As part of the European Researchers Night, the SENSING LIVING SYSTEMS team invited visitors to the interactive station and workshop IT’S ALL ABOUT THE WHOLE!, offering sensory-based access to their artistic research.
In our everyday lives, we usually perceive the world only in fragments – and mostly through our eyes. But what happens when we shift focus to our other senses? Visitors of the SENSING LIVING SYSTEMS team explored multisensory, hands-on / senses-on stations that invited them to investigate the world with their hands, noses, and ears.
Through playful and immersive formats such as the Touch-Box and the Smell-of-the-Moon station, visitors discovered how sensory experiences can reveal hidden patterns and relations within ecological and social systems. The goal: to help participants feel and understand that everything is interconnected – and that systems awareness is key to shaping sustainable futures for all living beings.
The station attracted a diverse audience – from curious children to university students and retirees – all of whom engaged in the tactile and olfactory explorations. A special highlight was Caspar, an 8-year-old aspiring researcher, who charmingly guided visitors through the different elements of the station. He shared the insights he had gathered and his own understanding of interconnections, and his presence brought many smiles and moments of changed perspectives.
September 2024 – University of Applied Arts Vienna
