V&A: Touch Me June 23, 2005

"Touch is our most neglected sense. We are always touching something and being touched in return, but we seldom think about it. Scientists know less about the workings of touch than about our other senses.

Touch can produce delightful sensations or uncomfortable reactions. The right touch can make us feel secure, happy, loved. But social taboos and new technologies often seem to get in the way of human contact.

Many of our ordinary interactions with the world make poor use of our sense of touch. Using a computer keyboard, flicking a light switch or pushing a door provide few tactile rewards.

However, designers are now creating novel objects that engage more playfully with the touch senses. Some explore unexpected materials. Some reinvent how we use objects and technologies in order to produce more satisfying encounters. Some are even creating designs that aspire to promote richer human relationships.

This uniquely touchable exhibition explores the pleasures, sensations and future of touch, bringing us closer to each other and the designed world around us - from site specific art and design commission to games, live science experiments and a fantastical petting zoo."

http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1376_touch_me/