TODD – Tactile Objects to Touch

DESIGN: Blanka Jaworska

Poland

make me! 2022

“TODD, Tactile Objects to Touch”, is a project of an educational tool that seeks the relationship between the senses of touch and sight.

Are we able to “see” with our hand? Or to define the material of an object without seeing it, but feeling its texture, temperature or weight? Following Juhani Pallasma’s quote, “sight discovers what touch already knows”, so what if a tool is created that allows us to learn to observe more closely with the hand?

The starting point and inspiration for the project was a sensory exercise in which participants draw an object they do not know, blindfolded. The task forces you to focus on the sense of touch – we examine the texture, proportions and shape of the object with the help of the hand; fingers and their fingertips become tools of measurement and analysis.

The project consists of a series of eight objects with interchangeable heads. The upper part is made of PLA filament, while the lower part is made of birch wood, which guarantees a greater variety of haptic experiences. “TODD” were made in 3D printing technology and wood processing on a CNC milling machine. Individual elements connect with each other via magnets. The objects lie well in the hand. With the help of the “TODD” project, by turning off the sense of sight, we can study the proportions, textures, shapes of objects, practicing mindfulness and alertness in the sense of touch. The project can be used as part of multisensory education both among students of design departments and among children.