Opening Night – Shan Michaels: Can Touch This

Special Event
19 November 2026
A close-up photograph of a vertical strip of pale pink faux fur framed between two walls painted in different shades of pink, creating a soft, tactile and colour-rich composition.
A close-up photograph of a vertical strip of pale pink faux fur framed between two walls painted in different shades of pink, creating a soft, tactile and colour-rich composition.

Join us at Metro Arts Brisbane to celebrate the opening of Shan Michaels, Can Touch This.

When

Metro Arts, Brisbane

19 November 2026

6:00pm to 8:00pm

Can Touch This is a tactile installation designed with and for the blind and low vision (BLV) community.

Led by regional QLD artist Shan Michaels, the project began by asking: What if we centred blind gallery-goers from the start, rather than adapting sighted experiences after the fact? The result is a touch-first, immersive environment that invites exploration with hands, body and sound.

Developed in close collaboration with the BLV (blind and low vision) community, Can Touch This features tactile soft sculptures, costumes, a sensory soundtrack by blind composer Antony Abbracciavento, self-portraits and wayfinding created with students from the South Australian School and Services for the Visually Impaired (SASSVI). Textile elements were created by Shan Michaels, Sarah Tickle, Jake Yang, Emiko Artemis, and Mackenzie Huish-Lehman through a shared making process.

Visitors with sight are encouraged to experience the space through touch – using optional mindfolds (light-blocking masks) to shift focus away from the visual.

Feature Image: Can Touch This (2025), installation, Adelaide Contemporary Experimental. Photography by Andre Castellucci.

Related Exhibition
Shan Michaels: Can Touch This

19 November to 19 December 2026

Can Touch This is a tactile installation designed with and for the blind and low vision (BLV) community.

See Exhibition

Presented in partnership with Metro Arts Brisbane.

ACErlu tampinthi, ngadlu Kaurna yartangka inparrinthi. Kaurna miyurna yaitya yarta-mathanya Wama Tarntanyaku. Parnaku yailtya, parnaku tapa purruna, parnaku yarta ngadlurlu tampinthi. Yalaka Kaurna miyurna itu yailtya, tapa purruna, yarta kuma puru martinthi, puru warri-apinthi, puru tangka martulayinthi. Ngadlurlu tampinthi purkana pukinangku, yalaka.

ACE respectfully acknowledges the Kaurna people are the traditional custodians of the Adelaide Plains. We recognise and respect their cultural heritage, beliefs and relationship with the land. We acknowledge that they are of continuing importance to the Kaurna people living today. We acknowledge Elders past and present.

ACErlu tampinthi, ngadlu Kaurna yartangka inparrinthi. Kaurna miyurna yaitya yarta-mathanya Wama Tarntanyaku. Parnaku yailtya, parnaku tapa purruna, parnaku yarta ngadlurlu tampinthi. Yalaka Kaurna miyurna itu yailtya, tapa purruna, yarta kuma puru martinthi, puru warri-apinthi, puru tangka martulayinthi. Ngadlurlu tampinthi purkana pukinangku, yalaka.

ACE respectfully acknowledges the Kaurna people are the traditional custodians of the Adelaide Plains. We recognise and respect their cultural heritage, beliefs and relationship with the land. We acknowledge that they are of continuing importance to the Kaurna people living today. We acknowledge Elders past and present.

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