot of moving from place to place, Holding onto bags tightly, Aimless wandering until something catches ones eyes B6: Visual: Green and grey painted wall, Brown carpet floor, Pictures blending in with wall, Busy display of art Sounds: Whispers, Doors opening, Keys, Laughter, Clicks, Camera noises, Seating squeaks, Textiles rubbing, Bags rustling Behaviours: People seem to not care about this space, There is one woman without shoes on experiencing the feel of the floor, A lot of looking up

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B7: Visual:Narrow walking space, Glass displays in the middle of the room Tactile:Glass of displays Sounds: Photo taking sounds, Loud conversations Behaviours:Hasty looks, There is less personal space, Feel of relieve for it being the last room, More attentive glances

Case study 2: The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art Heads corridor: Visual: White painted walls, Grey Stone floors, Low lights, Fluorescent feel, Mirror that makes you part of the art, Clear text, No texture on frames, Clashing styles, Picture with frame integrating Tactile: Hurting sensation from paintings, Warm , NO touching, Breeze Sounds:Papers, Conversations in other rooms, Doors opening and closing, Shop noises, Bags rustling Behaviours: Hands on mouth, Scanning of images with only the use of our eyes, We stop at paintings that are relevant to us, People wander around the corridor, Relaxed postures, One feels the glance of the attendants observing you, Zig zag movement from wall to wall 3: Visual: Dark, Wooden floor, White painted walls, No natural light, Blinking of ventilation system, Flash of camera Tactile: Catalogue , Phones, Dirt under feet Sounds: Creaking floor, Smashing against metal, Outside floor screaking, Outside footsteps, Wind, Photo taking Behaviours: Hands close to body, People stay in the front of the room to take it all in, There is little walking along the walls, Feeling of entrapment 4: Visual: White painted walls, Wood floors, A lot of natural light Tactile: Limited, 3D artwork, Cold Sounds: Echoes, Footsteps, Clicks, Murmurs, Knocking on walls, Keys, Laughter, Talking in other rooms, Screaking floor Behaviours: Alert and careful influenced by the no touch sign, We are told not to approach the artwork

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and only walk around it, Unsettling artwork, disturbing 5 Visual: Wood floor, White painted walls, Warm light, Colourful, No natural light Tactile:Enchantment, Hot, no breeze Sounds:Creaking floor, Doors opening and closing, Walking of people outside, Approaching footsteps, Slow footsteps to enter, Bags rustling, Comments from outside, Echoes Behaviours: No one dares to touch anything but you are surrounded by the artwork, Happy feeling, smiles 6 Visual: Security cameras, Bright from above, Reflecting art, Openness, No natural light, Flat paintings, Small text Tactile: Soft seats, Warm Sounds: Critics towards the artwork, Sighs, Creaking floor, Attendants giving indications, Coughing Behaviours: Everyone readjust their belongings upon entering, People are warm and starting to sweat, It has a relaxed atmosphere because of seating, Folded arms to observe, Groups move together and wait for each other, When one is observing the others read 7 Visual:Little natural light, Artwork reflects the light of the room and acts as a mirror that incorporates it to the artwork, Little dimension, Openness Tactile: No touching!, Paper catalogue, No air comes in, Soft seating Sounds: Coins in pockets, Clicking, Creaking floors, Comments from other rooms, Loud ventilation, Door creaking, Sneezing and light coughing, Heavy footsteps Behaviours: Time to enjoy, Readjusting items, There is a big space between people and art, Kids have little patience to wait and observe, People just glance at the artwork and then move on, Foreign languages, Folded arms to observe the piece, Jackets are taken off, At least a meter of personal space around each person, In depth reading of catalogues 8: Visual: No natural light; Impressive big elements; Openness; Glass displays for catalogues ; Artwork insinuates sound Tactile: Glass avoids touching books; Cold; Warm towards the other room Sounds: Running of kids; Wowing of kids; Kids crying; People arguing; Loud loud ventilation; Floor

