Ciliated Sense

Ciliated Sense, this was first created as an interactive artwork for young people to explore during a Touretteshero accessible play event in 2024. You can read more about that event here: Rise of the Rebels.

The piece was originally inspired by an archive celebrating disabled people’s positive play experiences. One story that particularly interested me was about a wheelchair user who noticed how a dip in concrete created a puddle. As they moved through it, their wheels made flower-like patterns in the water. This l act of creativity shaped how I approached my own design for the event.

The sculpture’s base was designed to tip and weave at different angles, allowing both disabled and non-disabled children to engage with it, weaving coloured threads. Children using wheelchairs could access the weaving at an elevated height, while others could interact with it on the floor. The piece can be rocked, tipped, and oscillated, encouraging movement and exploration.

After gifting the work to Touretteshero for future events, I became fascinated by how interaction with the sculpture introduced a new layer of sensory feedback. Later, I was invited by the Henry Moore Institute to propose works for their exhibition Beyond the Visual, which features artists who are blind or have low vision.

This opportunity felt like a natural extension of the ideas I had begun exploring with Ciliated Sense and those I am exploring with my research. I’m interested in how stimming actions—repetitive movements like rocking or swaying—support many neurodivergent people, including myself, to feel aware of our bodies in space (through proprioception and vestibular soothing). My sculptural work explores how shape, resistance, and motion can explore spatially affirming experiences. The new work allowed me to develop subtle vibrational feedback.

I also wanted to connect this with how stimming appears in both autistic and blind/low-vision communities—an area that remains underexplored (I am interested in if my own stimming supports my visual impairment). The title Ciliated Sense draws from philosopher and scientist Karen Barad, who describes sensing and touching as entangled, relational ways of knowing. To explore this, the sculpture incorporates guitar strings and washers throughout the sculpture, creating delicate vibrations and tension. As you rock, push, or turn the sculpture, it subtly responds through vibration, offering a tactile sense of connection and feedback beyond vision. For the Henry Moore Institute exhibition, the work may be installed on a carpeted area, inviting visitors to rock, spin, and interact with it freely, although it can be placed on any flooring.

Since completing the piece, my friend Jay Moy, a sound artist, has created an audio composition inspired by Ciliated Sense. His track was developed using field recordings of him engaging with the sculpture, translating its tactile qualities into sound. You can listen to an excerpt of Jay’s piece on his website https://jaymoy.co.uk/ciliatedsense2/