In Praise of Shadows: Sensibility and Somaesthetic Appreciation for Shadows in Interaction Design

Paper in proceeding, 2024

Wherever there is light, there is shadow — an inevitable immaterial material, with an undeniable presence in interaction gestalt. Inspired by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s book In Praise of Shadows, we report on our journey towards building a sensibility and somaesthetic appreciation for shadows physically, metaphorically, and poetically. To investigate the idea of cultivating attentiveness to shadows, we embarked on a “dérive”-inspired adventure, gathering frst-person perceptions and photographs of tables. We analysed these examples of tables and their shadows in order to inform the development of a project on interactive tables. Along with the artifact collection, we present a set of concepts, an initial prototype, and refections on our own experience in developing this sensibility. We discuss shadows as a design material and an example of a design sensibility: a skill that can be sparked, fostered, and ultimately embedded.