Feel the Sound: Coldplay

• Haley Lisiecki, Visual Communications, University of Delaware

• Katie Leech, Visual Communications, University of Delaware

Tactile sound is the idea that sound can not only be experienced through listening, but can also be experienced through touch. For individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, the idea of tactile sound can offer a new way of exploring the rhythm and emotion that humans experience through music. By using physical tools and textures, people have the option to not only hear music, but also feel the stories that are presented through sounds differently, through textures and touch. 

The tactile sound approach can challenge the way people think about our favorite artists’ music. It creates a new aspect of sound that all people can enjoy through the universal language of touch. Tactile sound also explores how music can become physical using materials as simple as paper. Many researchers and designers have been looking into the idea of tactile experiences over recent years. 

Designers such as Joshua Meile and Irma Boom have used tactile aspects in their practices. Meile has used tactile elements to make user-friendly maps. This way, people can feel parts of the map instead of seeing them. These maps allow people who can’t see well to be able to get around big places on their own. The embossing system that Meile uses has helped many people be able to experience maps differently and efficiently. Irma Boom also used an embossing system to create her book, “Irma Boom: The Architecture of the Book,” for Chanel. In this book, Boom used embossing strategies to tell stories through touch. 

Tactile art is important to many people for accessibility reasons. It also encourages people to interact and become close to art pieces that otherwise wouldn’t be touched. Tactile art also lets people enjoy art by breaking traditional boundaries between viewer and object.