Art and the Sensorium

A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of theRequirements of the Renée Crown University Honors Program at

Syracuse University

Shannon Ferguson

Candidate for Bachelor of Fine Artsand Renée Crown University Honors

Spring 2020

Honors Thesis in Studio Arts

Thesis Advisor: _______________________ Dusty Herbig, Associate

Professor, Studio Arts (Printmaking)

Thesis Reader: _______________________ Errol Willet, Associate

Professor, Studio Arts (Ceramics)

Honors Director: _______________________ Dr. Danielle Smith, Director

Abstract

In my body of work, Art and the Sensorium, I am investigating interactive multisensory art forms through printmaking, bookmaking, and installation art. Through the use of found images, I create narratives that evoke thoughtful conversation about interactions between people and their environments. In my work, I investigate two main topics, consensual and non-consensual touch, and the sound phenomena of Misophonia and ASMR. I am interested in the relationship between touch and sound and how those two senses can be activated through art and interaction. Through forms of polling and data collection, I gather information that is used to create text and visual aids to form books about my research though an artistic outlet. The book itself is also a multisensory experience in terms of touch and its state of being as a time-based art form.

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Executive Summary

The body of work, “Art and the Sensorium”, follows two key paths of research that

investigate multisensory and interactive art in the forms of touch and sound. The first branch of

this project deals primarily with sound perception and the phenomena of ASMR (Autonomous

Sensory Meridian Response) and Misophonia (the involuntary hatred of sound). The second

investigation deals with consensual and non-consensual touch and how we react to physical

interaction with strangers.

Through the use of found imagery, primarily coming from Jim Harter’s collection of non-

copyrighted collage images, I create digital collages that I then physically or digitally insert into

my work. These images help form narratives, and the repetition of specific images, especially

hand imagery, relay the themes I investigate visually in the multiple forms I create work in. The

vintage nature of the images are used in my work about touch to show that this feeling of

invasive touch is not a new feeling, and the use of older looking images in contemporary

practices relays this.

Consensual and non-consensual touch in my work plays an important role, and through

the form of book arts, I am creating interactive experiences that invite the viewer to make those

consensual decisions about touching my books. My books and images also make light of

questions that may not be normally thought about in daily life, like how many people/strangers

we come in physical contact with in one social outing. By using unique textures for each book,

even though they have the same or similar content, I create books from different fabrics that

appeal differently to people. People can pick their preferred texture to experience the content that

I am sharing with them. The tactility of an artist book is really important because the book is not

just a sculpture, but a time art that has to be interacted with to be understood.

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In my sound work, I am investigating how sound perception is different for everyone, and

how people react to sound art. Through looking at ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian

Response) and Misophonia (the involuntary hatred of sound), I am collecting data through my art

to gain further insight into how people respond to different noises. The creation of my sound grid

installation allows for multisensory interaction from the viewer as well as acting as a tool for

data collection through QR codes and digital surveys. The QR codes also link to three different

sound sets that each prompt responses from the viewer that will then be used for later content in

the form of artist books.

The artist books that result from the interactive sound grids also come with their own

elements of interaction. They combine the different results from the data collection into

narratives and explanations of the project. The books are a library of responses from the people

interacting with the sound grids. The books allow for comparing and contrasting the different

answers from people and analyzing how differently we experience the same sounds. The format

of the book also is intentional to incite interaction and guide the way the books are being viewed.

A key factor in this body of work was how to get people to interact willingly with my

work, and how to best present the work that invites consensual touch of my work in a gallery

setting. Through experimentation, I am learning what ways art can be shown that are not inviting

for interaction, and what is. Since books need to be opened and looked at to be understood, I had

to figure out the best ways they could be presented in order for them to get the attention in the

gallery. This body of work allowed me to step out of my comfort zone in terms of material and

scale, and it has pushed my artistic practice further into different places that I can use beyond

graduation.

