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Art and the Sensorium
A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of theRequirements of the Renée Crown University Honors Program at
Syracuse University
Shannon Ferguson
Candidate for Bachelor of Fine Artsand Renée Crown University Honors
Spring 2020
Honors Thesis in Studio Arts
Thesis Advisor: _______________________ Dusty Herbig, Associate
Professor, Studio Arts (Printmaking)
Thesis Reader: _______________________ Errol Willet, Associate
Professor, Studio Arts (Ceramics)
Honors Director: _______________________ Dr. Danielle Smith, Director
Abstract
In my body of work, Art and the Sensorium, I am investigating interactive multisensory art forms through printmaking, bookmaking, and installation art. Through the use of found images, I create narratives that evoke thoughtful conversation about interactions between people and their environments. In my work, I investigate two main topics, consensual and non-consensual touch, and the sound phenomena of Misophonia and ASMR. I am interested in the relationship between touch and sound and how those two senses can be activated through art and interaction. Through forms of polling and data collection, I gather information that is used to create text and visual aids to form books about my research though an artistic outlet. The book itself is also a multisensory experience in terms of touch and its state of being as a time-based art form.
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Executive Summary
The body of work, “Art and the Sensorium”, follows two key paths of research that
investigate multisensory and interactive art in the forms of touch and sound. The first branch of
this project deals primarily with sound perception and the phenomena of ASMR (Autonomous
Sensory Meridian Response) and Misophonia (the involuntary hatred of sound). The second
investigation deals with consensual and non-consensual touch and how we react to physical
interaction with strangers.
Through the use of found imagery, primarily coming from Jim Harter’s collection of non-
copyrighted collage images, I create digital collages that I then physically or digitally insert into
my work. These images help form narratives, and the repetition of specific images, especially
hand imagery, relay the themes I investigate visually in the multiple forms I create work in. The
vintage nature of the images are used in my work about touch to show that this feeling of
invasive touch is not a new feeling, and the use of older looking images in contemporary
practices relays this.
Consensual and non-consensual touch in my work plays an important role, and through
the form of book arts, I am creating interactive experiences that invite the viewer to make those
consensual decisions about touching my books. My books and images also make light of
questions that may not be normally thought about in daily life, like how many people/strangers
we come in physical contact with in one social outing. By using unique textures for each book,
even though they have the same or similar content, I create books from different fabrics that
appeal differently to people. People can pick their preferred texture to experience the content that
I am sharing with them. The tactility of an artist book is really important because the book is not
just a sculpture, but a time art that has to be interacted with to be understood.
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In my sound work, I am investigating how sound perception is different for everyone, and
how people react to sound art. Through looking at ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian
Response) and Misophonia (the involuntary hatred of sound), I am collecting data through my art
to gain further insight into how people respond to different noises. The creation of my sound grid
installation allows for multisensory interaction from the viewer as well as acting as a tool for
data collection through QR codes and digital surveys. The QR codes also link to three different
sound sets that each prompt responses from the viewer that will then be used for later content in
the form of artist books.
The artist books that result from the interactive sound grids also come with their own
elements of interaction. They combine the different results from the data collection into
narratives and explanations of the project. The books are a library of responses from the people
interacting with the sound grids. The books allow for comparing and contrasting the different
answers from people and analyzing how differently we experience the same sounds. The format
of the book also is intentional to incite interaction and guide the way the books are being viewed.
A key factor in this body of work was how to get people to interact willingly with my
work, and how to best present the work that invites consensual touch of my work in a gallery
setting. Through experimentation, I am learning what ways art can be shown that are not inviting
for interaction, and what is. Since books need to be opened and looked at to be understood, I had
to figure out the best ways they could be presented in order for them to get the attention in the
gallery. This body of work allowed me to step out of my comfort zone in terms of material and
scale, and it has pushed my artistic practice further into different places that I can use beyond
graduation.
