Project two SENSORY/EMOTIONAL EXPERIMENT

For this project we have to use the same activity we had for project one (putting on/tying up your shoes) and make three sensory and emotional experiments which will change the material object and the context of the act by changing the taste, look, smell, sound and touch of the act and make them produce the moods or either rebellion, comfort, Austerity and glamor. I will look at each of them and brain storm some ideas that i could make an experiment to reflect them. 

Comfort - 

A condition or feeling of pleasurable ease, well-being, and contentment.

when I first think of comfort I think of touch and temperature, lying in a warm bed with multiple  duvets and pillows to optimize the comfort positions, removing anything that is hard, sharp and ruff. 

When thinking about comforting sounds i think of soothing sounds, nothing with a strong base or to sharp and hash, music that is slow and where the notes are slurred, lullabies. 

with taste comfort food comes to mind, food that is never good for you but makes for feel good inside for the time you consume them, such as chocolate or cake but in my case it would be quality bread or yogurt. 

smell would be a hard one to define when explaining comfort as I feel that everyone would describe it differently but for me I would think the smell of freshly cooked homemade bread or the smell as lavender as it reminds me of my grandparents house or the smell of my mothers perfume, I think when it comes to smell its more the memory the smell gives you and those three remind me of reassurance and peaceful times in my life. 

When I think of sight I think back to how I see touch; a warm padded bed which you could sit or lie in for hours and never have to move. soft shapes and forms, rolling folds on the duvet and big inflated rounded pillows 

Ideas for shoes and comfort:

• I could play around with the idea of smell, when I think of the smell of putting on shoes it never imagine it will smell very pleasant, the smell of sweaty feet and muddy shoes I could change the smell of the shoes to comforting smells, smells that remind them of reassuring times, the emotional side of comfort, in a way telling some "it will we fine" "everything will work out" "life is to short to be upset" etc. 
• if looking at taste I know that you don't really taste when you are putting on your shoes as who wants to eat there shoes but I could make the users have some form of comforting food every time they put on their shoes and see if it changes their experience for example they always have to have a square of chocolate every time. 
• I found when looking at the five people in the last project that most of them found it hard to explain the sound aspect of the act so I could create an experiment that would help inherence it, as a lot of the time when you are putting on your shoes you are in a hurry trying to get out of the door in the mornings so your a bit stressed to make the whole act more comforting I could play soft and soothing music with a slow pace this might cram the people down resulting in making the whole activity more comforting. 
• Touch is a big factor in tying up your laces as it becomes second nature to tie them up and you sometimes don't even look at what you are doing and rely on touch to find your way around tying the laces into a bow. it might be hard to create something that is unique to touch for creating the mood of comfort but still keeping it so you can complete the task, you could make the shoe its self comfortable like a slipper with laces but I feel that will be hard to strongly expose comfort. I could also change the texture of the laces like making them out of a soft fabric or change the temperature of the laces so when you are tying the bow it will feel different then normal. 
• Like touch changing the look of the act will be hard to create comfort as they both are the two dominate senses used to tie up and put on your shoes so changing it to radically could effect the whole task and I feel they interrelate when it comes to comfort so you make something look comfortable you would want something that look warm and inviting, something that would protect you and make you feel better. I could look at different shapes and forms and see what ones look more comforting, such as would rounded edges or soft lines represent the mood by changing the shape and form of the shoe.

Glamour - 

The quality of fascinating, alluring, or attracting, especially by acombination of charm and good looks.   

When first think of Glamour I think of some one suited up ready to go out to a classy event head to tail perfection. I feel that sight is the main sense when it comes to glamour in the way you are inspired to be perfect, formal, confidence and classy and I feel that is has a strong feminine approach  as most males aren't going to say they feel glamourous when they are suited up they are going to say they feel classy or handsome and also when you are feeling glamourous you aren't going to do any of those stereotypical  masculine activities like go run in the mud or go oil up are car, I feel its a sense of pride and status to feel glamourous and most people ant feel like this it most days of their lives. I looked up glamour in google to see what other people thought glamor looked like and a lot of photos and images showed females done up in fashionable clothing and their make up done perfectly with perfect lighting to bring out  their features.
Smells that I associate with glamourous I think would be the smell of perfume to be specific a really sweet smelling perfume or that coconut chocolate smell of fake tan or the strong smell of nail polish, I feel that the smell of glamour is the smell of the products you use to get ready to look glamourous.
The sound of glamour is a hard one to describe I feel it would be quite abstract and everyone would have a different approach of what it is, I would say the sound would be that cheesy music they play in movies when the girl walks now the stairs all dressed up to go to the ball or prom or another high class event when they have been transformed into Cinderella and every turn and watches her walk down the stairs in owe.
I feel that glamourous would taste richly sweet a little but to over the top sugar coated. I can picture it as  a overly rich chocolate cake with chocolate icing and covered in strawberries where you would only want one small slice as you can see you teeth growing cavities just looking at it.
Touch is a difficult one to talk about as I feel its quite hard to touch glamour but I would feel glamours with the different types of materials used used with in the upper class, high class event industry such as the soft smooth touch of silk or satin, or the touch of the fakeness of some of the adds on to looking glamourous such as the plastic feel of fake eye lashes and hair or the feel of fake nails when you are tying to use to hands and they get in the way.