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Table of Contents

Abstract……………………………………….…….………….………….. 2Executive Summary………………………..….……………….………….. 3

Introduction…………………………………………………….………….. 6

Research………………………………………………………………….... 9

Chapter 1: Sound Grids……………………………………...…………...… 10

Chapter 2: Consensual and Non-consensual Touch...……………………… 13

Chapter 3: Planning a Solo Show.………………………………...…………15

Chapter 4: Books As a Sensory Experience…...……………………....…… 17

Conclusion…………………………………………………..…....………… 19

Bibliography.……………………………..………………………………… 21

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Introduction

Even though most art is considered “visual” throughout history, there has been an

increase in interest in creating museum spaces and art galleries more inclusive towards other

senses and evoke an experience. Interactive art through the history of art saw its roots in

performance art in the Gutai and Fluxus movements. These scripted performances engaged the

audience and sometimes pushed people out of their comfort zones. In pop culture today, there

has been a rise in popularity of pop-up art exhibitions that use light, music, and other interactive

elements that attract participation and interaction that is widely shared through social media.

When thinking about art, I think about the whole sensory experience that is engaged

when someone interacts with a work of art. Do I have to walk around it? Can I smell the ink?

Am I allowed to touch anything? Or is there a way I could experience this differently? From the

temperature of the gallery, the smell of the materials used such as paint or ink, the body is always

seeking multisensory gratification. For me, it is almost not enough to see the texture or lack of

texture on a canvas. There is always a childlike curiosity to touch and interact with something so

you can see how it feels. As much as your body wants to touch the textured impasto of an early

impressionist painting, the historical expectation of museum protocol tells you that you cannot

touch the artwork. Of course, there are other factors that keep you from touching a Monet in the

Louvre, like its preservation, but there is always a desire to touch, hold, and interact with artwork

in a tactile way. Touch is an important sense that helps us understand our world. I am interested

in our interactions with artworks through touch rather than sight, and I want to learn how tactile

elements of an artwork engage in other senses like sight and sound.

I would describe my artmaking practice as interdisciplinary, but my main practice has

roots in printmaking and the making of multiples. This repetition is still present outside of my

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print work like my creation of multiple editioned books, and the multiple sound grids. I am

drawn to the strength of the multiple, and how multiple objects can be powerful and reinforce a

message.

My body of work has been funded through the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate

Research and Creative Engagement. Through my SOURCE Grant, I was able to afford the

materials and tools for creating the various elements of this body of work. The process of

receiving this grant has been extremely helpful in learning the process of grant writing and

working with funding and budgeting. The SOURCE office also helped me share my project

outside of the art school, as well as supporting me through my exhibition.

The inspiration for this body of work came from my experiences studying abroad in

Florence, Italy in the Fall of 2018. The art I

created while there was my first investigation

into multisensory art and installation. I

became hyper-aware of touch from strangers

and the cultural treatment of women while in

Europe. This feeling of intrusive touch came

back with me when I returned from my

semester abroad, and I decided to use my art

to relay this feeling in my visual and conceptual art practice.

In the body of work I created in Italy, Flutters and Fractures, I was creating work about

chronic pain and how it could be helped or hurt by touch. I used the image of the spine as a

symbol for my own experience of chronic pain. This work was my first incorporation of audio

elements and light projection. The symbolism I used in this work was also an important part of

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my practice, and it further lends itself to this body of work. I used sound recordings of cracking

spines in the installation for this piece, and I was intrigued by the strong and varied responses to

the audio from my viewers of the piece. These reactions spurred my desire to collect experiences

and responses to these sounds.

This body of artwork and accompanying research is about experiencing artwork through

multiple senses, specifically through touch and sound. I am also interested in the tactility of

artworks in relation to the body and touch between people. Through the use of printmaking,

bookmaking, and installation, I create viewer experiences that invite the viewer to interact

through touch and other sensory engagement to fully understand my work. The sight element in

my work is decorative and explains secondary narratives, but the most important thing I want my

viewer to get out of my work is their engagement with the work on a physical level. I want my

audience to think about how we interact with each other through touch, and contemplate

relationships with others in order to understand consent through touch in my work. Multiple

sensory experiences happening simultaneously can trigger emotional responses. Misophonia, the

involuntary hatred of sound, can trigger rage and anxiety just by hearing a specific sound. These

experiences are also extremely personal. The same sound that triggers someone’s Misophonia

can trigger pleasure for someone else in the form of ASMR. By creating interactive, data

collecting experiences, I survey my audience to understand the wide variety of emotional

responses one sensory trigger can have. How does sound give you that tingling feeling when you

hear a sound that makes you uncomfortable? Or the exact opposite, do certain sounds give you

immense pleasure that radiates down your spine?

