Sleight of Hand

Sleight of Hand

Sleight of Hand is a tactile installation for curious fingers and unbelieving eyes. Subverting the format of a touch tour*, this sumptuous work invites audiences to participate in a series of touch encounters with unknown objects, materials and matter.

Integrating audio description, tactile design, choreography and an immersive ASMR** soundscape, Sleight of Hand explores what we can discover if we loosen our grip on the known visual world and let our senses wander…

As always, Jo’s work is guided by her offbeat humour and her ongoing fascination with objects, visual perception and how strange the ordinary world really is.

Sleight of Hand is part of BLIND MAGIC: A triptych of artworks exploring the performativity of visual impairment. A film Passing, an installation Sleight of Hand and live performance The Dirty Work.

* A touch tour is usually held before an Audio Described performance of a theatre production to provide context about the show and to allow blind and partially sighted members of the audience to familiarise themselves with the design of the space, costumes and props ahead of the show itself.

** ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) is the name given to the pleasant tingling and often relaxing sensation that people can experience through the back of their head and spine when they hear or experience something that stimulates them to feel this way. What causes this response varies from person to person, but there are many popular ASMR triggers which include whispering, hair brushing, scratching and tapping.