MILKING IT part of a MERL late for British Science Week on Thursday 16th March 7.00-10.00pm
Sensory Objects and their co-researchers, students from Reading College LLD/D dept developed an Interactive Sensory Cow for The Museum of English Rural Life MERL. The idea of the cow is to be used during workshops to explore cows in alternative ways. The cow was commissioned by the Reading Arts Committee … Continue reading
Sensory Cow for MERL 2016
Over the last few months Sensory Objects and their co-researchers, students from Reading College LLD/D dept developed an Interactive Sensory Cow for The Museum of English Rural Life MERL. The idea of the cow is to be used during workshops to explore cows in alternative ways. The cow was commissioned by … Continue reading
Sensory Objects commissioned to create Interactive Farm Animal for MERL
We have been given a small grant by the University of Reading Arts Committee to create one of our ideas of an interactive farm animal generated by our work with Reading College Learners with learning difficulties and disabilities dept at MERL in 2014. The proposal builds on Sensory Objects research … Continue reading
Universities Museum Group Digital Showcase Bristol
Nic and Faustina took some of our Sensory Objects to display at Digital Dimensions: the University Museums Group Digital Technology Showcase in Bristol. We were given the “dressing room” of the Warwick Theatre to display everything. We put Rumena’s chicken in the hallway so that as people walked past it … Continue reading
Sensory Objects In Progress Seminar June 10th
Our seminar was excellent and we want to say a big Thank You! to all who took part you were brilliant. Below shows the events of the day in our easy read programme Miranda Fox from Reading Mencap Coffee Club began the day with an intro to the project with … Continue reading
Buckets, Baskets and Boots
On Monday June 9th we held our event Buckets, Baskets and Boots at MERL, it was very successful everyone enjoyed the chance to meet our co-researchers find out what they had been researching and try their sensory objects. The picture below shows Rachel and Sian helping to demonstrate Guillermo’s bucket, … Continue reading
Reading College LLD/D Students Workshop 02.06.14
We had busy day at Reading College, Gosia and Ajay from the Rix Centre showed our Co-researchers videos compiled from their favourite photos chosen at the last session, the pictures are set to a piece of their favourite music. The video below shows clips of the group watching their videos. … Continue reading
Reading College LLD/D Students MERL Workshop 19.05.14
During our session we continued to test and finish our sensory objects.The video below shows Rachel testing her Pink Pig in a Bucket. Robyn helped our Co-researchers create different smoothie recipes and we all taste tested them, some of them used herbs planted and grown in boots by our Co-researchers. At … Continue reading
MERL Workshop 12 May 2014
Today’s workshop was primarily a reflective session, looking back on what has been accomplished in the previous workshops. At the beginning of the workshop, before the group arrived, the tables were filled with buckets, boots and baskets to show some of the work that had been created to date: Some … Continue reading
Sensory Objects in Progress Seminar Tuesday 10th June
We are going to have talks and demonstrations about the project on Tuesday 10th of June the Seminar is part of Universities Week Below is a flyer in easy read version and with more text about the Seminar. Please send an email to k.allen@reading.ac.uk if you would like to attend the … Continue reading
Buckets, Baskets and Boots Monday June 9th 2014
We are working towards two events in June part of Universities Week on Monday 9th our Co-researchers from Reading College LLD/D dept will present our research in the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL). Below is the poster for the event, hope you can come!
Reading College LLD/D Students MERL Workshop 31.03.14
The main focus of our workshop was for our co-researchers to try out some of the Sensory Objects in development. Sian’s mooing boot was first, the group enjoyed stroking it, sometimes if fell over which surprised people, but the boot has been rebuilt by Nic with it’s electronics inside, to be pretty … Continue reading
Reading Mencap at MERL 06.03.14
Reading Mencap Coffee Club came to MERL to help us with our research. We focussed on the sense of smells to begin, Kassie organised 6 bags with smells inside and asked the group to find something in the museum that linked to the smells in the bags. Kassie had placed … Continue reading
Reading College LLD/D Students MERL Workshop 24.02.14
At our session at MERL we took photos of our group with our International Design for All Foundation Award and celebrated by making a chocolate cake organised by Robyn. Our Co-Researchers helped Robyn make a cake and prepare our lunch they were given the opportunity to try on some mop … Continue reading
Reading College LLD/D Students Multi Media Advocacy Workshop 14.02.14
Andy and Ajay from the Rix Centre led a Multi Media Advocacy Session with our Co-Researchers at Reading College. They did some further work with students on their wikis, the idea was to see how we might be able to join up some of the work we have done about MERL with … Continue reading
International Design for All Foundation Award 2014
This evening Nic was in Paris for the International Design for All Foundation Award and our project Sensory Objects won an International Design for All Foundation Award. The award was given for our research Making Electronics Accessible to People with Learning Disabilities we told them all about the research we are all … Continue reading
Reading College LLD/D Students MERL Workshop Eleven 27.01.14
We met up for the first time this year at MERL we started our workshop by reviewing the objects we made last term, and what needed still to be done ready for our exhibition on June 9th 2014. Nic had added a sensor to Lukes bucket the idea was based … Continue reading
MERL Whats On Guide
The Sensory Objects Project features in the latest MERL Whats On Guide The picture above shows a page of the MERL newsletter featuring our Co-Researcher from Reading College Sian showing her Old Mac Donald’s wellie boot. The article tells about our SHOWCASE EVENT to be held at MERL on June … Continue reading
Sensory Objects Project has been selected as a Good Practice in the International Design for All Foundation Awards 2014.