Ideas of Glamour for laces and shoes:

• one Idea to create glamour when tying up your shoes would have music on when doing them up that music used in the moves it could result in the person feeling more glamorous about the act making it feel more important and proud to be putting on the shoes.
• For touch I could change the fabrics used like use satin laces to have that soft smoothness run through your fingers, or when you are putting on shoes to feel glamorous i feel that heel make you feel more glamourous so I could try see if people feel different when putting on heels to sneakers or I could make it so people put on shoes at the angle the heels are at and see if that makes people feel more glamourous. 
• Smell I was thinking making the shoes smell like what you would think glamour smells like, such as the smell of a sweet perfume 
• I want to know if you would feel more glamourous putting on your shoes after you have had a glamourous meal or have had five start meal out making you feel powerful and important, would you feel more glamourous???
• If you were given shoes with a higher status or value would you feel more glamourous? in reality at most of the time a branded shoe is only different in its look so if you piked a shoe that looked more expensive then another would you feel more glamourous when putting it on??

Rebellion -

Is defined as; an act or a show of defiance toward an authority or established convention. dissent from an accepted moral code or convention of behavior, dress, etc.

• 
  

Austerity - 

austere quality; severity of manner, life, etc.; sternness.

Findings

When I was looking at every one, I was amazed at how differently they all tied their shoes. I didn't think that there were so many ways to do it as it is an everyday activity, but people did it very differently, ranging from Caitlin who just did two knots to Oliver takes the time to make sure they are done perfectly so they don't come undone or tighten when he is running.

When talking to and observing them I noticed a reoccurring pattern to the same senses being used in this act. The two main ones used where touch and sight but each person looked at them slightly differently. I found that most of them took the time to make sure the laces were symmetrical with even length bows on both sides. They also used sight to know what they are doing for example loosening the laces and lifting up the tongue to put their foot into the shoe or picking up the laces to start tying them up. 

Even though everybody talked about sight being their main sense when putting on their shoes, when observing them I found that they used touch more. When I watched them push their feet into the shoes, I could see the tension and force required to push their feet in their shoes using touch to navigate their feet into them and making sure they line up correctly. They also used touch to navigate their way around tying up their laces, as it has become second nature to them. They used touch to find the lace when it threaded through the knot and when they are tightening up the shoe by pulling the laces. They do this all by touch as they cannot see what is going on as their hands get in the way.Only Oliver used smell for this act as he smelled his shoes before putting them on his feet. This was a habit, and all the others found it unhygienic or not a normal act to do when tying up their shoes. Only Mitch and Allie talked about sound when it came to it, and they both saw it differently. One talked about the sound the shoes made in the environment while the other talked about the sound the shoes actually made. The others didn't think any sound was associated with the act of putting on shoes.
None of them talked about taste, as none of them thought it was a main sense associated with tying up your shoes and they found it hard to talk about. 

An obviation I found quite interesting when observing them was that everyone apart from Allie put their right foot into their shoes first.

How do you tie yours?

Allie.

Allie is a 20 year old sociology student.

Video:

Her story:

I don't enjoy tying my laces so I tend to tie them in a rush, even if I'm not in a hurry. Because of this they are prone to coming undone throughout the day, so I end up having to tie them more than once. I favour the 'kids' method, with the bunny ears- but I've also been shown the 'grown ups' way. I like it when I'm shoe shopping and the sales person ties the shoes really nicely, pulling the laces individually, so they fit like a glove- but I can never be bothered to do this myself. One thing I do like to make sure of it checking that the laces are symmetric and the knot is nice, other wise I feel off balance. I really should put more effort into tying my shoes. I don't smell or taste my shoes as I don't think that that should be a normal act. when tying my shoes I can hear the sounds of the lacers as I pull them throw the holes but it isn't a very loud sound.

Allie struggled with the task of explaining her story behind tying her lacers she couldn't think of how it effected all of her senses as it was an everyday activity she docent use the senses. but when watching her I could see that she dose use touch and sight to complete the task.

Drawing

Rona.

Rona is a 19 year old marketing student

Video:

Story on the shoes:

When I tie my shoelaces I always tie my right foot first, this is just out of habit. I like my laces to be tight because I hate the feeling that they would slip off, so I make sure they are the perfect tightness before I start to actually tie the knot. When I tie my chucks I have the knot on the outside rather than on the inside as they are high tops and would look silly if the knot was done inside. I double knot my laces because my mum had taught me as a child to do this for a more secure knot and also my laces are too long, so if I didn't do this I would trip over them. I like to tie both of my shoelaces to be in the middle and look somewhat the same as each other as I have OCD with this kind of thing. Then I am tying up my shoes I don't really look at them and mainly focus on touch when finding the lacers and making them into a bow, I also have to rely on touch as I cant see what happening as my fingers are in the way.

