Sensory Stories Research Event at Speke Hall March 21st

By kate | March 23, 2013 - 10:12 am |July 29, 2016 Research, Speke Hall

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Liverpool Echo Sensory Stories at Speke Hall

We held a very enjoyable, well attended show and tell event at Speke Hall where we presented our research so far into interactive sensory objects. Researchers discussed the sensory boxes in the Great Hall giving the public the chance to find out about our research.

Group shot Speke

Members of the public were given the chance to tryout the different interactive boxes and other sensory experiements. The Co-Reasearchers showed their sensory boxes to the public. Group boxes

Angela Points Steve with box Elle We also held a Squishy Circuit workshop in Speke Hall Kitchen to make cakes for afternoon tea decorated with LED’s.These pictures below show some of the public trying out the boxes.

listening to elle's sensory box Listening to Patricks box

Elle tries speaking cushion

These pictures show Elle demonstrating the strokable speaking cushion and a member of the public exploring the interactive loaf of bread.

We had alot of interesting feedback and visitors were given a biscuit designed during an earlier workshop by Co-Researchers Chris Griffiths and Terry. We commissioned 100 to be made to their design by the Liverpool Cake Fairy they disappeared quickly and were delicious.

Speke Biscuits In this video below Co-Researcher Paul Lorde is shown with his sensory box, you can hear sounds he recorded from Speke Hall and see the electronics that trigger the sounds. Paul spent the afternoon in the Great Hall showing his research to the public and he sums up the day.

This video below shows pupils from Elle’s school The Royal School for the Blind trying out the strokable cushion which triggers stories about the people that used to live in Speke Hall. We didn’t expect more than one person to use the cushionat once, really enjoying this interaction.

The video below shows Co-Researcher Patrick Cowley with Researcher Ticky Lowe demonstrating to members of the public his sensory box which gives a sensory experience of his favourte room in Speke Hall the Billiard Room. His box also shows a camera with and a flash light triggered by a proximity sensor inside the box. So when you peer in it flashes. Patrick also had placed the smell of sherry he notice on a side board in the room. The box has photographs taken by him on the outside.

Sensory Objects Flyer Thursday 21st March

By kate | February 15, 2013 - 2:39 pm |July 29, 2016 Research, Speke Hall

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Sensory Objects flyer 21st March

This is the poster for our Sensory Stories day at Speke Hall on Thursday 21st March from 12.30 – 3.00pm. We are inviting you to come and see our reserach into Interactive Sensory Objects.

Workshop at New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre 10th February

By kate | February 15, 2013 - 2:24 pm |July 29, 2016 Speke Hall

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We continued to work at the New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre on the sensory boxes adding different ways of triggering sounds and lights. We are getting everything ready for our event on March 21st at Speke Hall.

The picture below shows Stephen with is box it makes the sound of the clocks of Speke Hall chiming at 12 o’clock.

Stephen and his box

The picture below shows Chris with his two boxes one makes the sound of billiards being played and the other one has the sound of the barrel organ playing.

Chris and his Boxes

Chris hooks up his Arduino

Angela adding sounds and faces to her box

Inside Angelas box

This picture shows Anne and Derek working with air hardening clay.

Derek began to make some clay sculptures for his box

Paul and his box

Patricks box has a proximity sensor

Elles Box has an Arduino programed to make coloure LED lights flicker like a fire

Speke Hall Workshop 28th Jan 2013

By kate | January 30, 2013 - 11:32 pm |July 29, 2016 Speke Hall

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Stephen choosing sounds recorded for his box

The Access to Heritage group continued to work on thier sensory boxes choosing sounds and lights exploring different ways of triggering them. They learnt how to add an arduino micro controller, speaker, battery and LED lights inside their box. The picture above shows Stephen choosing sounds recorded by the group in an earlier workshop. In the picture below Elle is also choosing sounds listening to them through one of the small portable speakers.

Elle choosing recorded sounds for her box

The picture below shows Elle adding LED lights to her box to make a fire place.

