THE SENSES: DESIGN BEYOND VISION

The exhibition reimagines accessibility within museums through innovative designs that engage visitors across multiple senses. 

This exhibition examines how multi-sensory design amplifies our ability to receive information, explore the world, satisfy essential needs, and experience joy and wonder. The installation features direct sensory experiences incorporating haptic, olfactory, and auditory installations. Some designs on display included: a touch-activated musical fur-lined wall, scratch and sniff wallpaper, a food scent diffusing “clock” that signaled mealtimes to people with dementia, and color-changing lights that respond to occupants within a space.

To create individual sensory environments, Studio Joseph designed a series of undulating screens, woven with colored vinyl threads. Offering both visual and tactile stimuli, these screens evoked “moods” by oscillating between cooler, low-frequency colors and warmer, high-frequency colors. The screens also allowed for varying levels of transparency and bleed between the experiences.

In collaboration with 65 contemporary designers, “The Senses” invites visitors of all abilities to join together in learning in ways surpassing conventional universal design considerations.