Idea for May 2023: haptic culture

My idea of the month is haptic culture

This bridge over London Wall is tantalisingly not touching anything - but ‘haptic’ is the opposite, it’s all about touch.

I knew the word from interface design, but now it’s being used much more widely to talk about communication through touch.

Actually this goes back to at least 1982, and ‘haptic poetry’ goes back to the Dada movement.

But it’s popped up twice this month. First in talking to one of my current clients, who offer an unusually touchable experience. And then also in the extraordinary relaunch of the Sainsbury Centre, the art museum at the University of East Anglia, where they’re overturned the museum convention ‘do not touch’. I’m going to see this for myself on Friday - can’t wait.