Description

Exhibition curation with Wellcome Collection’s Janice Li
Designing beyond sight: Curation, memory and multi-sensory engagement

“Having something to touch really brings you to the landscape.” Janice Li

What does yellow feel like? How can data become music? And what happens when a beautiful installation evokes a bad memory?

In this episode of Seeing Senses, curator Janice Li joins Sarah for a conversation about designing exhibitions that engage the whole body. They explore how materials, texture, scent, and sound create emotionally resonant experiences—far beyond what we see.

From cabbage-based soundtracks to yellow-infused memories, Janice shares how her multi-sensory curatorial work at Wellcome Collection and beyond encourages tactile, inclusive, and embodied learning. The episode unpacks how she weaves crossmodal storytelling and emotional access into exhibitions that linger long after you’ve left the space.

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Listen if you're curious about:

• How to design experiences with touch, scent, and sound
• What it means to curate with the body in mind
• Why memory and materiality are deeply intertwined
• How data, music, and emotion intersect in exhibition design
• The role of inclusivity and friction in curatorial practice
• What cabbage can teach us about nutrition and sound

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Key themes & takeaways:

• Multi-sensory engagement deepens emotional connection
• Embodied learning makes abstract concepts tangible
• Curating through texture, sound, and scent invites diverse interpretations
• Crossmodal experiences reshape how we perceive and remember
• The curator’s path can be self-initiated, transdisciplinary, and collaborative
• Materiality influences memory as much as message
• Tactile opportunities increase accessibility and attention
• Beautiful things can still unsettle— and that’s part of the work

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Guest:

Janice Li is a curator at Wellcome Collection (London) where she has curated Thirst: In Search of Freshwater (2025-26). Her curatorial work is seen internationally at the Victoria & Albert Museum, MoMu Antwerp, London Design Biennale, Milan Design Week and Venice Design. She advocates for and commissions transdisciplinary practices across the arts, humanities, and sciences as agents of change. Many of her projects investigate the interactions and movements between people and the ‘things’ they sense, make, use and wear across time and space in a crossmodal and transcultural context. Food Symphony (cabbage nutrition data as music); Sit, Feast on your Life at Milan Design Week. 

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Bonus for multi-sensory thinkers:

Head to Seeing Senses on Substack for updates and extras.
You’ll find sense-hacking experiments and book recommendations from the guests. Become a paid subscriber to support the making of this podcast (with extra episodes and content).

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Host:

Sarah Hyndman is a designer/researcher, author and speaker. You can book her for a talk or workshop about Multi-Sensory Thinking here via Type Tasting. Sarah is the founder of Type Tasting, curator of The Sensologists and author of the bestselling book Why Fonts Matter (Penguin/Virgin). 

Seeing Senses. Where ther