Sensory Stories Retold Seminar May 7th Handout

Posted on May 3, 2013 by kate

Handout for the Sensory Stories Retold Seminar on Tuesday May 7th

Microsoft Word - HAND OUT FOR THE DAY EASY READ Seminar at the M

‘Sensory Stories Retold’ Seminar on May 7th

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The Project team will be presenting demonstrations, talking about our work and running a workshop at the Museum of Liverpool on 7th May 2013.

Here is info about the Event in easy read

• The Sensory Stories Retold seminar will showcase the first year of the project, which was based at Speke Hall, a National Trust house in Liverpool. The research team will present their work with interactive demonstrations of their sensory objects and a hands-on workshop for attendees to try making their own.
• The day will feature a discussion led by Marcus Weisen (Jodi Mattes Trust), and a presentation by Ticky Lowe (Access to Heritage) about the Jodi Award Winning Touch Pods project.
• The event provides an opportunity to discuss and explore museum and heritage engagement, the potential of sensory art-based workshops, the use of electronics in museum interpretation, and multimedia advocacy.

Sensory Stories Research Event at Speke Hall March 21st

Posted on March 23, 2013 by kate

Liverpool Echo Sensory Stories at Speke Hall

We held a very enjoyable, well attended show and tell event at Speke Hall where we presented our research so far into interactive sensory objects. Researchers discussed the sensory boxes in the Great Hall giving the public the chance to find out about our research.

Group shot Speke

Members of the public were given the chance to tryout the different interactive boxes and other sensory experiements. The Co-Reasearchers showed their sensory boxes to the public. Group boxes

Angela Points Steve with box Elle We also held a Squishy Circuit workshop in Speke Hall Kitchen to make cakes for afternoon tea decorated with LED’s.These pictures below show some of the public trying out the boxes.

listening to elle's sensory box Listening to Patricks box

Elle tries speaking cushion

These pictures show Elle demonstrating the strokable speaking cushion and a member of the public exploring the interactive loaf of bread.

We had alot of interesting feedback and visitors were given a biscuit designed during an earlier workshop by Co-Researchers Chris Griffiths and Terry. We commissioned 100 to be made to their design by the Liverpool Cake Fairy they disappeared quickly and were delicious.

Speke Biscuits In this video below Co-Researcher Paul Lorde is shown with his sensory box, you can hear sounds he recorded from Speke Hall and see the electronics that trigger the sounds. Paul spent the afternoon in the Great Hall showing his research to the public and he sums up the day.

This video below shows pupils from Elle’s school The Royal School for the Blind trying out the strokable cushion which triggers stories about the people that used to live in Speke Hall. We didn’t expect more than one person to use the cushionat once, really enjoying this interaction.

The video below shows Co-Researcher Patrick Cowley with Researcher Ticky Lowe demonstrating to members of the public his sensory box which gives a sensory experience of his favourte room in Speke Hall the Billiard Room. His box also shows a camera with and a flash light triggered by a proximity sensor inside the box. So when you peer in it flashes. Patrick also had placed the smell of sherry he notice on a side board in the room. The box has photographs taken by him on the outside.

Sensory Objects Flyer Thursday 21st March

Posted on February 15, 2013 by kate

Sensory Objects flyer 21st March

This is the poster for our Sensory Stories day at Speke Hall on Thursday 21st March from 12.30 – 3.00pm. We are inviting you to come and see our reserach into Interactive Sensory Objects.

Workshop at New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre 10th February

Posted on February 15, 2013 by kate

We continued to work at the New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre on the sensory boxes adding different ways of triggering sounds and lights. We are getting everything ready for our event on March 21st at Speke Hall.

The picture below shows Stephen with is box it makes the sound of the clocks of Speke Hall chiming at 12 o’clock.

Stephen and his box

The picture below shows Chris with his two boxes one makes the sound of billiards being played and the other one has the sound of the barrel organ playing.

Chris and his Boxes

Chris hooks up his Arduino

Angela adding sounds and faces to her box

Inside Angelas box

This picture shows Anne and Derek working with air hardening clay.

Derek began to make some clay sculptures for his box

Paul and his box

Patricks box has a proximity sensor

Elles Box has an Arduino programed to make coloure LED lights flicker like a fire

Workshop at New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre 4th February

Posted on February 5, 2013 by kate

The Access to Heritage Group continued working on their sensory boxes about Speke Hall at the Neighbourhood Centre where we were made very welcome and felt very warm. Nic showed everyone the lastest sets of arduino, speaker, battery to be placed in their boxes that would trigger LEDs and sounds when the box was opened or tilted.

Nic explains about arduino

Elle adding fire sounds and LEDs to box

Trying out the sensory boxes

Speke Hall Workshop 28th Jan 2013

Posted on January 30, 2013 by kate

Stephen choosing sounds recorded for his box

The Access to Heritage group continued to work on thier sensory boxes choosing sounds and lights exploring different ways of triggering them. They learnt how to add an arduino micro controller, speaker, battery and LED lights inside their box. The picture above shows Stephen choosing sounds recorded by the group in an earlier workshop. In the picture below Elle is also choosing sounds listening to them through one of the small portable speakers.

Elle choosing recorded sounds for her box

The picture below shows Elle adding LED lights to her box to make a fire place.

Elle makes fireplace for her box

Chris working with clay

The picture above shows Chris modelling objects for his box from clay

Speke Hall Workshop January 21st 2013

Posted on January 21, 2013 by kate

Snow at Speke Hall by Terry

Due to the snow only Chris and Terry could make it to our workshop. Chris reviewed the sounds the Access to Heritage group had recorded from Speke Hall. We asked which sounds we he would like to put into his sensory box.

Nic showed Chris how to use and install an Arduino controller, tilt sensor and speaker into his box.

Smell and Sound Workshop Dec 7th 2012

Posted on December 8, 2012 by kate

Access to Heritage group divided into two groups and collected the smells of Speke Hall. We had some foam devices a bit like bicyle pumps to suck up a smell and then capture the aroma of air into plastic bags. The smells were labelled with an image or text.
Sucking up Christmas Smell	Angela collecting smells

Michael collecting and baging up smells of Speke Hal

Bags with smells collected at Speke Hal

The group were also given some objects to test with sensors embedded that would trigger sounds. Gosia made some notes about the activity of testing, “Everyone was sitting around the table, there was a lot of chatter. The first object introduced to a small group was a loaf of bread that made some sounds when touched. The sounds were the recordings made by the group in a previous workshop. The bread played the sound of cooking, spoons and pans clattering. The sound trigger in the bread did not work every time. The participants started touching and exploring the bread trying to get the sound to work until the bread was smashed”

Arduino Inside

Loaf sensor – post exploration

The pictures below show some of the other objects with sensors embedded.

Patrick explores sensor

Louise tests stroke sensor in box

Advisory Group Meeting 6th Nov 2012

Posted on November 8, 2012 by kate

We held the first meeting of the Interactive Sensory Objects Advisory Group at MERL Museum of English Rural Life at the University of Reading. This is a group assembled to reflect and advise on how our project is running. The group gave the chance to share our activities with people from outside the project who suggested where we can improve our research.

The picture below shows the Advisory Group this photo was organised by Stephen.

Stephen Hogg with June and Gerry came from Liverpool to represent the Access to Heritage Forum

The picture below shows Stephen and Gerry with Marcus Weisen looking at Stephens Box where he had collected sensory material about Speke Hall. Stephen demonstrated his box and spoke about it to the people at the meeting so they had a good idea of what we have been doing in the workshops.