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Research

When beginning research to create this body of work, I wanted to explore artists working

in similar media, sound art and book arts, as well as the psychological topics I am making work

about like Misophonia. I also consider the image libraries I used from Jim Harter’s collections an

important source for this body of work and for the imagery I used to illustrate my narratives. I

also used my audience as a source and for partial research for my sound grid projects because

their responses from the Zine Response Library led me to new sources, such as YouTube

creators making content about ASMR. Through social media, I have been able to connect with

creators and other people living with Misophonia, and I have been in contact with a podcast that

interviews people with Misophonia about their experiences with sound.

The zine responses from my Random Access exhibition introduced me to several ASMR

youtubers/creators that I used as inspiration for my research into how Misophonia and ASMR

effects people. The responses varied between people who love to listen to ASMR and people

who hated it. Some people were also neutral to sound. The wide variety of responses to the

sounds were what interested me the most because of how differently people’s brains respond to

sound stimulation. Many people who did not like the sound sets did not know why they did not

like the sounds or what Misophonia was. Sharing that information was also important to me

because I did not know I suffered from Misophonia until researching the topic.

One of the most important sources for this body of work is my use of found imagery from

Jim Harter’s collections of non-copyrighted illustrations. I used images from several of his

curated books including Hands, Women, and from Harter’s Picture Archive for Collage and

Illustration. Many of the illustrations are from the 1800’s and 1900’s. I am drawn to using the

images from these collections because of the wide variety of images and their ability to help

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construct a narrative that was not intended for the original illustration. The vintage style of the

illustrations was appealing for the line quality and they could be recreated through etching prints

and laser cut images. I had used the images in the past for collages and drawings. The

construction of the narrative was an important factor in creating this body of work, and these

images made it possible to keep a cohesive voice and style throughout the work, even though it

might change media. The image of the hand was an important symbol in the work, so the Hands

collection of images was the most used set of images. Images from the book that were used to

create the hand pattern were repeated in the sound grids and the end papers for the book editions.

The use of these images appeals to me as a printmaker specifically because of the repetition of

these images. The repetition of prints and reproduction of these images is a key part of the

printmaking process.

Chapter 1- Sound Grids

In the triptych, Sound Grids 1-3, light, sound, and touch are combined to create an

interactive viewing experience that acts as a form of data collection for investigating ASMR and

Misophonia. The wooden grids are created using maple plywood, frosted plexiglass, laser cut

wooden panels, LED light strips, and vibrating motors. Each grid measures 39in x 39in. The 4

laser cut panels with hand patterns on them vibrate and invite the viewer to touch them. The

image of the hands symbolizes the sense of touch in a lot of the work in this body of work. Each

grid incorporates individual laser cut QR codes that link to three different surveys that collect

data on three unique sound sets.

One of the biggest obstacles to overcome while creating these grids was how to get the

units to vibrate. The units were able to vibrate by using circuits of vibrating cellphone motors.

Originally, the goal for the vibrations was to make each square of the grid vibrate at different,

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noticeable frequencies, but when creating the sound grids, it was hard to isolate the vibrations

coming from the motors into each grid square. This distinguished vibration would not have been

possible with the way the panels were inserted and secured, but I was not bothered by the fact

that each grid vibrated at the same frequency because the general vibration of the grid as a whole

still created the sensory experience.

