'Push / Pull' – Can Touch This

Special Event

2 May - 28 June 2025

Small, soft pink pom-poms arranged on a textured pink fabric surface to spell out the phrase "can touch this" in Braille. The arrangement is precise and deliberate, inviting tactile interaction while maintaining a playful, monochromatic pink palette.

Can Touch This is a tactile installation designed with and for the blind and visually impaired (BVI) community in South Australia.

When

2 May to 28 June 2025

Access

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 BVI community, Can Touch This features tactile soft sculptures, a sensory soundtrack by blind composer Antony Abbraciavento, and wayfinding created with students from the South Australian School and Services for the Visually Impaired (SASSVI). Textile elements were created by Sarah Tickle, Jake Yang, Emiko Artemis, and Mackenzie 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: Shan Michaels' studio (2025), detail, Adelaide Contemporary Experimental. Photography by Lana Adams.

Special Thanks to

Antony Abbracciavento, Skye de Vent, Lily Gower, Kilparrin Special School, Quinn and Arlo Michaels, Marian Sandberg, South Pacific Educators in Visual Impairment (SPEVI), Lee Strickland, South Australian School and Services for Vision Impaired, Skye Jones

Artists

Antony Abbracciavento,

Elyas Alavi,

Emiko Artemis,

Stephen Atkinson,

Troy-Anthony Baylis,

Alycia Bennett,

Jingwei Bu,

Patrick William Carter,

Luna Chan,

Allison Chhorn,

Amber Cronin,

Dylan Crismani,

Eleen Deprez,

Stephanie Doddridge,

Adam-Troy Francis,

Paul Gazzola,

Alex Grant,

Sasha Grbich,

Dominic Guerrera,

Ray Harris,

Aidan Hughes,

Matt Huppatz,

Heidi Kenyon,

Kirsty Martinsen,

Monte Masi,

VNS Matrix,

Shan Michaels,

Ariella Napoli,

Alexandra Nitschke,

Chris Reid,

Yasemin Sabuncu,

Fiona Salmon,

Cynthia Schwertsik,

Gabriella Smart,

Soundstream,

Trudy Tandberg,

Sione Teumohenga,

Sarah Tickle,

Henry Wolff,

Shirley Wu,

Robert Wyatt,

Jake Yang,

Yasser Yassin,

Shenshen Zheng,

Students from South Australian School for the Visually Impaired

Curators

Henry Wolff,

Danni Zuvela

About the Exhibition

Featuring a program of live, experiential, post-object and otherwise ‘non-haveable’ art encounters, and unpacking Adelaide’s leading role as the historical world centre of post-object art today, Push / Pull asks: What kinds of encounters are possible, when the shock of the new is a local tradition?

Support

Adelaide Contemporary Experimental (ACE) is supported by Create SA and Creative Australia.This project is supported by City of Adelaide and History Trust of South Australia. Shan Michaels is supported by Arts Queensland.
Special thanks to project partners the South Australian School and Services for the Visually Impaired, and The Mercury.