Mindful Arts put project Sense-Ability together in an effort to bring people together through the senses. We ran classes once weekly at the Central Link & Spectrum clinics, an outpatient unit for clients with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Each month focused on a different sense, and brought a visiting artist whose work focused on that sense to help us explore that sense in deeper and more artistic ways.

The human experience is defined by our senses; they are fundamental to our consciousness. However, our sensory perceptions are hugely biased by our histories, cultures, contexts, experiences, and even our emotional states, and thus, can express a lot about who we are as unique individuals. As humans, we communicate these differences to others through the senses, sending messages to others through the way we look, act, talk, touch and smell.

Each chapter in this book focuses on a different sense, the visiting artist associated each of them, and details activities you can do on your own to understand each project with more depth. Some of the identities of participants have remained anonymous as per their own request.

Hopefully, in reading this book, you too will feel a deeper sense of connection to our project, as well as to yourself and the world around you.