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The questions in the digital survey, as well as the written zines, ask the viewer to interact

with the grids through touch to feel the vibrating elements and to react to the sound set presented

in the survey. Questions in the survey also ask for response to the colors on each grid associated

with the sounds, the colors of the lights on the grid are colors that I personally relate these

sounds to, but more data is collected, I realize that color and sound perception is also different

for everyone. This response to relating color to sound is a phenomena known as synesthesia-

which connects multiple sensory experiences together. People who do not have a synesthetic

response to the colors and sounds remain relatively neutral in their answers. The survey helps the

audience experience the work through a multisensory scope, and it allows for more interaction

that will help with further exploration in this topic. The surveys instruct interaction which helps

people feel more comfortable with interacting physically with the work. The digital survey that is

linked to the QR code on each grid gathers multiple choice data that is used for percentages and

to compare reactions broadly to each specific grid, but I also collected paper surveys from

viewers that required more individual answers and asked the viewer to compare their own

experience with all three grids. These paper surveys were formatted in zine form that is handheld

and easy to fill out in a gallery or space. This data collection gained insight and commentary

about how people react to specific sounds. People have very different reactions to the same

sounds, and that phenomena is what is driving the investigation in this artwork. The answers

received from the surveys act as the content in the edition of books based off of the results, and

the zine responses are bound into zine library books that allow for comparing and contrasting

people’s answers.

For people who suffer from Misophonia, like myself, many triggering sounds include

chewing noises, loud breathing, and repetitive tapping sounds. These noises are often everyday

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noises that are nearly unavoidable in daily settings. These triggering noises activate the fight or

flight mechanism in the brain making people who suffer from Misophonia irritable and anxious

in the presence of sounds that may trigger them. For people who enjoy experiencing ASMR,

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, listening to these similar commonplace sounds can

trigger pleasurable brain responses. In popular culture, Youtube’s platform saw the rise of

ASMR related content and creators in 2019. The rise of this trend made me realize how my

experience of sounds were different from the larger population because I did not experience this

same pleasurable sensation that fueled popularity of ASMR content. I have always been sensitive

to certain noises. It is not known if Misophonia is a learned behavior or one that was inherited

from environmental factors like parents who also have Misophonia, but my mother also has

Misophonia, but our trigger sounds are different. I have also realized that my Misophonia is also

connected to my mental state, and I am more hyper aware of sound when I am overstressed or

anxious.

When fully installed, the sound grids emit their own buzzing from both the lights and the

vibrating motors. The sound is extremely triggering to my own Misophonia, but I have also

noticed that most people become unsettled by the sound that the grids emit. This on-edge feeling

experienced by the viewer while listening to the unsettling noise is how I feel when I listen to

most of my trigger noises. By subjecting the viewer to this feeling, it gives people who do not

usually experience Misophonia a glimpse into how people feel almost every day when they hear

their trigger noises.

Getting people to touch an art piece on a wall in the gallery setting was somewhat

difficult, and even when prompted by text on the wall, people were less inclined to touch the

grids until ultimately prompted by the digital survey. The audible buzzing was more obvious

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than the physical buzzing on the grids, so the touch element was not necessary for a lot of the

audience. Based off of the responses, that was a main comment I received from both the paper

surveys and the digital ones.

Chapter 2- Consensual and Non-Consensual Touch

The parallel topic being investigated was that of consensual and non-consensual touch. I

am particularly interested in physical interactions between strangers, and how differently we

interpret touch in social settings. Women tend to feel differently than how men would feel when

touched, purposely or accidentally by someone they don’t know. There is an inherent threat of

touch towards women that is more present than touch towards men in social settings. In my

steamroller print, Bo Peep Show, and my edition of artist books A Tasteful Touch on Tactile

Tendencies, I am using visual language in the form of found image collage to illustrate narratives

of intrusive touch, primarily towards women.

I became more aware of my accidental interactions with people

while I was in Italy studying abroad in the Fall of 2018. Especially

in bars and crowded social settings in Europe, I felt as though

women, especially tourists, were more prone to unwanted touch

from men. This invasive feeling I felt when I was out in Europe

lingered after I returned to America, and it has been something I

have been more aware of in my everyday life. This awareness

fueled my inspiration for the varied edition of books, A Tasteful

Touch on Tactile Tendencies. In these books, three different texture

experiences change the experience people have when interacting with the books. One book was

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velvet, one denim, and the third was a textured brocade. The books all had the same text and

image content, but their color schemes varied slightly. The sensory perception of touching the

three different fabrics is a personal experience, and people are more fond of interacting with

something that they enjoy touching.