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Table of Contents
Abstract……………………………………….…….………….………….. 2Executive Summary………………………..….……………….………….. 3
Introduction…………………………………………………….………….. 6
Research………………………………………………………………….... 9
Chapter 1: Sound Grids……………………………………...…………...… 10
Chapter 2: Consensual and Non-consensual Touch...……………………… 13
Chapter 3: Planning a Solo Show.………………………………...…………15
Chapter 4: Books As a Sensory Experience…...……………………....…… 17
Conclusion…………………………………………………..…....………… 19
Bibliography.……………………………..………………………………… 21
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Introduction
Even though most art is considered “visual” throughout history, there has been an
increase in interest in creating museum spaces and art galleries more inclusive towards other
senses and evoke an experience. Interactive art through the history of art saw its roots in
performance art in the Gutai and Fluxus movements. These scripted performances engaged the
audience and sometimes pushed people out of their comfort zones. In pop culture today, there
has been a rise in popularity of pop-up art exhibitions that use light, music, and other interactive
elements that attract participation and interaction that is widely shared through social media.
When thinking about art, I think about the whole sensory experience that is engaged
when someone interacts with a work of art. Do I have to walk around it? Can I smell the ink?
Am I allowed to touch anything? Or is there a way I could experience this differently? From the
temperature of the gallery, the smell of the materials used such as paint or ink, the body is always
seeking multisensory gratification. For me, it is almost not enough to see the texture or lack of
texture on a canvas. There is always a childlike curiosity to touch and interact with something so
you can see how it feels. As much as your body wants to touch the textured impasto of an early
impressionist painting, the historical expectation of museum protocol tells you that you cannot
touch the artwork. Of course, there are other factors that keep you from touching a Monet in the
Louvre, like its preservation, but there is always a desire to touch, hold, and interact with artwork
in a tactile way. Touch is an important sense that helps us understand our world. I am interested
in our interactions with artworks through touch rather than sight, and I want to learn how tactile
elements of an artwork engage in other senses like sight and sound.
I would describe my artmaking practice as interdisciplinary, but my main practice has
roots in printmaking and the making of multiples. This repetition is still present outside of my
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print work like my creation of multiple editioned books, and the multiple sound grids. I am
drawn to the strength of the multiple, and how multiple objects can be powerful and reinforce a
message.
My body of work has been funded through the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate
Research and Creative Engagement. Through my SOURCE Grant, I was able to afford the
materials and tools for creating the various elements of this body of work. The process of
receiving this grant has been extremely helpful in learning the process of grant writing and
working with funding and budgeting. The SOURCE office also helped me share my project
outside of the art school, as well as supporting me through my exhibition.
The inspiration for this body of work came from my experiences studying abroad in
Florence, Italy in the Fall of 2018. The art I
created while there was my first investigation
into multisensory art and installation. I
became hyper-aware of touch from strangers
and the cultural treatment of women while in
Europe. This feeling of intrusive touch came
back with me when I returned from my
semester abroad, and I decided to use my art
to relay this feeling in my visual and conceptual art practice.
In the body of work I created in Italy, Flutters and Fractures, I was creating work about
chronic pain and how it could be helped or hurt by touch. I used the image of the spine as a
symbol for my own experience of chronic pain. This work was my first incorporation of audio
elements and light projection. The symbolism I used in this work was also an important part of
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my practice, and it further lends itself to this body of work. I used sound recordings of cracking
spines in the installation for this piece, and I was intrigued by the strong and varied responses to
the audio from my viewers of the piece. These reactions spurred my desire to collect experiences
and responses to these sounds.
This body of artwork and accompanying research is about experiencing artwork through
multiple senses, specifically through touch and sound. I am also interested in the tactility of
artworks in relation to the body and touch between people. Through the use of printmaking,
bookmaking, and installation, I create viewer experiences that invite the viewer to interact
through touch and other sensory engagement to fully understand my work. The sight element in
my work is decorative and explains secondary narratives, but the most important thing I want my
viewer to get out of my work is their engagement with the work on a physical level. I want my
audience to think about how we interact with each other through touch, and contemplate
relationships with others in order to understand consent through touch in my work. Multiple
sensory experiences happening simultaneously can trigger emotional responses. Misophonia, the
involuntary hatred of sound, can trigger rage and anxiety just by hearing a specific sound. These
experiences are also extremely personal. The same sound that triggers someone’s Misophonia
can trigger pleasure for someone else in the form of ASMR. By creating interactive, data
collecting experiences, I survey my audience to understand the wide variety of emotional
responses one sensory trigger can have. How does sound give you that tingling feeling when you
hear a sound that makes you uncomfortable? Or the exact opposite, do certain sounds give you
immense pleasure that radiates down your spine?
