refers to the complex interrelations between the sensing body and the environments we inhabit. This site brings together a collection of studies and experiments that share common lines of enquiry, driven by curiosity and experiential exploration. In investigating how we engage with constructed and natural environments, I became increasingly interested in methods for documenting their atmospheric qualities, not merely as a means of capturing the intangible, but as a way of examining ecological dimensions of experience. These encompass ways in which phenomena intersect to ground and stimulate the senses, promote a diversity of people and activities, and shape feelings of connectedness, wellbeing, curiosity and wonder.
From a design standpoint, drawing on Anne-Marie Willis (2006), Arturo Escobar (2018) and their discussions of ontological designing, Sensory Ecologies recognises that whenever we create a space, product, system, story, or event, we are simultaneously shaping ways of being in the world. By exploring these relations, I hope to better understand how we can foster richer, more rewarding modes of existence, cultivating processes that are not merely functional but inclusive, welcoming, joyful, and full of possibilities. Everyday life should feel connected and sustaining but, as Kevin Twaites (2018, p.157) highlights, we are often “hindered by a prevailing failure to recognize the intrinsic connectivity of bodily experience and thinking processes in human-environment relations.” Sensory Ecologies resist the limitations of the separation of rational and emotional experience, and the loss of connection with the human body in design decision-making.
Sensory Ecologies are anchored in subjectivity and intangibility because atmospheres are fluid, unbounded and perceived subjectively. Tim Ingold’s theory of the Meshwork in ecological anthropology comes to mind. Ingold (p.63) describes the Meshwork as “entangled lines of life, growth and movement […] the world we inhabit. [It is] not a network of connected points, but a meshwork of interwoven lines.” Here, the term ‘ecologies’ frames the human body as an organism within its environment by borrowing from Jakob von Uexküll’s theory of Umwelt. Umwelt refers to the subjective world of an organism (Kull 2001, p.7) and different organisms perceive and enact the same ‘objective’ world differently depending on their sensory capacities (Mallgrave, 2018 p.44). While von Uexküll approached this from ethology (a branch of biology that studies animal behaviour), the concept applies equally to humans, who relate to their physical environment, and to other human and non-human organisms, subjectively through the senses. The plural form, ecologies, reflects a relational plurality , emphasising multiple, interdependent relations, a meshwork of interwoven possibilties.
As I continue this journey into Sensory Ecologies, I am considering how these lines of inquiry might be further developed. A critical reorientation towards more-than-human perspectives, for instance, has led me to interrogate the frequent prioritisation of human needs as the primary locus of design. While atmospheres and the quality of human experience remain a vital concern, I am also committed to challenging conventional perspectives by de-centering dominant human narratives to foster more biodiverse connections. Through this approach, I hope to explore complex entanglements across wider living systems.
References
Escobar, A. (2018) Designs for the Pluriverse. Radical Independence, Autonomy, and the Making of Worlds. Durham and London: Duke University Press.
Ingold , T. (2011) Being Alive. Essays on Movement, Knowledge and Description. London and New York: Routledge.
Kull, K. (2001) 'Jakob von Uexkull: An introduction', Semiotica, 134(1/4), pp. 1-59.
Mallgrave, H. F. (2018) From Object to Experience. The New Culture of Architectural Design. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts.
Twaites, K. (2018) Smell Learning Environments. Introduction. In Henshaw V., McLean K, Medway D., Perkins D., Warnaby, G. Designing with Smell: practices, techniques and challenges. New York and Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Von Uexküll, J. (2001) 'An introduction to Umwelt', Semiotica, 134(1/4), pp. 107-110.
Willis, A-M (2006) ‘Ontological Designing’, Design Philosophy Papers, 4.
Related articles
These articles recall earlier writings referencing an ecological dimension.
Mace, Valerie (2022) Sensory Ecology. Designing synergies between micro and macro-scales of experience in public environments. In: Back to Human Scale International Meeting. Re-thinking Living Spaces for Tomorrow, 24-25 November 2022, Universidade Lusófona.
Mace, Valerie (2023) A phenomenological ecology of personalisation as a dimension of intimacy in the public interior. Sociétés: Revue des Sciences Humaines et Sociales, 160 (2). pp. 75-87. ISSN 1378-1863