The viewer must crawl into the Touch Cave. By inviting the viewer to crawl into a space they are immediately engaging with the piece. This interaction was necessary to help the participants tap into their childlike instincts to explore. It is cozy like a womb, only big enough for 1-2 people to be inside of, which creates an intimate experience.
The inside of the cave is pink velvet, which will obviously create a cozy lush environment. Sewn pink soft sculptures and tubes for the viewer to physically reach into and feel around. They are basically big soft velvet pillows that looks like organic forms that have tubes and orifices attached to them. The act of reaching your arm into an unknown hole creates a haptic and slightly sexualized experience. This act signifies exploring the body through touch. Inside the holes and tubes, there will be these resin creatures and silicone textures. They are like little surprises tucked into the holes for people to find. The resin forms created are hybrid creatures. They fit nicely in your hand and feel satisfying to hold, like a found stone. At that scale the objects immediately become precious souvenirs.
About the Creator
Emily Silvis is an artist living and making in Portland, Oregon. She is a recent graduate from Oregon College of Art and Craft, specializing in Fibers. Her work often uses visual metaphors and puns to reference the body. In her previous work she has often used wearable sculpture to interact with the body, and primarily focused on the female experience and female sexuality.