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Research
When beginning research to create this body of work, I wanted to explore artists working
in similar media, sound art and book arts, as well as the psychological topics I am making work
about like Misophonia. I also consider the image libraries I used from Jim Harter’s collections an
important source for this body of work and for the imagery I used to illustrate my narratives. I
also used my audience as a source and for partial research for my sound grid projects because
their responses from the Zine Response Library led me to new sources, such as YouTube
creators making content about ASMR. Through social media, I have been able to connect with
creators and other people living with Misophonia, and I have been in contact with a podcast that
interviews people with Misophonia about their experiences with sound.
The zine responses from my Random Access exhibition introduced me to several ASMR
youtubers/creators that I used as inspiration for my research into how Misophonia and ASMR
effects people. The responses varied between people who love to listen to ASMR and people
who hated it. Some people were also neutral to sound. The wide variety of responses to the
sounds were what interested me the most because of how differently people’s brains respond to
sound stimulation. Many people who did not like the sound sets did not know why they did not
like the sounds or what Misophonia was. Sharing that information was also important to me
because I did not know I suffered from Misophonia until researching the topic.
One of the most important sources for this body of work is my use of found imagery from
Jim Harter’s collections of non-copyrighted illustrations. I used images from several of his
curated books including Hands, Women, and from Harter’s Picture Archive for Collage and
Illustration. Many of the illustrations are from the 1800’s and 1900’s. I am drawn to using the
images from these collections because of the wide variety of images and their ability to help
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construct a narrative that was not intended for the original illustration. The vintage style of the
illustrations was appealing for the line quality and they could be recreated through etching prints
and laser cut images. I had used the images in the past for collages and drawings. The
construction of the narrative was an important factor in creating this body of work, and these
images made it possible to keep a cohesive voice and style throughout the work, even though it
might change media. The image of the hand was an important symbol in the work, so the Hands
collection of images was the most used set of images. Images from the book that were used to
create the hand pattern were repeated in the sound grids and the end papers for the book editions.
The use of these images appeals to me as a printmaker specifically because of the repetition of
these images. The repetition of prints and reproduction of these images is a key part of the
printmaking process.
Chapter 1- Sound Grids
In the triptych, Sound Grids 1-3, light, sound, and touch are combined to create an
interactive viewing experience that acts as a form of data collection for investigating ASMR and
Misophonia. The wooden grids are created using maple plywood, frosted plexiglass, laser cut
wooden panels, LED light strips, and vibrating motors. Each grid measures 39in x 39in. The 4
laser cut panels with hand patterns on them vibrate and invite the viewer to touch them. The
image of the hands symbolizes the sense of touch in a lot of the work in this body of work. Each
grid incorporates individual laser cut QR codes that link to three different surveys that collect
data on three unique sound sets.
One of the biggest obstacles to overcome while creating these grids was how to get the
units to vibrate. The units were able to vibrate by using circuits of vibrating cellphone motors.
Originally, the goal for the vibrations was to make each square of the grid vibrate at different,
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noticeable frequencies, but when creating the sound grids, it was hard to isolate the vibrations
coming from the motors into each grid square. This distinguished vibration would not have been
possible with the way the panels were inserted and secured, but I was not bothered by the fact
that each grid vibrated at the same frequency because the general vibration of the grid as a whole
still created the sensory experience.
