Comments on: Introducing touch as culture http://www.nearfield.org/2006/10/introducing-touch-as-culture Interaction with RFID and NFC Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:51:48 +0000 hourly 1 By: The rituals of touching · Touch http://www.nearfield.org/2006/10/introducing-touch-as-culture/comment-page-1#comment-935 The rituals of touching · Touch Wed, 20 Dec 2006 14:46:34 +0000 http://www.nearfield.org/2006/10/introducing-touch-as-culture#comment-935 [...] Charlie’s perspective continues to inspire me in Touch in art and elsewhere, a small online exhibition he’s just curated for low-fi.org.uk: “Recently, for various reasons, I have become interested in the question of touch, in art and elsewhere. We live in a world in which the ways in which we can communicate with each other become more and more immaterial, incorporeal and virtual, particularly through the increased use and greater ubiquity of digital technologies. In this context touch is often occluded and, at the same time, overly fetishised. In the last half century or so, there has been an increasing interest in touch in art, especially in relation to performance and telematic works, that may be a response to the increasing virtualisation of culture, though the question of touch can be traced in far older works, particularly some of those dealing with the life of Christ, which is, whether we are religious or otherwise, the founding myth of Western culture, and which has determined much of our understanding of questions of presence and absence, corporeality and spirituality, and our relation to the senses and thus to touch.” From Titian’s Noli me Tangere to examples of museum “look but don’t touch” policies, Charlie draws attention to many of the themes central to our current Touchpædia project. Touchpædia v1.0 is planned for a late January release, and here are just some of the topics it, um, touches on: bodies, commodities, contamination, control, femininity, healing, labour, pleasure, sports… Like Charlie, I’m interested in cultural practices surrounding what can, and cannot, touch. Applied to RFID and Near-Field Communication, this becomes a question of connecting some things and disconnecting others. Put another way: whether we’re concerned with issues of technological privacy or publicity in our everyday lives, I believe we’re well served by a stronger understanding of cross-cultural examples of ritualised contact and avoidance. It’s my hope that the Touchpædia will be a step in that direction, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it might lead. [...] [...] Charlie’s perspective continues to inspire me in Touch in art and elsewhere, a small online exhibition he’s just curated for low-fi.org.uk: “Recently, for various reasons, I have become interested in the question of touch, in art and elsewhere. We live in a world in which the ways in which we can communicate with each other become more and more immaterial, incorporeal and virtual, particularly through the increased use and greater ubiquity of digital technologies. In this context touch is often occluded and, at the same time, overly fetishised. In the last half century or so, there has been an increasing interest in touch in art, especially in relation to performance and telematic works, that may be a response to the increasing virtualisation of culture, though the question of touch can be traced in far older works, particularly some of those dealing with the life of Christ, which is, whether we are religious or otherwise, the founding myth of Western culture, and which has determined much of our understanding of questions of presence and absence, corporeality and spirituality, and our relation to the senses and thus to touch.” From Titian’s Noli me Tangere to examples of museum “look but don’t touch” policies, Charlie draws attention to many of the themes central to our current Touchpædia project. Touchpædia v1.0 is planned for a late January release, and here are just some of the topics it, um, touches on: bodies, commodities, contamination, control, femininity, healing, labour, pleasure, sports… Like Charlie, I’m interested in cultural practices surrounding what can, and cannot, touch. Applied to RFID and Near-Field Communication, this becomes a question of connecting some things and disconnecting others. Put another way: whether we’re concerned with issues of technological privacy or publicity in our everyday lives, I believe we’re well served by a stronger understanding of cross-cultural examples of ritualised contact and avoidance. It’s my hope that the Touchpædia will be a step in that direction, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it might lead. [...]

]]> By: matt loader http://www.nearfield.org/2006/10/introducing-touch-as-culture/comment-page-1#comment-240 matt loader Thu, 19 Oct 2006 12:11:22 +0000 http://www.nearfield.org/2006/10/introducing-touch-as-culture#comment-240 Hi Anne, I'm still alive in a different incarnation (corporate communications- a real servant of Satan!)..... Not studying, but still keeping my eyes open, and delighted to hear of your new touchy feely studies Automotive interior design is very much concerned with touch,, and I will try to obtain the metrics the guys here at Nissan use, also to find out a bit more about how they conceptualise within the commercial environment. I'm also thinking that the 'touch as contamination' thread really takes off when you look at Japanese interpersonal relationships..... Just random thoughts as always.... but then again, I've always been a bit 'touched' (ouch! I couldn't resist.... forgive?) matt Hi Anne,
I’m still alive in a different incarnation (corporate communications- a real servant of Satan!).....
Not studying, but still keeping my eyes open, and delighted to hear of your new touchy feely studies
Automotive interior design is very much concerned with touch,, and I will try to obtain the metrics the guys here at Nissan use, also to find out a bit more about how they conceptualise within the commercial environment.
I’m also thinking that the ‘touch as contamination’ thread really takes off when you look at Japanese interpersonal relationships…..
Just random thoughts as always…. but then again, I’ve always been a bit ‘touched’ (ouch! I couldn’t resist…. forgive?)
matt

]]> By: cati http://www.nearfield.org/2006/10/introducing-touch-as-culture/comment-page-1#comment-218 cati Fri, 13 Oct 2006 17:44:12 +0000 http://www.nearfield.org/2006/10/introducing-touch-as-culture#comment-218 Hi Anne, It is great to hear you are working on touch! I am now designing haptic systems to transmit a sense of touch. On a collaborative project I focused on touch therapy: squeezing, holding, but now I independently research on various physical stimuli. Touch is starting to be used in mental health treatment ... Hope we can chat soon about your new work, cati Hi Anne,

It is great to hear you are working on touch!
I am now designing haptic systems to transmit a sense of touch. On a collaborative project I focused on touch therapy: squeezing, holding, but now I independently research on various physical stimuli. Touch is starting to be used in mental health treatment …

Hope we can chat soon about your new work,
cati

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