Elle makes fireplace for her box

Chris working with clay

The picture above shows Chris modelling objects for his box from clay

Smell and Sound Workshop Dec 7th 2012

By kate | December 8, 2012 - 4:15 pm |July 29, 2016 Speke Hall

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Access to Heritage group divided into two groups and collected the smells of Speke Hall. We had some foam devices a bit like bicyle pumps to suck up a smell and then capture the aroma of air into plastic bags. The smells were labelled with an image or text.
Sucking up Christmas Smell	Angela collecting smells

Michael collecting and baging up smells of Speke Hal

Bags with smells collected at Speke Hal

The group were also given some objects to test with sensors embedded that would trigger sounds. Gosia made some notes about the activity of testing, “Everyone was sitting around the table, there was a lot of chatter. The first object introduced to a small group was a loaf of bread that made some sounds when touched. The sounds were the recordings made by the group in a previous workshop. The bread played the sound of cooking, spoons and pans clattering. The sound trigger in the bread did not work every time. The participants started touching and exploring the bread trying to get the sound to work until the bread was smashed”

Arduino Inside

Loaf sensor – post exploration

The pictures below show some of the other objects with sensors embedded.

Patrick explores sensor

Louise tests stroke sensor in box

Advisory Group Meeting 6th Nov 2012

By kate | November 8, 2012 - 6:03 pm |July 29, 2016 Speke Hall

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We held the first meeting of the Interactive Sensory Objects Advisory Group at MERL Museum of English Rural Life at the University of Reading. This is a group assembled to reflect and advise on how our project is running. The group gave the chance to share our activities with people from outside the project who suggested where we can improve our research.

The picture below shows the Advisory Group this photo was organised by Stephen.

Stephen Hogg with June and Gerry came from Liverpool to represent the Access to Heritage Forum

The picture below shows Stephen and Gerry with Marcus Weisen looking at Stephens Box where he had collected sensory material about Speke Hall. Stephen demonstrated his box and spoke about it to the people at the meeting so they had a good idea of what we have been doing in the workshops.

Speke Hall Workshop, October 8th 2012

By kate | October 8, 2012 - 9:39 pm |July 29, 2016 Speke Hall

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This workshop concentrated on collecting, making and recording sounds from Speke Hall. Some of the sounds may go inside the boxes made in the last workshop. You can hear some of the sounds on the box webpage here

There was an initial briefing in the education room at Speke, where a video of Sheila (a Speke Hall volunteer) was played. She described the sounds that you could hear in the house at the present time, and also some of the sounds that you would expect to hear when the house was it was used as a family residence. Following the introduction, the Co Researchers looked at some of the equipment for making sounds (such as the miniature barrel organ) and then either collected sounds from around the hall, or made sounds themselves used materials supplied.

The image below shows Elle making the miniature barrel organ play its sound. After the picture was taken she discovered that holding it on a flat, hard surface (the table) makes it sound much louder.

Elle plays music by turning the handle on the miniature barrel organ

Paul does the same with mini barrel organ:

Paul playing the barrel organThe picture below show Elle making the clip clop sound of horses hooves with coconut shells, Tracy recorded the sound.

The picture below show Elle making the clip clop sound of horses hooves with coconut shells, Tracy recorded the sound.

Elle makes sound of horses hooves

The picture below shows Paul and Angela they found that if they squeezed the cellophane gentley it would sound like a fire crackling.

Paul and Angela fire sound

Paul and Angela popped bubble wrap this worked even better than cellophane as the sound of a crackling fire.

The picture below shows Paul with a whisk in a metal jug. The group tried to make a sound scene of the kitchen.

Paul makes kitchen sounds

The picture below shows Angela using some wooden paddles that would form butter into a block, by rubbing them past each other they made a rasping sound we did not try them with butter between them.

Angela explores the sound that butter pats make

Sounds Collected Around the Hall

Sounds were collected from around the hall, either by directly recording the available sounds (e.g. clocks ticking) or making the sounds happen by some form of interaction. In the two images below, Christopher records the sounds made by billiard balls moving along the baize surface, and when the balls collide.

