Artist Wendy Jacob, the creator of the Squeeze Chair* with Temple Grandin is coming to Midlothian to work staff from the Cherry Road Day Centre at the beginning of March.  She will be working with people with profound learning disabilities looking at the idea of ‘fascinations’ , what holds an individual’s attention,  acts as a focus for them.   For two weeks she will work at the centre, as part of Artlink Ideas Teams, watching and learning.

Wendy Jacob is an artist whose work bridges traditions of sculpture, invention and design, and explores relationships between architecture and perceptual experience. Recent projects have involved collaboration with architects, engineers, circus performers, and working with deaf and autistic individuals. Wendy has previously worked with Centre for Advanced Visual Studies, MIT, Cambridge, USA – http://wendyjacob.net/.

*The Squeeze Chair project consisted of a series of upholstered chairs with arms that inflate to hold the sitter in a firm hug. The project grew out of meetings between Jacob and Temple Grandin, an animal scientist and engineer, who designed a “squeeze machine” to apply even pressure to her own body. Grandin is autistic and like many with autism, she is especially receptive to the calming effects of pressure.