SENSORY SCULPTURE GARDEN
Lydia Hansen

October 4 – November 12, 2023

Rochester artist Lydia Hansen presents Sensory Sculpture Garden, a collection of immersive fiber art installations which invite the viewer to explore the work through touch.

ARTIST STATEMENT

There is one rule in the Sensory Sculpture Garden which must be followed at all times: Please Touch The Art!

This highly interactive fiber art series combines modern crochet techniques with the artist’s love for immersive art experiences. A blend of fibers, techniques, and textures have been used across the five elements of the sculpture garden with a singular goal: art for our hands.

The sculpture garden is inspired by our tactile experiences of the world. Kinetic (hands-on) learning is essential to social, emotional and physical development in children. Opportunities to engage this part of ourselves vanish as we age, but tactile processing is vital to adults too – especially for kinetic learners, the visually impaired, and neurodivergent folks. The garden offers a fine art experience suitable for all ages, available at your fingertips.

The sculptures are specifically made for kids, kinetic learners, neurodivergent people (especially those who process and explore through touch), the visually impaired, and adults who want to be more childlike and curious in the way they experience art. It's inspired by the way people handle the artist’s work at markets and taps into sensory pathways not commonly used for experiencing art by giving audience members permission and explicit invitation to touch, feel, and interact with anything they find interesting.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Lydia Hansen has been practicing crochet and fiber art in Southeast Minnesota for 14 years. Her work focuses on exploration of texture and color through art that invites audience interaction through touch. She’s particularly interested in how 3D qualities of crochet can be used to mimic shapes and patterns found in nature. She frequently takes inspiration from painting, woodworking, and collage to challenge conventional ideas of what crochet can be.

Her crochet art, ranging from stuffed animals and crochet plants to fiber “paintings” and wall hangings have been sold at area art markets as well as at Threshold Arts in Rochester, MN. She has also exhibited at several Rochester venues, including Gallery 24, 125 Live, and Forager Brewing Company.