Making Electronics Accessible to People with Learning Disabilities Category: Project proposals, initiatives, methodologies and studies has been selected as a Good Practice in the International Design for All Foundation Awards 2014
Reading College LLD/D Students MERL Workshop Ten 16.12.13
We have been asking our Co-Researchers to experience MERL, The Museum of English Rural Life, using their 5 senses. We aim to share these sensory experiences with the public by adding sensory information through artwork made during workshops this term. We have been making and collecting sounds, often inspired by the groups … Continue reading
Reading College LLD/D Students MERL Workshop Nine 09.12.13
In workshop nine we first first reviewed the activities from the previous workshop, and on the tables we arranged the artefacts that the co-researchers had created: paintings and drawings on canvas to be attached in some way to either a bucket, boot or basket, the papier mache covered balloons which … Continue reading
Reading College LLD/D Students MERL Workshop Eight 02.12.13
Our Co-Researchers became farm animals, we asked them to find places in the museum they would like to see or hear animals. The pictures below show Guillermo, Skye and Rachel getting ready and the whole group in the museum. There are lots of machines in the museum, there are some … Continue reading
Reading College LLD/D Students MERL Workshop Seven 25.11.13
We held a session at Reading College using Talking Mats which is a way of finding out what our Co-researchers had experienced using their sense to discover MERL. The session was led by Gosia from the Rix Centre. The mat has images of the five senses and objects from the MERL collection. … Continue reading
Reading College LLD/D Students MERL Workshop Six 18.11.13
In the workshop today we concentrated on the sense of SMELL and SOUNDS. In the morning we asked the group to use their sense of smell. We asked the group if they could point to the part of the body we use for our sense of smell. The picture below … Continue reading
Reading College LLD/D Students MERL Workshop Five 08.11.13 & 11.11.13
Our fifth workshop at Reading College was spread over two days the morning of Friday 8th and Monday 11th. On the Friday Gosia came and showed our Co-Researchers how to create their individual webpages unlike the group webpage which you can see here the individual webpages are private for each … Continue reading
Reading College LLD/D Students MERL Workshop Four 04.11.13
We focused this workshop on the sense of TOUCH in the morning, we had seven bags each with a collection of materials inside. We asked the Co-Researchers to feel inside the bags first and try to describe how the materials felt, some of the words the group used were rough, … Continue reading
Reading College LLD/D Students MERL Workshop Three 21.10.13
Our Co-Researchers from Reading College met at MERL for their 3rd workshop. MERL had just held its Apple Day celebration on Sat and we were given some apples to taste, they were very delicious. The picture below shows us tasting various types of English Apples. We were joined by John from … Continue reading
Reading College LLD/D Students MERL Workshop Two 14.10.13
Today we met at Reading College to develop Klikin websites with our Co-Researchers exploring our senses and how we used our senses to experience our visit to the Museum of English Rural Life MERL. You can see the Klikin Group Page HERE The picture below shows drawings by Andy reminding … Continue reading
Reading College LLD/D Students MERL Workshop One 07.10.13
We had our first sensory workshop with our new project Co-Researchers from Reading College. Students from the LLD/D (Learners with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities) department visited MERL Museum of English Rural Life for the workshop session. From left to right they are Sian, Guillermo, Rachel, Rachel, Skye, Luke and Rumena (who is … Continue reading
Discussion with Reading Mencap at MERL
This video documents our discussion after our pilot workshop at MERL with Reading Mencap organised by our UROP student Kassie. We wanted to find out what the group enjoyed, did they like using the sound box?, what other sounds would they like to hear?, would they like to leave their … Continue reading
Pilot Workshop at MERL Museum of English Rural Life Reading
Today we held our first pilot workshop at MERL Museum of English Rural Life, in Reading. We were joined by Co-Researchers from Mencap Reading, many thanks to Miranda, Stacy, Charley, Caroline, support worker Alle and Stuart from MERL who gave us the tour. Also thanks to Kassie our project UROP … Continue reading