Urban Tactility Guided Tours

Guided experiences of the Urban Tactility installation will be offered throughout July and August, with tour leaders guiding people through the installation blindfolded so they are encouraged to use other senses to navigate the installation.

The installation tours will ask visitors to contemplate the ways we navigate the city by exploring the sensory qualities of the installation and the tactile nature of the Immigration Museum Courtyard. Through these tours, you will discover the built form in a whole new light, experiencing its spaces from the perspective of a person with low vision or blindness. The tours will focus on not what the installation and site looks like but what it feels like, smells like and sounds like. The installation can also be self-guided.

More about Urban Tactility:

A site-specific public installation of tactile indicators in the courtyard of Immigration Museum, Urban Tactility will highlight how public art and design can make a significant contribution to conversations around important urban issues such as social inclusion, social connectivity and the building of community around a public design project.

Urban Tactility will negotiate broad contemporary cultural issues exploring our rights as citizens to the city. Building on the thought-provoking nature of the Sensory City tours we ran in partnership with OoPLA in 2017 & 2018, the Urban Tactility installation is designed to inspire people to connect with the  experience of those living with low vision and blindness and the way they navigate the city.

The project has a tri-fold agenda. Firstly, it’s a chance to think about how the city can be designed for different communities and users. Secondly, it’s a chance to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. And thirdly, it’s a chance to experience the city from a sensory perspective and explore the city beyond the visual. This agenda is amplified by the venue partnership with the Immigration Museum.

Program Partners: OoPLA – Christine Philips and Tania Davidge

Urban Tactility is presented by OoPla, Open House Melbourne and Cushman & Wakefield, Open House Melbourne’s inaugural Inclusivity and Access partner, and is supported by Immigration Museum and City of Melbourne.

Image: Tania Davidge