Rona's main sense was touch she relied on touch to guide her throw tying up the lacers and also when watching her tie them up you can see that she takes the time to make sure her shoes are as tight as possible and it was also interesting watching her as she pull the loops through the knot as she wiggles it through with quite a focus to make sure it is tight and also to make sure there is enough rope to double knot it.

Drawing:

Mitch.

Mitch is a 19 accounting student

Video:

Story behind the act:

I taught myself to tie my laces when I was younger, as I struggled with dexterity and couldn't work out the traditional method. I do this by making bunny ears, and then knot those two together. After doing this, I make the two loops the same size on each foot. This makes me feel more comfortable with how they look as I like things to be symmetrical. Other people have tried to teach me the traditional method recently but I found I was more comfortable doing it my way because it's better. I don't like the laces to be too tight around my feet, but I don't like them so loose so that they slip as i walk. I always like the sound of the shoes when I put them on on wooden floors when the ground crocks with the different pressure I apply when tying up my shoes. I don't like to smell or taste my shoes because that's a little unhygienic.

Mitch really focuses on the look of his shoes when he is doing them up, he doest like them to be asymmetric and spends the time to make them match up, he had A different approach at explaining how he tied up his shoes as he had to teach him self, I was more personal as he never had a connection with some one on how properly to teach him how to tie them as a kid so he had to look at how how other people and find a way to make it look like theirs, so he had to create the look of them him self.

Drawing

Caitlin.

Caitlin is a 19 year old full time worker
Video:

Story behind tying up laces:

The way I tie my shoes has changed over the years depending on the type of shoe. It has developed with the changes in fashion since I was young and how ideal the technique is for each specific shoe. I tie my vans this specific way because after they are on I do not need to think about the laces anymore. For an example, if they come undone and I trip over them or if they get dirty. They are tucked away safely in my shoes and are not a concern. I always put my right shoe on first and have done that since I first learnt to tie my shoe laces. I do this because I am right handed and also a little OCD. I like my shoes to not be too tight but tight enough for them to stay on my feet. I always wear socks with my vans. I find it uncomfortable without and they tend to decrease smell.

Caitlin felt that sight was the main part associated with putting on your shoes and how it looked in the end result as she didn't want the lacers to be seen and touched them into her shoe after she had double knotted them. When watching her tie them I could see that touch played a big part in the way she tied them up as she would keep the lacers loose for the first knot, not have to much tension on the rope and then when it came to the second knot she would pull it tighter making sure it wouldn't move.

The drawing:

Oliver.

The first person I looked at was Oliver a 19 year old science student who does competitive running  so focuses a lot on how he ties his lacers. I first videoed him doing the task:

I then asked him to explain the story behind tying up his lacer and to think about the senses when doing it.


The way I tie my shoes has been influenced a lot by my running. I tend to smell my shoes before I put them on- it’s a bit of a habit. I like my shoes to feel really firm around my feet, so I tend to put in the extra effort to pull the laces tight. This isn’t always possible, though, as I’m often in a hurry, so my shoe tying suffers. I was taught this method of tying my shoelaces by my athletics coach. It’s much the same as the traditional knot and loop method, except I loop clockwise instead of anticlockwise. This creates a reef knot, and the cool thing about it is it never comes undone. It’s handy for long runs, or in races when I can’t afford for my laces to come undone. And that’s how I tie my shoes.

I felt that he experienced touch and sight the most when tying up his shoes with smell playing a miner part in the act as it was a habit in smelling them before putting them on. I also felt that Oliver had a different approach to the other people as he sees tying up his shoes as an important part of running he has to make sure they are done up tight for support and also so they don't come undone when running.

I felt to show how they did their lacers I would document it in illustrations as it was simple, unique and easy to follow.  this is the one I made of oliver:

SENSORY ETHNOGRAPHY- tying shoes

I decided to look at tying shoe lases for my sensory ethnography as I wanted to see if people tied them up differently, like making little bows, double bows, bunny ears knot, aways left foot first or anything else unique. and I also wanted to know why they did that and the ask about the main sences they experienced when putting on there shoes and tying up their lasers.

I looked at five people; Allie, Oliver, Caitlin, Mitch and Rona. I first Videoed them putting on there shoes looking at how they did them differently to each other and I felt if I got it on camera it might show things that they do subconsciously and don't even realise that they are doing. I also asked them to explain their story behind tying their lasers, why they tie it that way, how they do it and how it effect the sensors. I found it difficult to explain to them how to talk about their sensors as they had never thought of it so most of them only talked about the touch of how tight they tied the lasers and for sight they talked about why they like to look of their lasers being tied in their unique way.

The most effective way I think to portray my finding is in the form of a book, the way I was going to make it unique is the way it will be laid out. i was going to use illustrations of how each person tied their lacers differently as i thought photos would be to hard to show as peoples hands would get in the way so if I use illustrations I can draw them without having the hands blocking the lacers. I will also use drawings of lacers as a fun and different way to highlight different parts in the book, like faming peoples faces with illustrations of lacers. 

Some of the illustrations I may use.

I was alos think of binding the book with show lacers and so to get into the book you have untie the lacers making a fun and interactive way to open the book it also gives the reader the opportunity to look at how they tie their shoes.