Working with the senses
an unlit light bulb was my object for exploration
As I received this light bulb as the object for my exploration the first thing I did was leave the classroom so I could really experience it. I knew the function of the light bulb but I wanted to use all of my sensorium to get a new feel for it. I wanted the right words to express what I was feeling. I held it in my hand immediately noticing how cold it felt to the touch. It had the same shape as a pear but looked opaque on the big curved portion of the bulb while the smaller bottom portion was silver and aluminium looking. I decided to really bring it close to my face and noticed my reflection and how I had some fly away hair. I then smelled it and tasted it. I’ve never before tasted or smelled a light bulb. It felt cold and bland to the tongue with no odour on the opaque part but the aluminium part tasted and smelled like rust although it didn’t look rusty. With my right index finger, I slowly traced the swirly aluminium part thinking about the team or person that designed it and wondered what inspired them to make it look the way it did. I shook it and heard nothing, so I tapped it with my nails and heard a much thicker sound than I expected. I closely watched my reflection as I played with the bulb, throwing it from the right hand to the left and seeing how the shape of the reflection changed. It triggered a childhood memory of a haunted house, with clown mirrors that distorted your reflection making you look funny and weird. As I was watching my face expand and get distorted, I stuck out my tongue and chuckled to myself. I turned to thinking about the shattering sound of the bulb against the window in front of me. I wanted to break it but I didn’t because it didn’t belong to me and the clean up would be too much, not to mention the potential victims sitting right in front of me. I placed the bulb on the floor and pushed it, watching it orbit around itself. I tried to make it stand but it wouldn’t balance. While reaching to pick it up I notice my hands were bigger than my entire body in the reflection of the bulb like Mickey Mouse’s white gloves. I could also see the stained glass windows reflecting in the bulb and people passing by. It felt like I had my own little snow globe in my hands watching the world in action.
While the solo exploration of the light bulb allowed me to do whatever came to mind, the reflection portion was more challenging. I felt that I didn’t have the proper terms and right wording to explain what I was experiencing. Some experiences are just difficult to put into words; whereas, while walking my partner through the exploration I could let her into my thought process and have her experience it herself. It was a give and take as she asked me why I did certain things and whether I thought of looking at my object in a different way. I felt more engaged with her through the walk through, as at times it also triggered some feelings and memories for her rather than just relating to my experience.
The Common Senses of myhorizon 