Addressing our disconnection from the natural world, Tactile Nature invites participants to interact with nature in a way that is void of visual biases. With a mechanism in place where doors unlock only if the previous door is opened, the full experience
of the sculpture requires the company of three additional participants. Turning the sculpture piece into a medium for social interaction unique to the present moment the participants are in. The engagement with the sculpture is heightened by three elements:
First: As participants put their hands inside Tactile Nature, they temporarily become part of the
sculpture, interacting with other participants and inevitably altering the terrain with their exploration. In contrast to the static components of the structure, the participants themselves are dynamic, emulating how nature is seemingly both enduring and ephemeral.
Second: The participants engaging with the natural environment inside, such as the soft dirt, the gritty sand, or the gentle moss, explore nature unhindered by visual perception. Drifting one’s hand through these varying textures, the participants accept a certain vulnerability, as the discomfort of traveling through the unseen competes with the excitement of
unearthing novelty within the familiar.
Third: When the exploration inevitably leads the participants’ hands to the center of the sculpture, they encounter a man-made object — a geometric
box with guitar strings wrapped around it. At the slightest touch of the strings, vibrations are amplified to resonate throughout the box, combining a tactile experience with auditory exploration.
The interactive sound system created in Tactile Nature uses several pieces of hardware that in combination create a dynamic and engaging experience.
A contact microphone attached to the geometric box at the center, allows for sound to be picked up only from vibrations through material, removing any noise traveling through the air. Hence, only participant interaction with the central unit will generate sound. The sound generated is picked up using a Tascam audio interface and transmitted into an audio
amplifier which drives the two transducers linked up to it.
The audio transducers turn the sculpture itself into a speaker. The cavity in which the electronics reside becomes a space for sound to resonate, creating a unique audio profile and giving a tactile experience
to the participants and when one pays attention, they can physically feel the vibrations generated on the sculpture itself.
