The Wobbly Experiment

Professor Parren is standing on the shoes.

Introduction

The Wobbly Experiment is an exploration of the relationship between sensory perception and balance—specifically, how nociception, proprioception, and weight distribution affect our sense of equilibrium. To investigate this, I created a pair of shoes with an uneven combination of materials: one shoe has a thick sponge sole, making it unstable, while the other contains a dense, heavy material, creating an imbalance in weight distribution. Additionally, a textured insole (pressure point pad) adds discomfort, further disrupting proprioception. Participants wear a blindfold and engage in simple movement tasks—stepping in place, spinning, and walking in a straight line—to experience the sensation of instability and observe how their equilibrioception is altered.

Perspective and Context

This project aligns with ideas from Robert Irwin’s essay and Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy of perception by emphasizing the body’s active role in constructing experience. Irwin discusses the process of compounded abstraction, where perception is shaped not just by vision but by the totality of sensory interactions. The Wobbly Experiment embodies this idea by demonstrating how balance is not a singular function but a dynamic coordination of multiple sensory modalities—proprioception, pressure, and touch. By distorting these inputs, the project creates a new awareness of how we unconsciously rely on them in everyday movement.

Merleau-Ponty’s concept of the primacy of perception suggests that our understanding of the world is rooted in bodily experience rather than detached, intellectual analysis. In this experiment, participants are forced to rely on direct, embodied perception rather than sight, revealing how balance is a lived, felt experience rather than a purely mechanical skill. By removing vision and altering tactile feedback, the project disrupts habitual perception and makes participants hyper-aware of the role of sensory integration in movement. This ties into larger discussions in art and philosophy about how perception can be manipulated to create new experiences and insights.

Development and Technical Implementation

Insole: Points pressure pad and cooling pad

Outsole: Sponge and rubber granules

The development of The Wobbly Experiment involved experimenting with different ways to disrupt balance through sensory manipulation. Initially, I tested asymmetrical footwear using various textures and materials, such as plastic, sandpaper, and foam, but they had limited impact. I also explored auditory distortions and temperature changes using cooling patches, which proved ineffective. Eventually, I focused on three key elements: weight imbalance, instability, and discomfort. One shoe features a thick sponge sole, making it wobbly, while the other contains a dense, heavy material to shift balance. To further enhance the instability, I modified the heavier shoe by cutting off part of its sole, altering the center of gravity. Additionally, a textured insole (pressure point pad) disrupts proprioception, adding an unexpected layer of discomfort.

The final implementation consists of a blindfolded experience where participants first step in place, then spin, and finally walk in a straight line. Without visual input, they must rely on altered sensory feedback to navigate movement, making them hyper-aware of balance. The uneven shoes create constant adjustments, while the textured insoles add an unexpected layer of discomfort, reinforcing how equilibrioception is an active, multisensory process. This interaction highlights the body’s unconscious reliance on sensory integration, making participants rethink how they maintain stability in everyday life.

Initially, I experimented with sponge insole and sandpaper outsole which proved not to work. Sponge made it hard to tuck in the feet, and sandpaper scratched the floor while not made sound as expected.

Here is comparing scenarios and summarizing the results.

Presentation

KL, The Wobbly Experiment.mov

May is standing on the shoes.

The presentation went even better than I expected! Everyone found the experiment really fun and engaging. The participants genuinely struggled with balance at first but were able to gradually adapt over time. Though people preferred to watch others attempt the challenge, it is somewhat expected, as changing shoes took effort, and the risk of looking uncoordinated likely deterred most of the audience. I also appreciated how willing Professor Parren and May were to participate—they fully engaged in the experience without hesitation, which helped demonstrate the concept in an authentic way.

Conclusion

Working on this project deepened my understanding of how different sensory systems interact to shape our perception of balance. Through multiple tests, I became more attuned to the subtle ways in which weight distribution, texture, and proprioception influence movement. One of the most successful aspects of the project was how I concealed the structural modifications within the shoes. By hiding the uneven materials and having participants wear a blindfold, I eliminated any visual anticipation, heightening the element of surprise and disorientation. This effectively challenged their reliance on proprioception and equilibrium.

That said, not everything worked perfectly. My attempt to introduce temperature as a variable by using cooling patches had no noticeable effect, making it a failed component of the experiment. If I were to refine the project, I would explore more impactful sensory disruptions, such as incorporating shifting weights or vibrating elements to create an even more unpredictable challenge. And honestly, I remained expecting the audience to engage more other than just watch. Therefore, I would like to dedicate more time to designing the interactive elements next time, perhaps turning it into a structured game with more participants. Introducing playful yet misleading tasks—such as a balance challenge with unexpected rules or a guided activity that subtly disrupts perception—could make the experience more immersive while reinforcing the project’s themes. Expanding the interactive component would not only encourage more people to participate but also enhance the overall exploration of sensory manipulation.

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