TACTILE: 12 Concealed Sculptures was a visual art project intended to never be seen. Bringing together the works of Maltese, Japanese and other international sculptors within a space devoid of any light, TACTILE left its audiences no other way of understanding the artworks other than through the sense of touch. This visually impenetrable setting invited the general public to interact with the exhibits through what will remain a purely tactile experience. By having these sculptures concealed from the naked eye, the project aimed to reverse any preconceived notions of the ‘normal’ process of perceiving visual art exclusively through sight.

TACTILE placed visually impaired individuals on an equal footing with the rest of the community. The exhibition revealed to those deprived of sight a world that, by its very visual nature, typically excludes them from engaging with it. It also acted as an ‘eye-opener’ for the general public, who were involved in the act of perceiving sculpture in the same way as the former do. In this manner, TACTILE attempted to bridge the gap that separates these two communities’ perceptive practices, in the hope of leading to a closer sense of understanding through a common sensory experience.

TACTILE was sponsored by the Valletta Design Cluster and the Valletta 2018 Foundation and is part of the EU Japan Fest collaborations.

The Tactile: 12 Concealed Sculptures exhibition was held at the Valletta University Campus between October 5 and November 4, 2018. It was open to visitors from Monday to Friday between 8am and 5pm; Saturdays from 10am till 2pm; and Sunday 4th November (last day of exhibition) from 10am till 2pm.

The exhibition spac housed twelve individual artworks by participants Omura Shunji, Kunie Fujiyoshi, Takashi Yukawa (Japan), Claire Fontana (France), Adriano Ciarla (Italy), Raymond Azzopardi, Joseph Chetcuti, Jonathan Galea, Noel Galea Bason, Paul Scerri, Jesmond Vassallo and John Vassallo (Malta).

Visit tactileproject.com for more information.