On this episode of the Modern Medium Podcast, we’re exploring our senses: while it’s common for art to have visual and aural components, we don’t normally think about art in terms of smell, taste, or touch. But art is supposed to imitate life, and within life, we experience these all at once. How then can we make art a sensory experience? 

It’s easy to be visual, as a lot of art already is. Visiting art galleries or museums is typically a visual experience, seeing the paintings or sculptures and experiencing them from a distance. 

But one thing that’s interesting about those spaces is that they’re usually silent. Why is there no sound? Why are we hearing people just shuffling around? Paris shares about a project she did, where she recorded audio snippets of her morning rituals, experiencing that routine through sound. We don’t normally think of audio outside of music, but you can easily tell a story through the things you hear on the street. 

When you touch something, you’re going to understand it in a different way. If it feels different from what you’re picturing, that can change the piece’s tone, energy, or the way you view it. Art that incorporates touch has the power to change the story.

It’s important to consider all five senses when you’re creating anything. And it’s important to consider not only what senses you're activating, but how the that might be different for different people, because we all come with our different preconceived notions and experiences. 

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