I am feeling blue…and red.
"I Am Feeling Blue… and Red" is a wearable haptic artefact that transforms how we perceive and interact with colour. The glove translates visual colour data into tactile vibrations, offering an alternative, multisensory experience that connects sight and touch in a poetic and playful way.
A colour sensor embedded in the fingertip is at the core of the glove's design. This sensor detects colours and converts them into RGB values. These values are then translated into vibrations felt along the forearm via motors. Each vibration pattern reflects the detected colour, creating an "intersemiotic" translation that deconstructs conventional sensory relationships.
Crafted from denim with manually embroidered electronic circuits using conductive thread, the glove is flexible and functional. Its unique design reconfigures traditional hand gestures, with some fingers immobilized and others exposed, encouraging users to explore textures and colours through tactile feedback. This deliberate disruption invites reflection on the relationship between touch and colour perception, fostering curiosity and engagement.
Year: 2016
Concept & Design: Ricardo O’Nascimento
Development: Ronaldo Martins da Costa, Gustavo Laureano and Ricardo O’Nascimento.
Commissioned by: Media Lab UFG
Curated by: Cleomar Rocha and Izabel Goudart.
O’Nascimento, R. (2023). “I am feeling blue… and red”: Exploring alternative ways of feeling colours through a wearable haptic artefact. Multimodality & Society, 3(4), 444-452. https://doi.org/10.1177/26349795231194746