From Haptic Deprivation to Haptic Possibilities

  Touch? Physical contact? Haptic sense? Haphe?

Whichever term you would like to use, can we talk about it or, more importantly,

can we practise touch as an embodied, creative and caring method without someone else's contact? 

A COVID-responsive practice-as-research project that continues its journey and contributions.

 Haptic possibilities in actor training

 You can witness aspects of the project in actor training through the open-access article:

Tactile renegotiations in actor training: What the pandemic taught us about touch 

 *the article builds upon the blog posts: Haptic possibilities: practising physical contact as part of online actor training, Haptic possibilities: practising physical contact as part of physically-distanced actor training 

 Haptic possibilities beyond actor training

Since November 2022, I have been collaborating with various community, arts, and health hubs offering different formats of the in-person group workshop Are We Still in Touch?. The activities use self-directed touch and experientally invite each active participant to consider:

What is my current relation to physical contact or touch? 
Can I get the benefits of contact even when I am not in touch with someone else? 

I discovered a new, nourishing relationship with self-touch. I did not believe before it could offer me deep soothing
and attunement...but I realise it was through the delicateness of attention....being so careful, caring, and curious
allowed a new world to open up to me.

Before, I immediately made the connection that physical contact includes interaction with others, touch with others.
But it was surprisingly therapeutic to physically connect with myself. 

 You can witness aspects of the project beyond actor training through the open-access article:

I touch-I breathe-I move-I voice-I speak: Somatic logos toward social care 

  Haptic possibilities in...

 haptic technology interactive installations

click on the image to access a blog post for TaPRA PaR Gallery 2022

performance-as-research (PaR)

click on the images to access videos

 collaborations with

Judah Attille on her film A Considered Cut

Christina Karpodini on her project Sonically Touchable

presentations/contributions to the events:

Contemporary Rituals and Participatory Events, University of Essex (May 2024)

Performing Care & Carelessness, University of Otago-New Zealand (February 2024)

Haptic Possibilities: Interactive Re-embodiments, TaPRA 2022 PaR Gallery (September 2022)

Off touch-off balance: are we still in touch?, TaPRA 2021 PaR Gallery (September 2021)

Health and Medical Humanities: Pandemic Research in a Post-Pandemic World, University of Essex (September 2021)

Lifelong Health and Physical Contact, Cross University Research Event-Lifelong Health, University of Essex (February 2021)

Teaching Movement Online: Experiences & Challenges, Healthy Conservatoires Network (February 2021)