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Listen to our Artist in Residence, Erica talk about her Multisensory books on the NextSense Institute Podcast

The NextSense Institute Podcast (formerly the Renwick Centre Podcast) is a regular series that discusses hearing and vision education and health- everything from new resources, emerging ideas and hot-button issues!

Trudy talks to our artist in residence, Erica Tandori and Stu Favilla (from  Interaction Design, Swinburne University) about developing accessible science content for people with vision impairment.

Original article

Read the transcript.

Further info on the Multisensory books.

Listen to Erica’s interview with Vision Australia Radio

Focal Point Podcast – 01 Sept 2021

A weekly program presented by Peter Greco, Focal Point covers services from blindness organisation (Eg. Vision Australia)  and other providers, technology, current affairs, breakthroughs in advocacy campaigns about all manner of challenges and promoting activities and events for people who are blind or vision impaired.

This week Peter Greco is talking to:

1 Isabel Osuna-Gatty – from the National Disability Coordination Office

2 Erica Tandori, Stuart Favilla – Talk about their multi-media experience “My Goodness” – (Skip to 15:59)

Available on the podcast, listen to the full song “My Goodness”.

Further information on the “My Goodness” Book can be found here.

The Vision Australia Radio Network incorporates ten community radio stations across Victoria, southern New South Wales, Adelaide and Perth and five digital radio services.

We offer a range of interesting and informative programs that feature readings from the latest newspapers, magazines and books.

Our exclusive specialist content includes programs on new technology, current affairs, book and film reviews, health and wellbeing, the arts, finance, travel and more.

Adapted from Original article.

“My Goodness” – exploring what your digestive and immune system looks, sounds and feels like

Oh My Goodness!  *(My Goodness Me)

In celebration of National Science Week 2021, the United Nations International Year of Fruit and Vegetables and the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development, Monash University is launching a multisensory book and exhibition titled ‘My Goodness’ – a tactile and interactive exploration of the science behind gut health, nutrition, and immunity.

Designed for low vision, blind and general audiences alike, the books will read to you and also entertain.

Described as an ‘entire multisensory art exhibition in a single book’, they  are stationed on interactive reading benches using optical scanning technology (fiducials) and webcams enabling the wonderful world of the gut biota to come alive.

Through tactile artworks, audio sonifications, braille-inspired protein molecules, large print, audio narration, and braille supplements, audiences can explore the Books against a backdrop of synthesised music evoking molecular protein foldings and the sounds of the gut biota.

The books have been created by Dr Erica Tandori, legally blind Sensory Science Artist in Residence at the Rossjohn Lab, Monash University Biomedicine Discovery Institute, in collaboration with Stu Favilla, Musician and Lecturer in Interaction Design at Swinburne University of Technology, School of Design and Architecture.

They contain contributions by some of Monash University’s most eminent and world-renowned experts in the field of gut health, nutrition and immunity.

“So much more can be expressed when you add sounds,” says Dr Tandori.  “It really does help to support what’s happening from the visual and tactile level when you can listen to the sounds of a protein or the way microbes are interacting while you are feeling the sculptures and exploring the artworks.

“Stu has brought an amazing plethora of audio design skills to this project including sonification of the artworks, 3D audio and beautiful modular synthesis music evoking the inner universe and machinations of human digestion!”

Mr Favilla adds: “Erica’s tactile artworks are not 3D prints but rather reference a language of touch that we are all familiar with.  Her artworks comprise food grains, clothing materials, wools and many other fascinating textures and multisensory experiences.

“They are driven by her desire to communicate the wonders of molecular biology through her unique artistic understanding and perceptions. The books reference a legacy of prior exhibition knowledge but the exhibition itself is now spatially encapsulated, all in one neat package.”

The Books have also inspired the creation of a pop song called “My Goodness”, co-written by Erica and Stu with Erica singing vocals and Stu performing all instrumentation, rapping and producing the track.

“We hope we can get kids of all ages to sing about the wonders of the gut biota. My Goodness is possibly the greatest song ever written about the gut biota, immunity, fruit and vegetables,” Dr Tandori said.

Following the Launch event, the books are intended for roving exhibitions across metropolitan and regional schools, community groups and disability educational centres in Victoria.

An online version of the books is also proposed as a COVID-19 contingency plan with a range of virtual activities to support the exhibition.

The My Goodness: Interactive Multisensory Science Book Launch and Exhibition is a free online event that will be held on Friday August 20  from 9 am.

This initiative is supported by the National Science Week Inspiring Australia Grant.

 

About the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University

Committed to making the discoveries that will relieve the future burden of disease, the newly established Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University brings together more than 120 internationally-renowned research teams. Spanning six discovery programs across Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Development and Stem Cells, Infection and Immunity, Metabolism, Diabetes and Obesity, and Neuroscience, Monash BDI is one of the largest biomedical research institutes in Australia.  Our researchers are supported by world-class technology and infrastructure, and partner with industry, clinicians and researchers internationally to enhance lives through discovery.

For media enquiries please contact:

Wendy Smith

Media and Communications Manager

Monash University

E: wendy.smith1@monash.edu

T: +61 (0) 425 725 836

For more Monash media stories, visit our news and events site

ASBMB Today: Unravelling the mind’s eye — science through a novel lens

Erica’s story and our Sensory Science initiative is featured on page 33 of the April issue of ASBMB Today: Science & Art.

 

View PDF 

View article online

Original story by Kamalika Saha in ASBMB Today : Science & Art 

Congrats Erica on the award of the National Science Week grant ‘My Goodness: Interactive multisensory science books’

Get a taste for science in National Science Week!

Our $500 000 grant round for 2021 has just been announced with great projects from around the country preparing to celebrate science. Many of the projects took inspiration from the National Science Week school theme of Food – Different by Design, including Food – Now and into the Future which is all about making healthy food choices and will be presented by the Wesley Mission in Logan City just south of Brisbane.

STEAM Ahead – Foodlovers is an exploration of traditional Indigenous food and modern food production techniques at the Western Sydney Parkland. If you’re thirsty for more, four boutique brewers will conjure special brews for ExBEERimental Science in Hobart and share their techniques and tastes with both live and virtual audiences.

And while they may not be delicious, the Donut Shooting Robots in Adelaide will fight it out as 15 teams go head to head in a design – build – program competition.

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said the Australian Government was proud to support inspiring, innovative and accessible projects as part of National Science Week.

“Science is everywhere, and National Science Week is for everyone,” Minister Andrews said.

“Even in the midst of last year’s lockdowns, more than one million Australians took part in events across every state and territory. This year, we’re looking to boost those numbers even higher.

“From concerts to VR tours and everything in between, this year’s National Science Week grant recipients have something to offer every Australian.”

The grant recipients are:

VIC

My Goodness: Interactive multisensory science books
Monash University

Read about immune system cells through your sense of touch or learn about food and nutrition through a 3D soundscape. ‘My Goodness’, a Rossjohn Sensory Science Multisensory Science Book, is an exhibition of 10 interactive ‘books’ designed for low-vision, blind, hearing-impaired, deaf, and non-disabled audiences.

The Books explore the relationship between infection, immunity, food, and nutrition. They make science accessible to more people by using large print text, braille, tactile artworks, haptic and 3DAudio, visual tracking and tactile sensor interaction technologies.

Original article

National Science Week 2021 will run from 14-22 August. Watch this space for further details.