Tactile Orchestra

A musical exploration of the senses

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Name

Tactile Orchestra

Year

2017

Tactile Orchestra consists of a soft, furry surface that reacts to touch.

When the fabric of Tactile Orchestra is stroked, the interaction causes a range of sounds that can be explored throughout the surface. Through collaboration, multiple participants together create a symphony, treating the fabric as their orchestra.

“Participation and collaboration are often mentioned as key solutions to societal issues. But what does it really mean to join in, to get involved? What is the best way to work together and collectively discover new things? Tactile Orchestra explores these questions in a playful and approachable way.”

— Tom Kortbeek from Fillip Studios about Tactile Orchestra

Visitors interacting with Tactile Orchestra at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York

The music you hear when you stroke Tactile Orchestra are the instruments of string quartet Zapp4 playing together with producer, composer and musician Jan Bang.

Full photo of the entire Tactile Orchestra artwork. The strokes of visitors are clearly visible.

Photo by Kenneth Stjernegaard, Trapholt

Tactile Orchestra has been exhibited at Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City (US) and Museum Trapholt in Kolding, Denmark.

Moreover, the artwork was extensively featured in The New York Times in a review of Cooper Hewitt’s exhibition.

Translation to healthcare products for people with dementia

Receiving positive feedback from the healthcare industry, the installation forms the basic principle behind Kozie, a family of multi-sensory objects that have been designed specifically for elderly suffering from dementia.

Kozie was featured in an article on Billboard about the role of music in new health products for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s.

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Next project: Pi Lab: Adaptable Auxetics