Christopher recording sound of the billiard balls

Christopher recording the sound of the billiard balls

Christopher recording the sounds made by the billiard balls

Christopher records the sounds made by the billiard balls

The picture below shows Elle with volunteer costume tour guide Fiona. They collected the sound of the cue and balls knocking together. Sometimes it was difficult to know whether Elle wanted to hold the sound recorder or take part in the activity that made the sound.

Elle and Fiona billiards sound of cue on ball

The sound made by the ‘secret lock’ and the creaking of the cupboard door in one of the bedrooms was captured by Elle:

The lock behind the ‘secret’ panel is revealed! Click … cluck

The sounds of the creaking floorboards was also capture on the top floor of the house:

Elle examines a fossil on the limestone floor for it’s texture. Co Researchers are encouraged to explore all sensory forms, even if not strictly part of the exercise:

Elle examines the fossil of a belemnite for its texture

The picture below shows Elle ringing a bell in the kitchen to collect the sound.

Elle rings bell in kitchen at Speke Hall

The picture below shows Elle using the sound recorder to record the sound of rustling fabric of Fiona and Veras costumes.

Elle collects sounds of the costumes

Dancing to the barrel organ from sensoryobjects on Vimeo.

Paul makes sounds in the kitchen from sensoryobjects on Vimeo.

Elle feeling and listening to book from sensoryobjects on Vimeo.

Elle in Kitchen from sensoryobjects on Vimeo.

sounds from the corridor carpet from sensoryobjects on Vimeo.

Speke Hall Workshop, Sept 17th 2012

By kate | September 18, 2012 - 6:20 pm |July 29, 2016 Speke Hall

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At the workshop the Access to Heritage Group participated in 3 activities.

Access to Heritage Group with boxes

Creating a box that contained a multisensory version of Speke Hall. We asked the group to imagine they would send a parcel to a similar group in Australia or somewhere far away. This picture below shows the group at the end of the day showing the sensory boxes of Speke Hall.

The picture below show Stephen working on his box he was interested in the black and white wood work of the house, the servant bells he made one for his box and the swords in the Great Hall.

Stephen working on his box

The picture below shows Patrick working on his box

Patrick and his box

The picture below shows inside Patricks Box. Patrick was keen to visit the Billiard Room again and talked about his friend playing billiards. Ticky helped Patrick mix some essential oils on a napkin to create a sherry smell for the box as he was able to smell a decanter of sherry in the room. He also enjoyed feeling the pattern carving in the hallway outside the room and the green of the table.

Inside Patricks box

The picture below shows Angela working on her box, she made a secret compartment which was based on seeing the Priest Hole in the upstairs bedroom.

Angela puts things in her box

The picture below shows Chris with Terry working on the box

Chris making his box

Here is a video clip of Chris explaining whats in his box and why.

The Pictures below were taken by Chris he mentions the metal of the suit of armour and the metal of the kitchen as important materials to explore the history of the house.

The picture below shows wooden shield and crossed metal swords

Chris Photo Swords

The picture below shows metal spits for cooking meat in the kitchen.

Chris Photo Kitchen Metal Spits

The picture below shows a suit of Armour in the Great Hall.

Chris Photo Suit of Armour

The picture below shows metal covers for food dishes in the kitchen the metal looks very similar to the suit of armour.

Chirs Photo Kitchen Metal Pans

The group visited Speke Hall again but this time only looked at two or three rooms including the Great Hall, the Kitchen, the Oak bedroom and bathroom upstairs.The group were thinking about what infomation to send in their parcels. Some of the carers took notes of things that were discussed and put them in the box. We thought about the senses and ideas for sounds to put in the boxes at the next workshop.

Elle feeling a surface in the bedroom

Elle and Angela explore the bedroom

Elle feels bed

Elle and wallpaper

Elle with loofer

Three: Andy helped each member add pictures to a webpage of the day. You can see the page if you click here

The picture below shows the webpage made on the day with Stephen and his box.

Stephen box on the webpage projected

The picture below shows Elle on the webpage in the bedrooms.

