Feeling Feelings – Sophie Ana Paris

A collection of 4 paintings of the Mario icons of Luis’s favorite characters: Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Yoshi in a row. Smaller wooden tactile interpretations of each painting, plus one of Bowser, are laid out below it.
A collection of 4 paintings of the Mario icons of Luis’s favorite characters: Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Yoshi in a row. Smaller wooden tactile interpretations of each painting, plus one of Bowser, are laid out below it.
Collection of 5 circular wood disks with tactile features, each depicting a character logo from the Mario game. The badges show Mario's red M, Luigi's green L, Yoshi's egg, Princess Peach's crown, and Bowser's face.
Collection of 5 circular wood disks with tactile features, each depicting a character logo from the Mario game. The badges show Mario’s red M, Luigi’s green L, Yoshi’s egg, Princess Peach’s crown, and Bowser’s face.
 

Inspired by the engaging stories of the heroics of Nintendo characters, Sophie Ana and Luis explored ways of strengthening Luis’ favorite fantastical tale.

In collaboration with HeartShare artist Luis Ariel Cuautle, Sophie Ana and Luis have created a unique tactile representation of Luis’s favorite Mario characters. Inspired by Luis’s Mario paintings, Sophie Ana worked with Luis to design and create tactile versions of the paintings based on the inherent emotions that are represented by each of his favorite characters.

Taking Luis’ pristine illustrations of character emblems, Sophie Ana and Luis added an additional accessible measure of tactile representation. These textures are meant to provide a unique experience to blind and low vision people and show the sharpness of Bowser, and the bubbly energy of Mario. By translating these whimsical stories into tactile images, the digital world of Mario gets brought into the sensory reality of our dimension. 

Interaction Guide

Based on Luis’s paintings of his favorite characters’ logos, each of these tactile representations aims to not only convey the basic shape of the paintings, but also to make each tactile sensory experience a unique portrayal of the emotions that Luis associates with each of the characters. For each of the characters, see below for the meaning of each of the tactile representations.

Mario: The bumpy texture, like mountains or a mix of terrains, represents the constant exploration and adventurous spirit of Mario, always encountering new challenges.

The classic red letter "m" representing Mario, within a white bumpy circle
The classic red letter “m” representing Mario, within a white bumpy circle

Yoshi: Yoshi’s joyful and silly nature that Luis loves is captured in the soft, squishy cotton pieces, inviting a playful tactile experience.

The classic Yoshi egg with one full green spot plus 2 cut off by the edge of the egg on top of a disk covered in white cotton pieces.
The classic Yoshi egg with one full green spot plus 2 cut off by the edge of the egg on top of a disk covered in white cotton pieces.

Luigi: Luis chose to convey the cold, scary ghosts that haunt Luigi through metal. The metallic background is reminicint of the spookiness and cold feeling that Luigi experiences when faced with ghosts.

The classic green letter "L" representing Luigi, on a silver circular disk
The classic green letter “L” representing Luigi, on a silver circular disk

Bowser: The rough texture of glitter pieces embodies Bowser’s sharp, rough, and powerful presence, yet still representing the royalty he holds as a king. The combination of sharp edges and fiery colors reflects his angry and destructive nature.

The scary looking Bowser logo: a red monster face with a white outline on a black glitter-covered disk
The scary looking Bowser logo: a red monster face with a white outline on a black glitter-covered disk

Princess Peach: Luis conveyed an inherent sense of fear that he associates with Princess Peach. He wanted the tactile representation to feel smooth to the touch, as the vinyl cutouts do, representing her fragile state.

A yellow crown on a white circular disk, with a blue gem on both edge of the crown and a red one in the middle.
A yellow crown on a white circular disk, with a blue gem on both edge of the crown and a red one in the middle.

 

Process Documentation

An arrangement of ten handmade tactile emojis, each featuring a cartoon face with a distinct expression. Each features raised outlines of the facial features painted many different colors on top of circular disks also of varying colors.
An arrangement of ten handmade tactile emojis, each featuring a cartoon face with a distinct expression. Each features raised outlines of the facial features painted many different colors on top of circular disks also of varying colors.
Various wooden cut-outs of the Bowser logo placed on a white surface. the sizes and styles vary, with some circular frames around the faces.
Various wooden cut-outs of the Bowser logo placed on a white surface. the sizes and styles vary, with some circular frames around the faces.
Laser cut pieces of the Mario “M” logo of varying sizes, some as outlines of the “M”, some as just the “M”, and some as circles with the “M” cut out of the middle laid out on a white background.
Laser cut pieces of the Mario “M” logo of varying sizes, some as outlines of the “M”, some as just the “M”, and some as circles with the “M” cut out of the middle laid out on a white background.
Laser cut pieces of the Luigi “L” logo of varying sizes, some as outlines of the “L”, some as just the “L”, and some as circles with the “L” cut out of the middle laid out on a white background.
Laser cut pieces of the Luigi “L” logo of varying sizes, some as outlines of the “L”, some as just the “L”, and some as circles with the “L” cut out of the middle laid out on a white background.
A wooden silhouette cutout of the bowser logo placed on a white surface, covered with black sandpaper cutout to cover the piece, with the top edge spilling over not fitting the shape properly.
A wooden silhouette cutout of the bowser logo placed on a white surface, covered with black sandpaper cutout to cover the piece, with the top edge spilling over not fitting the shape properly.
A wooden disk with the classic Mario "m" cut-out of the center, placed on a white surface.
A wooden disk with the classic Mario “m” cut-out of the center, placed on a white surface.

 

A thin wooden outline of a circle, with the classic Mario "m" cut-out placed in the center, placed on a white surface.
A thin wooden outline of a circle, with the classic Mario “m” cut-out placed in the center, placed on a white surface.
A wooden disk with a cut-out of the classic Mario letter "m" in the center, placed in the hole it was cut out of like a puzzle piece, with a ring cutout on the circumference of the circle, placed on a white surface.
A wooden disk with a cut-out of the classic Mario letter “m” in the center, placed in the hole it was cut out of like a puzzle piece, with a ring cutout on the circumference of the circle, placed on a white surface.
A wooden disk with the classic Mario "m" cut-out of the center, placed on a white surface.
A wooden disk with a cut-out of the letter “m” in the center, placed on a white surface.

About the artist

Image of the artist, sophie Ana

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sophie Ana’s art over the course of the semester has focused on the relationship between emotional expression and accessibility. Utilizing emojis as a form of emotional expression, she has incorporated them into various access methods, including captions, tactile graphics, and finally, her collaboration with Luis. Her passion for accessible design has driven her to explore innovative ways to make media more inclusive and engaging for all users.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-ana-paris/