Katie Schwab: The Seeing Hands

In October 2022, Collective’s City Dome will become a site of play, filled with a large-scale interactive exhibition by artist Katie Schwab. With a special interest in early-mid 20th-century design and craft, Schwab’s practice is emphatically hands-on, collaborative and participatory. In the City Dome, she will layer textures, touchable surfaces and sculptures to create an exhibition that will invite tactile engagement and learning through play. 

For The Seeing Hands, Schwab has taken inspiration from a number of architectural details found at Collective and 20th-century art and design reference points, specifically the book The Tactile Workshops by Italian artist and designer Bruno Munari (1907–98). Munari’s text suggests making a touchable library for children—a collection of materials with different tactile qualities—something that is reflected in Katie’s installation, which encourages children and adults to experiment freely. 

Schwab participated in Collective’s Satellites Programme for emerging artists in 2015. Since then, she has exhibited widely, was nominated for the MaxMara prize in 2019, and participated in the British Art Show in 2022. She has produced interactive installations and projects for Tate, Baltic, Arnolfini and Serpentine, inviting families to play, creating new images and patterns and exploring new possibilities with materials. 

Since opening our new home in a former 18th-century Observatory on Calton Hill in 2018, Collective has been exploring our site and exhibition programme with local families and groups using loose parts play theory. Through trails, play weekends and regular drop-in sessions, we work with artists and groups to create opportunities for creative learning through play. 

People of all ages are welcome to drop-in to play, look and gather in the exhibition with facilitated sessions during our regular Friday drop-in Play sessions. Schools, nursery or community groups are welcome to contact Collective to book time to experience the exhibition.

This artwork is a joint commission in partnership with Bluecoat (Liverpool).