Supersenses closed on 8 October 2017. For details of our current exhibitions, take a look at our what’s on page.
Our senses tell us everything about the world around us, but their true power is often left untapped...
What makes the way you sense the world absolutely unique? How can we extend and amplify our senses? At this incredible family exhibition, you could hear the Big Bang, test your taste buds, see the world like an animal and get hands-on with technology that revealed how humans have been stretching their senses for centuries.
Immersive experiences
You could control light and sound by playing with sand in the Sensory Soundpits
Touch Me reacted to your body heat when touched
© Zane Berzina
In the Eyes of the Animal let you see a forest through the eyes of a dragonfly, a frog and an owl
A composition was created from the hidden sounds of Bradford in Journey Through the Mirror Pool
Sensory Soundpits
A musical instrument for the 21st century! The unique Sensory Soundpits used sand, motion-capture technology, original music and animations. As you played with the sand, you created your very own soundscapes and visual mixes.
Touch Me
You could really leave a mark on the exhibition by getting hands-on with Touch Me! This colourful artwork used different shades of thermochromic inks, which react to your body heat when touched.
In the Eyes of the Animal
Can you imagine what the world might look like if you were an owl? What about a frog or a dragonfly? This incredible video installation, presented on a huge 180˚ screen, took you on a visual journey as you explored a forest through the eyes of these creatures.
Journey Through the Mirror Pool
Sound recordist Chris Watson, who has worked on shows like Springwatch and Frozen Planet, teamed up with local students to capture sounds in, around and even below Bradford's Mirror Pool. The result was an eight-minute composition that revealed the hidden sounds of Bradford.
Animal sensing trail
Younger visitors could follow this trail around the galleries to find surprising and amazing facts about animals’ senses.
Sensing the Unknown
How can technology enhance senses? How can we sense the vastly distant, the microscopic, or the physically inaccessible? Objects from our collection illuminated the ways our senses can be tested, improved and augmented.
More to discover
Train your super senses
You’ve spent your whole life learning about the world through your senses. Keep on tuning and training them with this toolkit full of top sensing tips and tricks—simply print it out and make it at home.
Hear Bradford’s hidden sounds
If you enjoyed Journey Through the Mirror Pool, you can keep exploring the sounds of Bradford with extra recordings made by artists Noise Orchestra and Alan Dunn—including a ghostly tale from the Midland Hotel! Read Noise Orchestra’s blog post and visit Alan Dunn’s page on Journey Through the Mirror Pool.
