Tacit Narratives: Surfacing Aesthetic Meaning by Using Wearable Props and Focusing

Although not always consciously collected, bodily information shapes the way we construct meaning. By paying attention towards the subtle changes of the soma, it is possible to access part of the ongoing source of meaning and self-knowledge contained in the inner self. In this paper, we describe how the use of wearable devices to amplify direct perception in conjunction with the somatic technique Focusing can facilitate the articulation of the tacit dimension of people's experiences. The perceptible feedback generated by wearable props opens up a dialogue space between the soma and intellect, acting as a facilitator to connect people with unknown aesthetic aspects of their personal stories. Beyond mere amplification of sensation, wearable technology can potentially assist in the ongoing human process of meaning-generation.