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The questions in the digital survey, as well as the written zines, ask the viewer to interact
with the grids through touch to feel the vibrating elements and to react to the sound set presented
in the survey. Questions in the survey also ask for response to the colors on each grid associated
with the sounds, the colors of the lights on the grid are colors that I personally relate these
sounds to, but more data is collected, I realize that color and sound perception is also different
for everyone. This response to relating color to sound is a phenomena known as synesthesia-
which connects multiple sensory experiences together. People who do not have a synesthetic
response to the colors and sounds remain relatively neutral in their answers. The survey helps the
audience experience the work through a multisensory scope, and it allows for more interaction
that will help with further exploration in this topic. The surveys instruct interaction which helps
people feel more comfortable with interacting physically with the work. The digital survey that is
linked to the QR code on each grid gathers multiple choice data that is used for percentages and
to compare reactions broadly to each specific grid, but I also collected paper surveys from
viewers that required more individual answers and asked the viewer to compare their own
experience with all three grids. These paper surveys were formatted in zine form that is handheld
and easy to fill out in a gallery or space. This data collection gained insight and commentary
about how people react to specific sounds. People have very different reactions to the same
sounds, and that phenomena is what is driving the investigation in this artwork. The answers
received from the surveys act as the content in the edition of books based off of the results, and
the zine responses are bound into zine library books that allow for comparing and contrasting
people’s answers.
For people who suffer from Misophonia, like myself, many triggering sounds include
chewing noises, loud breathing, and repetitive tapping sounds. These noises are often everyday
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noises that are nearly unavoidable in daily settings. These triggering noises activate the fight or
flight mechanism in the brain making people who suffer from Misophonia irritable and anxious
in the presence of sounds that may trigger them. For people who enjoy experiencing ASMR,
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, listening to these similar commonplace sounds can
trigger pleasurable brain responses. In popular culture, Youtube’s platform saw the rise of
ASMR related content and creators in 2019. The rise of this trend made me realize how my
experience of sounds were different from the larger population because I did not experience this
same pleasurable sensation that fueled popularity of ASMR content. I have always been sensitive
to certain noises. It is not known if Misophonia is a learned behavior or one that was inherited
from environmental factors like parents who also have Misophonia, but my mother also has
Misophonia, but our trigger sounds are different. I have also realized that my Misophonia is also
connected to my mental state, and I am more hyper aware of sound when I am overstressed or
anxious.
When fully installed, the sound grids emit their own buzzing from both the lights and the
vibrating motors. The sound is extremely triggering to my own Misophonia, but I have also
noticed that most people become unsettled by the sound that the grids emit. This on-edge feeling
experienced by the viewer while listening to the unsettling noise is how I feel when I listen to
most of my trigger noises. By subjecting the viewer to this feeling, it gives people who do not
usually experience Misophonia a glimpse into how people feel almost every day when they hear
their trigger noises.
Getting people to touch an art piece on a wall in the gallery setting was somewhat
difficult, and even when prompted by text on the wall, people were less inclined to touch the
grids until ultimately prompted by the digital survey. The audible buzzing was more obvious
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than the physical buzzing on the grids, so the touch element was not necessary for a lot of the
audience. Based off of the responses, that was a main comment I received from both the paper
surveys and the digital ones.
Chapter 2- Consensual and Non-Consensual Touch
The parallel topic being investigated was that of consensual and non-consensual touch. I
am particularly interested in physical interactions between strangers, and how differently we
interpret touch in social settings. Women tend to feel differently than how men would feel when
touched, purposely or accidentally by someone they don’t know. There is an inherent threat of
touch towards women that is more present than touch towards men in social settings. In my
steamroller print, Bo Peep Show, and my edition of artist books A Tasteful Touch on Tactile
Tendencies, I am using visual language in the form of found image collage to illustrate narratives
of intrusive touch, primarily towards women.
I became more aware of my accidental interactions with people
while I was in Italy studying abroad in the Fall of 2018. Especially
in bars and crowded social settings in Europe, I felt as though
women, especially tourists, were more prone to unwanted touch
from men. This invasive feeling I felt when I was out in Europe
lingered after I returned to America, and it has been something I
have been more aware of in my everyday life. This awareness
fueled my inspiration for the varied edition of books, A Tasteful
Touch on Tactile Tendencies. In these books, three different texture
experiences change the experience people have when interacting with the books. One book was
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velvet, one denim, and the third was a textured brocade. The books all had the same text and
image content, but their color schemes varied slightly. The sensory perception of touching the
three different fabrics is a personal experience, and people are more fond of interacting with
something that they enjoy touching.