The print, Bo Peep Show, is

a woodblock print that was printed

using an industrial steamroller. The

print is a 3ft x 7ft MDF woodblock

that was hand carved. The imagery

used in this print represents the

presence of intruding touch in social settings, particularly when alcohol is present. The repetition

of the hand image in the composition is a symbol for the intruding touch that can occur during

social settings.

The use of the image of the hand in both my Sound Grids and these works act as a

symbol for touch. I use the image of the hand because of the intention that comes from touch

from the hand. Though a lot of accidental touch in social settings comes in forms of bumping

into people or stepping on toes, most invasive or unwanted touch is initiated by the hand of the

aggressor/instigator. With the coronavirus pandemic effecting all aspects of daily life, the

feelings of wanted and unwanted touch are becoming more present as we are social distancing.

Because of how fast the virus is spreading, keeping 6 feet away from people has become one of

the most important preventative measures for fighting the spread of the virus. This fear of touch

from strangers was already part of my current work before the pandemic hit so close to home,

and now this imagery can be related to social distancing measures we are living in currently.

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Chapter 3- Planning a Solo Show: In Touch

When organizing work to display in my solo show, In Touch, in Random Access Gallery,

I wanted to incorporate my work about consensual and non-consensual touch with my sound grid

collaborative work. I formatted an interactive space that would invite the viewers into the space

and allow for participation. This was the first time my sound grid work had been displayed, and

it was the first time the data collection process for the subsequent book editions was

implemented. The goal was to reach as many people as possible in and out of the School of Art,

and to collect a variety of responses. I formatted two different data collection techniques so

people could choose which method they preferred, or they could participate in both surveys. One

was digital through the QR codes on the sound grids, and the other is a paper survey that is

handwritten after all three sound sets were experienced.

The biggest takeback of the first showing of this body of work was the hesitancy when it

came to interacting with artwork in a gallery setting. Especially in the books, people did not want

to touch them or they did not know they were meant to be touched. Since the interaction with the

book is very important to its content, it was important to see what the most welcoming way of

presentation is. In the future when I present the books, I will place them on a table or shelf, so

they can be looked at without having to take them off the table.

Since the survey responses were important in the continuation of this body of work, I

wanted to get as many responses and a wide range of people to fill out the questions. By the end

of this exhibition, around 30 paper responses, and 35 digital responses were received. People

were more inclined to fill out the digital survey because of the multiple choice questions, and

that the sound sets were accessed through the QR code links. Since the paper responses were

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separate, they were not received as well as the digital questions were. One of the main purposes

of the paper surveys was the additional tactility of writing to record the answers, but getting

responses in length is a larger ask for the audience, and that is why there was lower participation.

I am thankful for the opportunity to show this body of work at the beginning of the

semester in light of the Coronavirus prevention efforts that cancelled on campus classes for the

rest of the semester. Having the ability to install the work into a space before the BFA show will

help in the future to know what is needed to install this work in venues off campus now that the

BFA show will not be happening this semester. It also provided me with quality images that can

be used for applications and social media to share my work online.

Chapter 4- Books as a Sensory Experience

We become familiar with the book as an everyday object from a young age, and that

daily interaction is something that is rarely thought about as precious. The artist book, however,

is treated like a fragile object, and the way these books are interacted with is much more

tentative. Though it is correct that some artist books are fragile in structure, the interaction with

the artist book is an important part of the work and the viewer’s experience. A book is a time

based art form that engages multiple senses including touch, sight, and sometimes sound or

smell. I am particularly interested in how to engage with artist books in a gallery setting, and

how to best support the audience’s viewing experience through installation and presentation of

the book. Through the creation of multiple forms of books in this body of work, I have

investigated the best ways to present and invite viewers to interact with my books.

In the show, “In Touch”, I displayed my edition of A Tasteful Touch on Tactile

Tendencies on hands that protruded from the wall. There was also another hand next to the books

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that had pairs of gloves hanging from them. The gloves were included next to these books to

make the viewer more comfortable with viewing an artist book in a gallery setting. Some of the

main observations from the opening for this

show was the hesitancy to interact with the

books. People seemed to be wary of not

knocking the books or hands off the wall even

though the hands were secured to the wall and

ready to be interacted with.