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squeaking ; Flipping through catalogues Behaviours:Hands in pockets; Feels overwhelming, not know what to see first 9: Visual: Bright; Low ceilings; Small, more personal; Clashing of styles; Artwork insinuating music Tactile: Glass displays Sounds: Winging of kids; Coughing; Knocking; Loud talking of parents to kids; Noises of agreement; Squeaking floors; Camera noises Behaviours: Hectic moving; Readjusting hair; People walk bored; Sitting to take the art in 10: Visual: Bright; Flat artwork on top of the wall Tactile: Paper Sounds: Flipping of paper; Floor squeaking; Conversations; Coughing; Tongue clicking; Walky-Talky; Refreshingly quiet; Yawning Behaviours: Rubbing of neck; You observe from the middle of the room; Sensation of calmness 13 and 15: Visual: Bright ; No natural light; Stone floor; White painted walls; Little dimension to the paintings Sounds: Pen clicking; Footsteps; Camera noises; Paper rustling Behaviours: Face touching; Conversations; Squeaking floors; Out loud talking; Doors opening; People connect and respect with each other’s spaces; Readjusting of clothes 14: Visual: Bright; Natural light from ceiling window; Heaviness of objects; Textured frames Sounds: Conversations in other rooms; Floor squeaking; Footsteps; Phone conversation; Lift noises Behaviours: People stop and read; Eyes feel relaxed; Walking along the walls 16: Visual: Abstract work; Wooden floor; Brighter Tactile: NO touch!

Sounds: Footsteps on stone floor; Papers rubbing; Ventilation; Floor squeaking Behaviours: People take comfortable position to read in a relaxed manner; Some art inspires relaxation; Unsettling atmosphere

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17: Visual: Abstract work; Small but charming; Uncoordinated frames; Natural light Tactile: Phones; Feel the different colours Sounds: Sneezing and “Bless you� ; Footsteps; Jacket noises; Floor squeaking; Walky-Talky; Beeping of staff door; Zipper Behaviours: cratching of face; Fast looks, no moving in the space; Wondering around to observe the pieces; Longer footsteps to be faster but quiet; Quick glances; Few people sit down to observe; Tranquillity through abstraction 18: Visual: Very deeply textured work; Dimensional; Small; Bright Tactile: Seats Sounds: Paper; Knocking on walls and doors; Falling of pencils; Loudest room; Ventilation; Footsteps; Squeaking floors; Fast walking Behaviours:People walk around the seating area; People only glance in a general matter; Hands are in pockets away from artwork 19: Visual: Textured frames; Bright Tactile: Air drafts; Hair eating Sounds: Conversation on how art affects us; Squeaking of floors; Laughs; Footsteps; Loud conversation Behaviours: Hands are crossed; Comfy semi-laying positions on seats; Person observing art on their knees; Imitating of sculptures 20: Visual: Dim light and natural light; Lower ceiling; Sculptures ; Explosion of colour; Boundaries through glass displays Tactile: Cold; Glass Sounds: Laughs; Silence; Own footsteps; Creaking of other rooms; Ventilation; Singing in front of the fan; Clicking Behaviours: Slightly overwhelming 21: Visual: Low lid centre but bright walls; Busy; Weird

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Tactile: Textures come out of the walls, pictures treated like pictures Sounds: Picture taking; Whispered conversation; Ventilation fan; Fast footsteps; Laughs; Coughing; Sliding of shoes; Walky-Talky; Bags moving Behaviours:Fooling around; Unsettling collage; Selfies 22 Visual: Low lid with no natural light; Big artwork Tactile: Neck pain from carrying bag; Perfect temperature Sounds: Bags rustling; Murmurs; Knocking; Footsteps from ceiling; Conversation from outside; Sirens from street; Squeaking of shoes; Beeping of staff room; Wind Behaviours:Best view from the seats in the middle; One group at a time; Respect of personal bubble

Case Study 3: The Fruitmarket Gallery Downstairs: Visual: High ceilings; White walls; Dirty wood floors; Low lid, no natural light; Colourful but off; Looks like trash; Cramped Tactile: Feeling of still being outside; Unsettling feeling; Street textures; No air, stuffed Sound: Knocking from above; Laughter; Steps on stairs; Papers rustling; Cutlery; Conversations; Chewing; Creaking and squeaking Behaviour: Confusion; There are no boundaries between art and oneself; Moving all around the artwork in between bits; Touching but always looking if someone is coming; No known prohibitions so there are less inhibitions ; Fast passing

Upstairs: Visual: Bright with natural light; Gets darker around the artwork an walls; Light between artwork Tactile: Textile artwork; Metallic corruption; Clicks; Doors opening; Ventilation; Squeaking; Movement of artwork Sound: Staircase; Footsteps; Conversation between attendants about personal life; CafĂŠ noises; Video playing; Traffic noises Behaviours:

Quick visits around the work with looks of confusion; Feels like the art is going to fall

on you; Prohibition signs start appearing, we stay away from the art; Hand is pockets; Looks of wonder; Folded hands; But where no one watches the viewer touches the work 110 | Appendices | MA Interaction Design | Amanda J Tichenor

Appendix 5 Phenomenological Mapping of Galleries [See envelope]

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