Colloid Liquid Crystal Composites are a recently discovered family of exotic soft solid (see Meeker, Poon, Terentjev and Crain, Phys. Rev. E, 2000, 61, R6083). They are self-supporting, optically active materials and are therefore of potential interest as a material for flexible displays. These composites are formed upon cooling a concentrated suspension of colloidal particles in a liquid crystalline host across the isotropic to nematic transition. The resulting composite comprises an interconnected network of particles (shown in the Figure) that impart surprising mechanical strength. The aim of our research programme is to apply advanced confocal microscopy to obtain structural information in three dimensions, potentially coupled with optical tweezers to make direct probes of mechanical strength.