On Jan. 5, 2026, the Robert Langen Art Gallery opened its winter exhibition, Haptic Voices, presented in collaboration with artists David Bobier and Jim Ruxton of VibraFusionLab—an arts-based public studio in Hamilton, Ontario, recognized for its innovative work in multi-sensory artistic practices.
Haptic Voices was designed with Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities in mind, offering a deep sensory experience. At the center of the exhibition is its signature installation: a large-scale, ten-channel vibrotactile wall that invites visitors to stand against it and experience commissioned sound compositions as vibration. Works by Toronto composers John Gzowski and Ravi Naimpally, Deaf Irish composer Ailís Ní Ríain, and artist Jim Ruxton immerse audiences in the physical intensity of sound.
The exhibition also features a series of interactive, multi-sensory artworks by David Bobier, exploring access through vibration, touch, and perceptual immersion. Together, these works expand the possibilities of how art can be encountered beyond traditional visual and auditory modes.
Suzanne Luke, University Art Curator at the Robert Langen Art Gallery, describes the exhibition as “a remarkable example of how technology can expand artistic access and reimagine the ways sound and touch can converge to create connection.”
The foundations of VibraFusionLab began with the Inclusive Media and Design Centre at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and Tactile Audio Displays Inc., researching and employing vibrotactile technology as a creative medium. David Bobier, Director of VibraFusionLab, established the lab as an extension of this research. Through VibraFusionLab and in his own art practice, Bobier aims to create opportunities for greater accessibility in artmaking, art appreciation, and viewer experiences of art practices and presentations.
Bobier said, “During that period of time, I got funding from places like the Canada Council for the Arts and invited artists to come and made the technology available to them. It became a kind of playground, in a sense, for artists to explore—primarily artists that were working in music, some theater, and some dance.” The lab closed in London due to a lack of funding and was recently reopened in Hamilton.
Speaking about his collaboration with Jim Ruxton, Bobier said, “I had met Jim Ruxton quite a few years ago and we sort of ended up reconnecting periodically. With Jim’s background as an artist and electronics engineer, that suited the direction VibraFusionLab was going in terms of developing the technology further. This partnership has been going on for probably six or seven years now, and the exhibition has evolved from that collaboration.”
The central piece of the exhibition was initially developed during COVID-19 to find ways of connecting, particularly for the Deaf and disabled communities, for whom isolation was even more profound. Since then, the wall has taken various forms influenced by many artists, audiences, and spaces to reach its current form as exhibited at the RLAG.
With different technologies developing over the last few years, this exhibition emphasizes the importance of accessibility in art. Bobier said, “What we’ve found is that different types of adaptive technologies are required for people across this spectrum. With Jim’s background in programming and developing software, we’re able to translate motion into sound, into vibration, into visuals; it’s thinking about how you can experience sound in different sensory ways or different modalities.”
Haptic Voices is a great example of how technology can be used to make experiences more accessible. But in my opinion, the most important aspect of this exhibition is the power of collaboration. For young individuals developing their bodies of work, Haptic Voices is an example of how collaborative efforts can lead to great results when like-minded individuals with a shared desire to bring their different skills together to make a difference.
Haptic Voices will be on at the RLAG until April 2, 2026. For more information, follow their Instagram @robertlangenag and visit their website: https://www.wlu.ca/academics/library/robert-langen-art-gallery/index.html
Contributed Photo/RLAG
