SENSESCENE (2023)

In our project Eyes Wide Shut, we were to create a wooden toy for 2 year-old children who were visually impaired. I decided to make a toy that aided in the learning of depth perception, a difficulty that people with a visual acuity of 20/200 and less have.

Inspired by a wooden xylophone, SENSESCENE comprises of organic shaped note blocks that have a higher pitch when hit the closer it is to the user. The blocks are attached via magnets to a base board with a lattice of dot magnets. Rosewood is used to make the note blocks due to its resonance, allowing the blocks to produce a sound when being struck with a mallet. The blocks are hollow to make them even more resonant.

There are 3 sizes of blocks, small, medium and large. The smaller the wooden blocks, the higher the pitch when struck. By arranging the larger blocks further away from the child, the child can be taught depth perception by identifying the different sounds from the wood with the size of the block. Additionally, the blocks are shaped to look like real-life objects and landmarks that represent "near" and "far" like the tree stump-shaped block that are "near" and the building-shaped block that are "far away"

A proof-of-concept constructed using meranti wood

The blocks are attached via magnets to a base board with a lattice of dot magnets.

For a more extensive review of this project, please view my Creative Process Journal

SENSESCENE Creative Process Journal.pdf

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