Experience sound and vibration technologies through art installations by David Bobier, Lindsay Fisher, Marla Hlady, Ellen Moffat, Gordon Monahan, Alison O’Daniel, and Lynx Sainte-Marie. By making sound tangible through touch, this exhibition aims to change public perceptions of difference and disability.

Presented in partnership with VibraFusionLab, an innovative centre for vibrotactile research and creative practice based in London, Ontario.

Public Events:

VibraFusionLab Opening Reception  

Friday, September 27, 6 p.m.  

Civic Museum | Free admission 

Remarks, performances and reception. All galleries will be open. 

ASL interpretation. 

Walkabout Tour with David Bobier: Hands On!
Sunday, September 29, 2 p.m.
Civic Museum | Free admission
Guest curator David Bobier leads an all-ages sensory tour of the vibrotactile art featured in the exhibition.

ASL interpretation. 

History Bites – VibraFusionLab: Bridging Practices in Accessibility, Art and Communication
Wednesday, January 15, 12 noon to 1 p.m.
Civic Museum | Admission by donation (Please RSVP)
Bring a brown bag lunch and join us for bite-sized history tours of our feature exhibitions.

Feeling Sound, Performing Access
Friday, February 21, 7 p.m.
Civic Museum | $10 + HST
Tickets in advance
A vibrotactile performance by acclaimed artists Marla Hlady, Ellen Moffat and Gordon Monahan, curated by David Bobier. Using haptic systems (belts, pillows and floors that vibrate), the audience is invited into an immersive experience that extends beyond sight and sound to touch and motion.

ASL interpretation. 

About VibraFusionLab:

VibraFusionLab (VFL) began in 2014 in London, Ontario, growing out of an artist residency and collaboration between media artist David Bobier and the Inclusive Media and Design Centre at Ryerson University. The vision, to provide access to emerging inclusive or adaptive technology and design to artists of all disciplines and abilities, will be illustrated in the upcoming retrospective: VibraFusionLab: Bridging Practices in Accessibility, Art and Communication. Guelph Museums is proud to host this immersive exhibition, which will feature educational ephemera in the Commons Research Centre, and works by seven artists involved in the residency program: Marla Hlady; Gordon Monahan; Lindsay Fisher; Alison O’Daniel; Ellen Moffat; Lynx Sainte-Marie; and David Bobier. The seven artists in the exhibition self-identify as either abled or disabled and all have been affiliated with VibraFusionLab over the past 3-4 years.

The works specialize in the exploration of “vibrotactility” in technology, investigating it as a creative medium, with a capacity to combine visual, audio and tactile elements into a highly emotional and sensorial art practice. Viewers can expect wearable devices, and new approaches to art-making that champion the senses beyond vision and hearing, to build new methods of communication and language.