Cloudy Sensoria

RESEARCH BACKGROUND: The curatorial intent of Cloudy Sensoria was to explore the rich history of the historic homestead through perceptual encounters and phenomena. This relates to an important development in contemporary practice and theory investigating the aesthetics of perception as a critical aspect of experiencing the 'lived' space; linking to the work of practitioners such as James Turrell, Olafur Eliasson, Philippe Rahm, Fujiko Nakaya and Juhani Pallasmaa. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION: Cloudy Sensoria was as a site-specific interpretation of time shifting experiences of Bundoora Homestead Art Centre (BHAC). As curators we challenged designers and artists to engage audiences in new ways of 'seeing' - often not with the eyes - that responded to the building, its location and history, from early Australian aristocracy, an institution for men deeply traumatised by war, and now a cultural centre. The phrase, Cloudy Sensoria, refers to two related ideas - sensoria (plural of sensorium) is the seat of sensation - the holistic sum of perception, whilst the term 'clouded sensorium,' is often used in the world of medicine, describing a loss of perception and inability to respond to external stimuli. These ideas resonate with the curatorial intent behind this exhibition, which explored these histories through perceptual qualities that construct particular experiential encounters with a 'space' and 'place' at a given time: through delving into intangible forms of sensation, from light phenomena to sound, qualities of smell, atmospheres, and the subtle manipulation of experiential expectation. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: With 3500 visitors, groups from educational institutions, well attended lectures and media coverage, this exhibition was highly successful in achieving this objective. The exhibition was supported by the City of Darebin and Arts Victoria. It built on Wagenfeld's research into atmospherics (documenting in Owen Richardson, 'Colliding Ideas', SMH 16 July 2012).