touchable sculpture:

Stephanie Metz: InTouch is two groupings of fiber sculptures that invite physical touch by viewers. White cocoon-like ‘Hanging Pods’ and grey and tan organic ‘Holdable’ floor sculptures each offer intriguing opportunites for connection with the art— and with other viewers. Their creation took place over two years, culminating in a debut exhibition of touchable fiber art at the de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University in January 2020, where they delighted visitors of all ages with tactile, interactive experiences before an early closure with COVID-19 precautions.

Despite the disappointment of temporary closure, touchable art experiences continue to be a draw for many humans, and the InTouch fiber sculptures have continued to connect people. In the years since their debut, several of the artworks from these bodies of work have been exhibited at different venues (the Brattleboro Museum in VT, BG gallery in Santa Monica, Root Division in SF, the Pajaro Valley Art Center) and I continue to receive requests for their exhibition.

For those unable to experience the exhibition in person I created a walk-through video of Holdables industrial felt fiber sculptures and a walk-through video of Hanging Pods felted wool fiber sculptures.

What is the experience like?

In a darkened gallery visitors encounter ‘Hanging Pods,’ mysterious white cocoon-like human-sized felted wool objects suspended in a dense group with enough space for people to walk among them. Glowing softly in the light from above, Hanging Pods appear visibly soft and inviting, with different surface patterns and textures. Visitors who engage through touch find that each has a different solidity, ‘squish’, and feel along folds, ridges, and bulges. Audiences can trace their hands over soft felt and hug the suspended heavy masses that gently sway in response to pressure. In a quiet, meditative experience, the Hanging Pods tend to provoke feelings of wonder, comfort, curiosity, and vulnerability.

Viewers discover ‘Holdable’ sculptures in a second gallery- vaguely familiar organic and geometric shapes constructed from thick stitched industrial felt, Holdables at first glance resemble stone or metal. Rounded, angular, squat, elegant, blocky, and hollowed shapes suggest actions or uses, placing physical and interpretive demands on the viewer in a highly individual experience. Visual cues including mirrors on the walls and rugs on the floor invite audiences to touch, hold, arrange, and get personal with the forms. The 47 unique lightweight, durable sculptures vary in size from furniture-like to handheld to enlist visitors of all ages and abilities to interact.

If you’re hungry for more information, watch my behind-the scenes Artist Talk about the making of these remarkable fiber sculptures.

InTouch represents a tremendous scaling-up of my sculptural practice; this project would not have been possible without the hands-on help of over 70 community volunteers as well as financial donors.

THANK YOU: The launch of the InTouch Project was made possible through the generous support of the following Founding Patrons: Mark and Laura Deem, Valerie Hopkins, Jaime and Lorsen Koo, Sandra Moll and Rick Holden, Byron and Elizabeth Ryono, Joanne Johnson and Robert Graham, Penny and David Pride, Susan and Larry Jessie, Loren Schaffzin, Lisa Goetsch and Bob Scheussler, Todd Wilder, and Karen Ryer and Patricia Sargent. My sincerest thanks for your support. To see a complete list of donors and volunteers please see my thank you page.