Ayana Ishihara

I attended a course on tactile books hosted by Statped. The course was divided into two parts: a theoretical introduction and a hands-on session where we each created our own tactile book.
Participants were mainly pedagogical staff from kindergartens, schools, adult education, and other institutions.

For my artistic exploration, I focused on the question:
How can I express ballet movement in the format of a tactile book?
To explore this, I used bendable straws to represent different body parts and postures, capturing the dynamic forms of ballet. I also incorporated fabrics often used in ballet costumes to evoke the texture and materiality of the dance.

It was especially interesting to experience the books created by other participants. Since they were made for specific age groups and learning contexts, I learned a lot about different approaches — for example, how children aged 0–2 respond to certain tactile experiences, while children aged 3–5 engage with others in different ways.

I’m grateful to Statped for offering such a meaningful and inspiring opportunity!