As I experiment with how artist books

are best viewed, people are much more eager

to interact with a book when it is situated comfortably on a table or shelf and it can be laid down

to look at it instead of holding it. People are very careful with artist books and part of the

hesitancy has to do with a fear of dropping or damaging the book. I relate the book to the body

when thinking about consensual touch because the way we treat the artist books. The delicate

touch and the care and consideration people take when interacting with artist books are similar to

how people should interact with other people in terms of touch, with care and consideration.

The “Response Library” books created from the zine responses from showing the sound

grids were bound into a multiple signature, hard cover book. The zines are double stacked in the

binding to allow for comparing and contrasting the answers that were given by participants in the

Sound Grids survey. There are two books with the responses so far, and I plan to create more

books as the sound grids are shown again in the future. Both books are different and have 14

responses in each book, and the names of the participants are included in each books.

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In the books created in this body of work, in both paths of research, I am experimenting

with form, and how the content of each book effects the formatting and look of the book itself.

The different binding methods help with how the books are interpreted. For the zine library

books, the double stacked, multiple signature binding lent to the content of books because it

allowed for the comparing of the zine responses. The double accordion binding for the series “A

Tasteful Touch on Tactile Tendencies” allowed for the creation of pockets for where the cards

were meant to be taken out and revealing the text that is hidden on the inside of the pocket. How

the books are opened and experienced are how the content is displayed and interpreted by the

viewer of the book.

Conclusion

The interdisciplinary body of work, “Art and the Sensorium”, showcases two parallel

investigations into interactive and multisensory art. Through bookmaking, printmaking, and

woodworking, I have created two separate collections of works that have different conceptual

meanings and use different mediums, but speak in a similar visual language. The two paths of

work investigate different sensory perceptions, but one deals with ideas on touch, and the other

investigates sound perception and Misophonia. This body of work allowed me to create in new

forms and media, and investigate topics I have personal connections with. Through the help of

the SOURCE and the Renee Crown Honors program, I have been able to be funded to create this

work. I was also able to dive deeper into the topics I was creating work about in more intellectual

ways through research and collaborative projects.

Skills I have learned in the process of this project include woodworking skills, creating

electrical circuits, learning about laser cutting and CNC routing, and learning multiple forms of

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bookmaking methods. This body of work has pushed me technically past where I was at the

beginning of the Fall semester of 2019. I have had to do a lot of problem-solving when creating

these works because of troubleshooting and experimentation when creating these elements like

the vibrating motors. The problem solving that was done during the semester prepared me to

solve problems and continue this body of work after on campus classes were cancelled due to the

Coronavirus.

Touch will continue to be an important factor in my work as I continue to work in Book

Arts. The interaction with my work is a way of connecting with the audience, and that mutual

understanding is important to the way I make work. I want the people who interact with the work

to leave with a new understanding of something, or to leave thinking about something they

normally do not. It is an important time to think about touch because of the coronavirus

pandemic. With current social distancing guidelines, touch between people is restricted, and

some people are fearing the most simplest of touch.

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Bibliography

Candlin, Fiona. Art, Museums and Touch. Manchester University Press, 2010.

Harter, Jim. Hands: a Pictorial Archive from Nineteenth-Century Sources: 1166 Copyright-Free Illustrations for Artists and Designers. Dover Publications, 1985.

Harter, Jim. Women: a Pictorial Archive from Nineteenth-Century Sources: 488 Copyright-Free Illustrations for Artists and Designers. Dover Publications, 1982.

Harter, Jim. Harter's Picture Archive for Collage and Illustration: over 300 19th-Century Cuts. Dover Publications, 2012.

Keiles, Jamie Lauren. “How A.S.M.R. Became a Sensation.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Apr. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/04/04/magazine/how-asmr-videos-became-a-sensation-youtube.html.

Kumar, Sukhbinder, et al. “The Brain Basis for Misophonia.” Current Biology, Cell Press, 2 Feb. 2017, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982216315305.

LEVENT, NINA PASCUAL-LEONE ALVARO. MULTISENSORY MUSEUM: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Touch, Sound, Smell, Memory, ... and Space. ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD, 2017.

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