Campus Gets “InTouch” at de Saisset Exhibit

Adventurous artist brings interactive coziness to campus

For centuries, art museums have practiced the time-honored tradition of preventing visitors—even the most devoted aesthetes—from touching their art. 

Van Gogh’s self-portrait at the Met? Off-limits. The Louvre’s Mona Lisa? No greasy paws allowed.

But at Santa Clara’s de Saisset museum, those antiquated museum rules have momentarily fallen to the wayside in order to house “InTouch,” the latest inventive art show from Bay Area artist Stephanie Metz.

The de Saisset describes “InTouch” as “a hands-on sculptural experience,” and Metz takes this interactive concept even further by bringing felt sculptures and fluffy pillows for visitors to not only touch but to also squeeze and hold in order to destress.

Amid the tempestuous, rainy weather and the mind-melting anxieties of midterms, “InTouch” is now on display until June 13. 

This art display offers Santa Clara the much-needed opportunity to slow down, all while being immersed in the soft curves and fuzzy folds of Metz’s inventive art.

The main premise of this fun exhibition is to be hands-on. Though she is most well known for her handmade felt designs, her goal with this cozy display is to get people to reach out and touch. 

In a world dominated by digital screens, Metz’s handcrafted pieces provide welcome respite, accentuating the power of touch through works like her huggable, almond-shaped sculptures. 

This new approach to museum-going contrasts so greatly with the typical arthouse experience of relying on the eyes alone to experience the subtleties of displays. 

Metz changes this concept and invites art enthusiasts, young and old, to touch, hold and play with her fuzzy felt creations.

Broken into two sections of pillowed playgrounds, “InTouch” offers visitors both tumbling and soothing experiences: Holdables and Hanging Pods. 

For the Holdables section, Metz created pieces of various sizes which guests can hold, hug and use to rest their heads. 

The color and size of these pieces range greatly; some light to dark, others small to almost human size. 

Feeling through these playful pieces in this part of the exhibit brings out the childhood feeling of playing in the soft shapes of a pillow fort. These pieces range from more severe, geometric designs to strangely familiar organic figures. 

But irrespective of the shape, they are perfect playthings. The comfy quality of these pillowy figures comes from the thick, industrial-quality felt Metz used to construct them.

The second half of the exhibit features bizarre Hanging Pods of various sizes, which evoke an altogether alien feel. 

Like the Holdables, these pods are also made from felt, though they are much larger and brighter. And, of course, they dangle too.

The textures of these pods are also intriguing: some have scaley surfaces and others are covered in holes like a massive piece of  Swiss cheese.

With the suspension of the shapes mid-air with a rope, the pods create a zen atmosphere. This calming part of Metz’s exhibit presents the ideal break from the mid-quarter winter blues. 

Who wouldn’t want to squish a soft, floating pod before a midterm?  

In the past, Metz used her artwork as a way to challenge the eye. For example, she raised questions with a piece that depicted a cooked chicken with legs. 

But this time, she engages a different part of the senses: touch. The artwork relies on the guests to absorb the experience via touch and reaction. 

In addition to containing her first touchable work, this exhibit also marks another milestone in Metz’s innovative career, for this is the first time she has ever created large, human-sized objects. 

Working together, Metz and the museum are using this exhibit as an experiment to see how the public interacts with such an interactive display. 

And this is part of the exhibit’s charm—guests are left to their own devices to determine how to interact with the swaying pods that look like eggs from a G-rated “Alien” movie.

Although these plentiful, pillowy pieces give the impression that the de Saisset has been taken over by cute, fuzzy extraterrestrials, these inventive sculptures expand the definition of museum-going in the digital age.

At the forefront of this boundary-pushing, Metz gives the community the chance to experience the modern museum with their whole being—not just their eyes.