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An inclusive approach to art appreciation through visual-taste cross-sensory design by exploration with Kandinsky’s Grey Circle

Wei, Mingyan (2023) An inclusive approach to art appreciation through visual-taste cross-sensory design by exploration with Kandinsky’s Grey Circle. [MRP]

Item Type: MRP
Creators: Wei, Mingyan
Abstract:

Cross-sensory translation enables people with diverse abilities to perceive and experience art through sensory modalities other than vision alone. While it is not difficult to find museums or art galleries that are beginning to incorporate auditory, tactile, olfactory, or even gustatory senses into their curatorial practice, findings from recent work on cross-modal correspondences have not been applied to the challenge of “translating” a specific visual artwork to taste sensations. This project seeks to explore a more inclusive approach to artwork appreciation by transforming visual experiences into tasting experiences, thus expanding the perceptual dimensions of artworks for a broader audience. First, this study synthesizes prior work on plastic semiotics with empirical findings from research on cross-modal correspondences to produce a conceptual model that suggests how a sensorial reading of a painting can inform a chef’s “translation” from visual cues of an artwork into a culinary experience. Then, this study practically examined the validity of the conceptual model through interviews and a co-design session with culinary professionals, seeking to understand how they recommend translating Wassily Kandinsky’s painting Grey Circle into a culinary experience. The research findings show how the interpretations of the specific painting through taste modalities echoed the cross-modal mappings from visual to gustatory experiences suggested by the conceptual model. Finally, the study tests the extent to which people can perceive the properties of the given painting through a gustatory experience by hosting a tasting session. The result reveals that participants can receive the intended interpretations mediated by the curated foods’ properties, which are designed to reflect and afford the sensorial expressions in the painting. Furthermore, the gustatory experience also helps visitors dive deeper into the artwork to a certain extent.

Date: 18 January 2023
Divisions: Graduate Studies > Inclusive Design
Date Deposited: 18 Jan 2023 20:59
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2023 20:59
URI: https://openresearch.ocadu.ca/id/eprint/3965

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