The print, Bo Peep Show, is
a woodblock print that was printed
using an industrial steamroller. The
print is a 3ft x 7ft MDF woodblock
that was hand carved. The imagery
used in this print represents the
presence of intruding touch in social settings, particularly when alcohol is present. The repetition
of the hand image in the composition is a symbol for the intruding touch that can occur during
social settings.
The use of the image of the hand in both my Sound Grids and these works act as a
symbol for touch. I use the image of the hand because of the intention that comes from touch
from the hand. Though a lot of accidental touch in social settings comes in forms of bumping
into people or stepping on toes, most invasive or unwanted touch is initiated by the hand of the
aggressor/instigator. With the coronavirus pandemic effecting all aspects of daily life, the
feelings of wanted and unwanted touch are becoming more present as we are social distancing.
Because of how fast the virus is spreading, keeping 6 feet away from people has become one of
the most important preventative measures for fighting the spread of the virus. This fear of touch
from strangers was already part of my current work before the pandemic hit so close to home,
and now this imagery can be related to social distancing measures we are living in currently.
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Chapter 3- Planning a Solo Show: In Touch
When organizing work to display in my solo show, In Touch, in Random Access Gallery,
I wanted to incorporate my work about consensual and non-consensual touch with my sound grid
collaborative work. I formatted an interactive space that would invite the viewers into the space
and allow for participation. This was the first time my sound grid work had been displayed, and
it was the first time the data collection process for the subsequent book editions was
implemented. The goal was to reach as many people as possible in and out of the School of Art,
and to collect a variety of responses. I formatted two different data collection techniques so
people could choose which method they preferred, or they could participate in both surveys. One
was digital through the QR codes on the sound grids, and the other is a paper survey that is
handwritten after all three sound sets were experienced.
The biggest takeback of the first showing of this body of work was the hesitancy when it
came to interacting with artwork in a gallery setting. Especially in the books, people did not want
to touch them or they did not know they were meant to be touched. Since the interaction with the
book is very important to its content, it was important to see what the most welcoming way of
presentation is. In the future when I present the books, I will place them on a table or shelf, so
they can be looked at without having to take them off the table.
Since the survey responses were important in the continuation of this body of work, I
wanted to get as many responses and a wide range of people to fill out the questions. By the end
of this exhibition, around 30 paper responses, and 35 digital responses were received. People
were more inclined to fill out the digital survey because of the multiple choice questions, and
that the sound sets were accessed through the QR code links. Since the paper responses were
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separate, they were not received as well as the digital questions were. One of the main purposes
of the paper surveys was the additional tactility of writing to record the answers, but getting
responses in length is a larger ask for the audience, and that is why there was lower participation.
I am thankful for the opportunity to show this body of work at the beginning of the
semester in light of the Coronavirus prevention efforts that cancelled on campus classes for the
rest of the semester. Having the ability to install the work into a space before the BFA show will
help in the future to know what is needed to install this work in venues off campus now that the
BFA show will not be happening this semester. It also provided me with quality images that can
be used for applications and social media to share my work online.
Chapter 4- Books as a Sensory Experience
We become familiar with the book as an everyday object from a young age, and that
daily interaction is something that is rarely thought about as precious. The artist book, however,
is treated like a fragile object, and the way these books are interacted with is much more
tentative. Though it is correct that some artist books are fragile in structure, the interaction with
the artist book is an important part of the work and the viewer’s experience. A book is a time
based art form that engages multiple senses including touch, sight, and sometimes sound or
smell. I am particularly interested in how to engage with artist books in a gallery setting, and
how to best support the audience’s viewing experience through installation and presentation of
the book. Through the creation of multiple forms of books in this body of work, I have
investigated the best ways to present and invite viewers to interact with my books.
In the show, “In Touch”, I displayed my edition of A Tasteful Touch on Tactile
Tendencies on hands that protruded from the wall. There was also another hand next to the books
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that had pairs of gloves hanging from them. The gloves were included next to these books to
make the viewer more comfortable with viewing an artist book in a gallery setting. Some of the
main observations from the opening for this
show was the hesitancy to interact with the
books. People seemed to be wary of not
knocking the books or hands off the wall even
though the hands were secured to the wall and
ready to be interacted with.
