When We Touch
When We Touch is a workshop that facilitates creative approaches to multisensory storytelling. It is designed to explore the several social and cultural meanings and effects of touch by creating interactive, tactile interfaces to tell personal stories. In this workshop diverse community participants in Pachuca, Mexico explored first-voice storytelling, physical computing, programming, interpersonal touch and tactile listening. Workshop designer and facilitator, Kristine Diekman collaborated with Secta de Bordado, a local embroidery collective, to teach the participants how to create embroidered sensors using conductive thread, and combine these with microprocessors and basic computer programming. The workshop was organized by FRONDA and Simbiosis, Encuentro de Arte Interdisciplinar, and took place in the state of Hidalgo known for their Tenango embroidery techniques. When We Touch is a continuation of Diekman’s work in physical computing that creates an embodied, sensorial listening experience.
Gesture and Story
Exercises to explore interpersonal touch and haptics, story writing and recording.
Computing and Electronics
Basics of computer programming and the use microprocessors to tell responsive stories.
Embroidery and Design
Basic embroidery to design and produce tactile interfaces that access stories using conductive materials.