Feeling Tingly?

Bond Gallery, February 19 - April 2, 2026

 

 The Goucher Art Galleries present Feeling Tingly?, a multi-sensory installation by Baltimore-based interdisciplinary artist Rachel Stein, on view in the Bond Window Gallery from April 17 through May 28, 2026. Inspired by ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response)—a phenomenon characterized by pleasurable tingling sensations triggered by sound, texture, or repetitive actions—Feeling Tingly? invites viewers into an immersive environment of hypnotic visuals and tactile materials. The installation explores the delicate tension between pleasure and discomfort while examining how bodily sensations shape our relationship to the material world.

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Throughout the installation, slime appears as a central material, spilling from containers and entangling familiar plastic objects. Video elements show hands picking, pulling, and excavating objects from viscous surfaces, emphasizing the seductive yet unsettling qualities of synthetic matter. These gestures evoke the satisfying sensory rhythms often associated with ASMR while drawing attention to the persistence of synthetic materials in contemporary life.

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The work’s lack of containment reflects a post-pollution reality in which synthetic residue cannot be neatly hidden or discarded, but instead seeps into our environments and bodies. In this way, Feeling Tingly? blurs the boundaries between what we consume and what surrounds us.

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Rather than imagining a return to a pristine or waste-free world, Stein’s installation proposes alternative ways of being-with the waste and pollution we inherit. By reframing waste as an invitation to curiosity, fascination, and even pleasure, the exhibition encourages viewers to reflect on their complicated relationship to excess through tactile, visual, and sensory encounters.

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Exhibition Details

• Opening Reception: April 17, 4–9 PM

• Slime Club Workshop: April 29, 5:30 PM, Hyman Forum

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Artist: Rachel Stein