As I experiment with how artist books
are best viewed, people are much more eager
to interact with a book when it is situated comfortably on a table or shelf and it can be laid down
to look at it instead of holding it. People are very careful with artist books and part of the
hesitancy has to do with a fear of dropping or damaging the book. I relate the book to the body
when thinking about consensual touch because the way we treat the artist books. The delicate
touch and the care and consideration people take when interacting with artist books are similar to
how people should interact with other people in terms of touch, with care and consideration.
The “Response Library” books created from the zine responses from showing the sound
grids were bound into a multiple signature, hard cover book. The zines are double stacked in the
binding to allow for comparing and contrasting the answers that were given by participants in the
Sound Grids survey. There are two books with the responses so far, and I plan to create more
books as the sound grids are shown again in the future. Both books are different and have 14
responses in each book, and the names of the participants are included in each books.
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In the books created in this body of work, in both paths of research, I am experimenting
with form, and how the content of each book effects the formatting and look of the book itself.
The different binding methods help with how the books are interpreted. For the zine library
books, the double stacked, multiple signature binding lent to the content of books because it
allowed for the comparing of the zine responses. The double accordion binding for the series “A
Tasteful Touch on Tactile Tendencies” allowed for the creation of pockets for where the cards
were meant to be taken out and revealing the text that is hidden on the inside of the pocket. How
the books are opened and experienced are how the content is displayed and interpreted by the
viewer of the book.
Conclusion
The interdisciplinary body of work, “Art and the Sensorium”, showcases two parallel
investigations into interactive and multisensory art. Through bookmaking, printmaking, and
woodworking, I have created two separate collections of works that have different conceptual
meanings and use different mediums, but speak in a similar visual language. The two paths of
work investigate different sensory perceptions, but one deals with ideas on touch, and the other
investigates sound perception and Misophonia. This body of work allowed me to create in new
forms and media, and investigate topics I have personal connections with. Through the help of
the SOURCE and the Renee Crown Honors program, I have been able to be funded to create this
work. I was also able to dive deeper into the topics I was creating work about in more intellectual
ways through research and collaborative projects.
Skills I have learned in the process of this project include woodworking skills, creating
electrical circuits, learning about laser cutting and CNC routing, and learning multiple forms of
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bookmaking methods. This body of work has pushed me technically past where I was at the
beginning of the Fall semester of 2019. I have had to do a lot of problem-solving when creating
these works because of troubleshooting and experimentation when creating these elements like
the vibrating motors. The problem solving that was done during the semester prepared me to
solve problems and continue this body of work after on campus classes were cancelled due to the
Coronavirus.
Touch will continue to be an important factor in my work as I continue to work in Book
Arts. The interaction with my work is a way of connecting with the audience, and that mutual
understanding is important to the way I make work. I want the people who interact with the work
to leave with a new understanding of something, or to leave thinking about something they
normally do not. It is an important time to think about touch because of the coronavirus
pandemic. With current social distancing guidelines, touch between people is restricted, and
some people are fearing the most simplest of touch.
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Bibliography
Candlin, Fiona. Art, Museums and Touch. Manchester University Press, 2010.
Harter, Jim. Hands: a Pictorial Archive from Nineteenth-Century Sources: 1166 Copyright-Free Illustrations for Artists and Designers. Dover Publications, 1985.
Harter, Jim. Women: a Pictorial Archive from Nineteenth-Century Sources: 488 Copyright-Free Illustrations for Artists and Designers. Dover Publications, 1982.
Harter, Jim. Harter's Picture Archive for Collage and Illustration: over 300 19th-Century Cuts. Dover Publications, 2012.
Keiles, Jamie Lauren. “How A.S.M.R. Became a Sensation.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Apr. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/04/04/magazine/how-asmr-videos-became-a-sensation-youtube.html.
Kumar, Sukhbinder, et al. “The Brain Basis for Misophonia.” Current Biology, Cell Press, 2 Feb. 2017, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982216315305.
LEVENT, NINA PASCUAL-LEONE ALVARO. MULTISENSORY MUSEUM: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Touch, Sound, Smell, Memory, ... and Space. ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD, 2017.
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