Tactile sound sculptures (2022)
plaster, portable speakers and balloons

This sound based design intervention was produced as part of the ‘Access Elvis’ tour for blind and low vision visitors in the‘Elvis: Direct from Graceland’ exhibition at Bendigo Art Gallery. The tour was designed by our Monash Inclusive Gallery Experiences project team consisting of artists, designers and technologists from the Inclusive Tech Lab. My contribution was a design intervention which explored sound and vibration using portable speakers, plinths and balloons. The interactive experience used an instrumental version of Elvis’ ‘Can't Help Falling in Love’ slowed down by 50% to create a more ambient sound. We found that the slowness also helped to define the melody when sensing it through the vibrations in the balloon.

The concept was inspired by Elvis’ meditation garden at the Graceland Estate. Designed for reflection and contemplation, the meditation garden is the final space visitors enter on their tour of the estate, a favourite place of Elvis’ and a spiritual experience for fans who make a pilgrimage here seeking connection with the star. We attempted to recreate the atmosphere of the meditation garden to create a slow moment on the access tour as the rest of the exhibition was narrative and object rich. We aimed to create a space between where people could reflect on the exhibition while engaging with Elvis’ music in different ways.