‘Squeaky/Pain’: Cultivating Disturbing Experiences and Perspective Transition for Somaesthetic Interactions
Authors: Arife Dila Demir, Nithikul Nimkulrat, Kristi Kuusk
peer-reviewed journal article, 2022
Through an exemplary design case study, we look at how mediating bodily disturbances and cultivating perspective transition from first- to second-person perspective amplifies somaesthetic awareness. The paper focuses on the less explored aspect of soma design, which is the mediation of disturbing experiences that disrupt the everyday flow i.e., pain. The design process illustrated a transition between first- and second-person perspectives to cultivate and externalize the experience with pain as a wearable bodily interaction. The externalized pain experience was translated into an interactive wearable, ‘Squeaky/Pain’, that augments the wearer’s somaesthetic awareness via sound, tactile, and kinesthetic sensations. This paper makes two main contributions to soma design: introducing the implications of disturbing experiences for augmenting somaesthetic awareness and exemplifying how inner bodily disturbances can be materialized through the cultivation of first and second-person perspectives.
Suggested Citation: Demir, A. D., Nimkulrat, N., & Kuusk, K. (2022). ‘Squeaky/Pain’: Cultivating Disturbing Experiences and Perspective Transition for Somaesthetic Interactions. Diseña, 20, Article 2. https://doi.org/10.7764/disena.20.Article.2.
