Artist Exter invites participants into a hands‑on workshop to collectively build a sensory safe haven for biennale visitors and explore how neurodivergent and sensory‑sensitive experiences can shape spatial design. Together, participants will help create a quiet space at TACK TICK, a new space for contemporary art in Mechelen and one of the venues of Contour Biennale, that visitors of this year’s edition can continue to rest in and retreat to throughout the biennale.

This workshop will be a continuation of Exter’s artistic research into designing environments “by and for neurodivergent people and people who seek comfort in controlled sensory experiences.” As part of this research, she organized ‘sensory labs’: small, safe‑setting sessions where participants discussed sensory experiences and tested materials. This process was rooted in the queer feedbacking method developed at IPOP—a queer performance‑pedagogy and feedback platform based at the Academy of Theatre and Dance in Amsterdam.

Participants help configure the room by assembling soft materials, draped fabrics, gentle lighting, and tactile elements, as well as setting up a feedback station where visitors can leave reflections throughout the biennale. In addition, workshop attendees will participate in a guided drawing session to imagine what their dream, personal sensory safe havens might look like. The workshop is both a co-creation process and a chance to think together about sensory safety, boundaries, and collective care.

Time: 2-4:30pm
Location: TACK TICK
Registration: Spots are limited. Please sign up for the workshop by sending an email to [email protected].