Elle feeling bedstead on webpage

Sheila on the sounds of Speke Hall

By Andy | September 9, 2012 - 6:25 pm |July 29, 2016 Speke Hall

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Sheila is a Volunteer from Speke Hall. She has worked here as a Victorian Guide for more than 4 years. Here she shares her thoughts on the Sounds of Speke Hall.

Sounds1 from andy minnion on Vimeo.

So, what would Speke Hall have sounded like back in the Victorian era? Sheila conjures up the constant noise and activity from back in those days.

Sounds2 from andy minnion on Vimeo.

What were the sounds of Speke Hall for Miss Watt when she lived in the house?

sounds3 from andy minnion on Vimeo.

Sheila specialises in story telling as you can tell from her commentaries.

Derek blogs about the third sensory object workshop on Mencap Liverpool webpage

By kate | July 20, 2012 - 11:12 am |July 29, 2016 Speke Hall

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This is a screen grab from Mencap Liverpool webpage

Access to Heritage Forum Workshop Three

By kate | July 10, 2012 - 10:52 pm |July 29, 2016 Speke Hall

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Today we held our third workshop with the Access to Heritage Forum at Speke Hall.

The aim of the day was to review and reflect on the tours of the last visit. Then introduce the group to some simple electonics and hands on modelling with clay. We hoped the group would experiment and play with these materials in order to discover how switchs work, to discover something familiar could have the potential to become something different. Then the group were introduced to squishy circuits making models with conductive and insulating dough experimenting with LED’s and motors.

Squishy Circuits

Derek models the squishy circuit dough

Derek tries the instant camera

Jane modelling squishy circuits

The picture below shows Derek modelling dough and getting his red LED to light up.The picture below shows Derek photographing his model.The picture below shows Jane modelling with the dough

Elle models with Squishy Circuits

Elle models insulating and conductive dough Squishy Circuits with LEDs

The pictures of Elle above and below show her modelling conductive and insulating dough and aluminium, she then added some red and green LED lights that flashed on and off.

Kyle and the rest making squishy circuits

Kyle and the rest of the Access To Heritage Group making squishy circuits

Squishy circuit model

The picture below shows Kyle exploring a motor, Elle working on her landscape Tom creating an on/off switch with dough for his model and Jane modelling with dough.This pictureToms Squishy Circuit below.

Constructing keys for an electronic piano

The last activity of the day was to construct simple keys for an electronic piano using pieces of foam and adhesive aluminium foil. Each participant created a single ‘key’ for the keyboard using a block of hard expanded foam as a base, and placing a strip of adhesive aluminium foil on the top to act as a touch pad. A wire was attached to the foil which would be plugged into the Arduino board.

Tom and Elle make their keys for the keyboard

When all of the participants had created their keys, they brought them to the front of the room and we plugged each of them into the Arduino board. This was connected to a laptop running a simple program that used the keys as input to play various electronic instruments, such as a piano, church organ, bells, oohs and aahs.

Keys and arduino

Almost everyone had a play with the piano …

Jane making music

Jane playing keys

This video shows Jane playing the keys

The video clip shows Kyle trying out the keys sounding like an organ

This clip show Elle playing the keys sounding like a piano.

Elle on Royal school for Blind Webpage

Elle attends the Royal School for the Blind and featured in the school newspage telling the school about her involvement in our Sensory Object research project.

Access to Heritage Forum Workshop Two

By kate | June 25, 2012 - 8:45 pm |July 29, 2016 Speke Hall

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2nd workshop at Speke Hall education room Access to Heritage Group prepare for Victorian Tour

Today we had the second workshop at Speke Hall Liverpool. We met in the education room where the group got ready for a guided Victorian Tour.

Vera costume guide with Anne and Angela

Louisa with tour guide trys the ceiling box in the Oak Parlour

Patrick Points at the Barrel Organ

Angela photos tea at Speke Hall

Patrick in the Billiard room

Each member of the Access to Heritage group had a camera to document their tour. We divided up into three groups each with our own guide dressed in Victorian Costume. The first costumed Victorian tour guide was with Vera second tour was with Sheila the third tour with Bernice. The group were asked to take pictures of things they would like to be able to smell/taste touch and hear.