Our Other Senses

Daily life is experienced not only by our visual perception but also by a continuous sequence of stimulations provoked by what we hear, smell, taste, and touch. Our senses help us to frame our memories and feelings, and they enhance our relationship to both interior and exterior spaces. Multidisciplinary research is emerging to explore our complex capacity to navigate our way in the world, with implications for everything from commercial, healthcare and educational design, to accessibility for those with sensory differences. The elements that have always informed design—such as texture, light, color—can now be combined with new technologies, which are leading to experimental proposals that will open up the range and possibilities of sensory perception.