A touch of seeing: A scent of sound
The cliched phrase 'there's more to this than meets the eye' could well have been coined to describe A Touch of Seeing: a scent of sound, an exhibition of mixed media works by Candace Miles. The culmination of eighteen months of research, the artwork was informed by a thesis which explores historical and contemporary concepts of sensory perception and their relationship to creativity. A Touch of Seeing incorporated 'forms from the reef' and 'textures, sounds and smells from the environment into an interactive experience aimed at providing access to art for people with various sensory 'impairments'. For those who have the full use of their senses, it may have provided some insight into the experiences of those with different sensory capabilities.
As suggested by the name of the exhibition, Miles personally deems the sense of touch to be paramount among the human senses. It is the sense of sight, however, which tends to be more highly valued in our society. She presents a convincing argument for a reassessment of abilities and limitations, and a less hierarchical and more inclusive model of the senses:
Perhaps all our senses actually accomplish their end through the process of connection, touch or contact, in some respect-our eyes have to be touched by light in order that we can see at all; the tiny hairs on our ear drums have to be touched by vibrations interpreted as sound in order for us to hear, our nose and tongue have to be contacted by chemical molecules in order for us to smell and taste; for our mental processes to occur electrochemicals make contact with dendrites ... In fact touch, or contact, can be seen as not