ASMR Licking The Glass And Bursting The Bubble With Lucy Hardcastle

https://www.huckmag.com/art-and-culture/art-2/canvas-arts-council-lucy-hardcastle-tactile-sensations/

The artist igniting our senses through tactile experience

Let's get physical
Artist Lucy Hardcastle is all about reconnecting people by bridging the gap between both realms.

Heightened Senses is a collaborative video series between Huck and Canvas showcasing young artists determined to rewrite the rules of artistic engagement. In this episode, Lucy Hardcastle unveils an innovative, touch-responsive glass sphere that combines technology with tangible experience.

In a world ruled by technology, engaging your sense of touch can feel undeniably satisfying – whether it’s running your fingers through sand or just bursting some bubble wrap.

But as people increasingly search for a tangible experience beyond the touchscreen, digital doesn’t have to be demonised.

In the first episode of Heightened Senses – a collaborative series between Huck and Canvas showcasing daring young artists – Lucy shows us how to get the most out of being a “sensorial human”.

Specialising in tactile technology, she draws from various mediums – whether it’s digitally rendered objects or moving images – to push boundaries and express something new.

“A lot of people say about my work that it makes them want to lick the screen,” says Lucy. “People say, ‘I wish I could just reach out and grab it,’ so I really wanted to break that seal and burst that bubble of what we think of as an interface.”

Lucy has designed a conductive, hand-blown glass sculpture named Qualiawhich responds to touch with light and colour – triggering liquid ripples and a comforting glow as your hands move across it.

This kind of responsive glass surface has never been applied to a curved object or used in a creative setting – a breakthrough with great potential for educational tools.

It just goes to show that in an era of unimaginable connectivity, when it feels like every original idea has been exhausted, a new generation of switched-on artists are ready to redefine the spectrum of possibility.