Felt sense through auditory display: A design case study into sound for somatic awareness while walking

Walking is an everyday act that we, as humans, often take for granted. To walk requires the synergy of somatosensory, neurological and physiological processes for us to move at a regular pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn. It can be argued that walking is also a source of creativity and exploration when conducted as an intentional act of somatic or self-awareness. This design case study aims to explore the kinds of somatic awareness and aesthetic engagement of walking apparent through the introduction of a pressure mediated sound generating surface with a group of Feldenkrais movement practitioners. These explorations reveal that there is an awareness of tempo and rhythm during the step cycle. This awareness takes on an internal focus as shifts in attention and bodily organization. Another key finding is that exploration and play are enabled due to the rich timbral qualities of the pressure mediated auditory feedback. The significance and contribution in this work is in the implications it has for the design of technologies that support kinaesthetic awareness through aesthetic and exploratory strategies.