CSULB's wild jungle

By Hilary Strickland, On-Line Forty-Niner

Wednesday, September 23, 1998

Art enthusiasts are welcome to indulge more than their sense of sight while enjoying the newest art exhibit on campus. "Please Do Touch: A Walk-Through Jungle Forest by Day and by Night" is a unique exhibit designed to stimulate and celebrate the sense of touch.

The exhibit is presented by Festival of the Five Senses, in conjunction with Cal State Long Beach's Odyssey Project.

Claudia Durgnat is the founder, curator and director of "Please Do Touch."

She had wanted to combine education with the arts for some time.

The opportunity to combine the two arose when Sharon Olson, coordinator of the Odyssey Project 1998-99, contacted Durgnat about putting together an exhibit as part of the Odyssey Project.

The result is "Please Do Touch," an interactive art exhibit, which is intended to educate and entertain the audience, Durgnat said.

The first part of the exhibit is set up outside, and is meant to represent the forest by day. The works displayed here include a few interactive pieces. "The Zoob Tree" is a piece made up of small plastic Zoob pieces that snap together to form various shapes.

In this instance, they form a tree. The audience is encouraged to place pieces onto the tree to make it grow and change.

Audience members can also participate in creating an interactive clay piece with CSULB ceramics students.

The clay will be kept moist and participants may change existing structures or add to the structure by molding their own creations.

The second part of the exhibit is set up inside and is meant to represent the forest at night. The pieces displayed here include a video piece by Bill Viola, a slide show photographed and directed by Andre Kohler, and various sculptures.

A "Touch Box" is set up in the nighttime jungle and has various textured substances inside of it. Audience members are encouraged to reach inside and describe what they feel.

The nighttime jungle also has various reptiles in their terrariums on display.

The reptiles were provided by Reptiles Unlimited.

"Please Do Touch" was organized by employees and volunteers for the Festival of the Five Senses and employees and volunteers for Cal State Long Beach's Odyssey Project 1998-99. It will be on display Sept. 21 through Oct. 2 in TE2- Room 116. Admission is free to everyone.