‘Becoming Familiar’ with the senses with Moral Turgeman’s immersive functional art

The amount of time in a day that our sense of sight is overstimulated, while our other senses lay dormant, is alarming. Yet, such are the cities and spaces characteristic of the contemporary world and its ocularcentric culture. It becomes imperative to assay into these patterns of visual dominance, and subsequently, identify the void that its prevalence creates apropos of sensory experiences. What role can sound play in functional objects, not necessarily sound design? How can tactility transform our interaction with mundane entities? Art and design, for many creatives, transcends function to become an immersive experience—an experience that, when people become one with it, heals, triggers and anchors.

Now based in the United States, Moral Turgeman is one such artist who connects with the audience through an array of interactive works—from redesigned homes and multisensory experiences to bespoke design objects and installations. Turgeman’s namesake studio in the heart of Los Angeles, Raise The Moral, plays at a broad spectrum of ideas, one of its most recent creations being a sound healing vibrational Caterpillar chair. As Design Miami approaches with its anticipated 19th edition from December 6 to 10, 2023, Turgeman and creative partner Kelsey Falter are set to exhibit works produced by Raise The Moral in an exhibition titled Becoming Familiar. The show aims to invite remembrance and reconnection within the human body through sensorily immersive functional design. “Within Becoming Familiar, we explore the concept of returning the body to a baseline—restoring life force energy and becoming familiar with various frequencies. The exhibition encapsulates the subtle ways we are able to change and adapt from moment to moment,” says Turgeman.

Turgeman is a multidisciplinary artist whose ethos and creative understanding is rooted in the relationship between form, subject and site. As a consequence, the protagonist in her art is often the interaction that entails; the art morphs into a channel of discovery that inspires wonder. She continues to investigate new methods of engaging and fostering human connection and emotion with an intuitive, sensorial appreciation of this dialogue. This refreshing methodology, not encountered too often in the present day, has yielded a wide roster of creations from furniture design to bespoke objects that straddle functional and interactive art. Turgeman recently had a successful show at Praz Delavallade Projects in Los Angeles showing her intriguing series of sculptural mushrooms while unveiling the Caterpillar chair design. This year, Turgeman's studio Raise The Moral is one of the selected Curio Exhibitors at the Design Miami/. Curio is known for handpicking designers, who explore and push the boundaries of design, highlighting new interpretations of traditional ideas.

In 2019, Turgeman and Falter showcased works in New York that explored frequency and how the body vibrationally interacts with sound, visual input and scent. This collaboration focused on inducing altered states of perception through sound and light visuals and invited an inquiry into what it means to be alive and aligned. Now, at Design Miami/, the artists experiment with vibration in a new way—through tactile delivery of soundwaves within functional art objects. Inviting guests at the design fair to transform themselves through vibrational alignment, Becoming Familiar centres around major works including Caterpillar—a parametric lounger—part of a limited collection including Wing and Landing Pad, all featuring tactile sound delivery that synchronises with the brain, works throughout the body and interacts with the nervous system.

“The concept of transformation is not confined to occasional participation. Rather, the works presented are designed to facilitate transformation within the intimate sanctuary of one's home, fostering a deeper connection with oneself—exploring the question: what am I becoming familiar with?” the artist shares. Within Becoming Familiar, a series of custom carved marble works ritualize sensory experiences. Pinnacle is a single stem marble floor vase that asserts dominance and invites de-normalising small moments of beauty within the human experience. Throne, an interactive sculpture, is dedicated to the ritual of setting one’s space and infusing air with incense. “The process of creating these pieces is inherently collaborative, and this is a significant aspect of why my work is so expansive. I am deeply grateful to my web of collaborators, who bring their unique perspectives and skills to the table,” Turgeman notes. The showcase will also include Orbit, a suspended botanical installation—a nod to the artists’ prior collaboration—inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the beauty of nature.

“The creation process for the exhibition results from low tech and high tech methods. This blend leads to a creation that is both rooted in traditional techniques and forward-looking in its use of advanced technology,” the artist elaborates. Working with transient biological matter alongside human-made material is a commonly explored juxtaposition within the artists’ works, posing the question: in a new context, can a living organism be viewed in new ways? Becoming Familiar delves into how we spend our time acclimatising to a certain way of experiencing the world. The final work, Apex, becomes the answer to the presented quandary. A jeweller-crafted object that inquires how we focus our time, Apex holds a singular invitation: on what object of focus are we becoming familiar? Turgeman and Falter offer an experience to reconnect with the various layers of our being, through immersive pieces that facilitate becoming familiar with bliss, adornment, and presence.

‘Becoming Familiar’ will be on view at Booth C13 at Design Miami/ in Miami Beach, Florida.