Toward a New Common Sense: Proposal for the Creation of a Multisensory Collaboratory for the Enhancement of Individual and Collective Well-Being

Guest lecture by David Howes (Concordia University & McGill University, Montreal).

Abstract

The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. There are two main problems with the WHO definition. First, we question the idea of health being a state – rather, it is a balancing act (as many Asian medical traditions insist): it is never complete, always fluctuating. Second, we regard the WHO definition as lacking sense. We propose that the quest for sensory well-being has an equally vital role in creating conditions for all beings (s) to flourish.

Hence, this talk proposes the establishment of a ‘Multisensory Collaboratory’ or forum for investigating the interdependency of bio- and bio-climatic diversity, social and cultural diversity, sensory diversity (including ‘disability’) and neurodiversity. I propose that we call on designers to ‘come to their senses’ and create ‘sensory-friendly zones’ for multiple publics and species, as the sine qua non for forging a new consensus (literally, ‘with the senses’) concerning the instatement of lasting (‘green’ or sustainable) ecological, multicultural and multispecies environments.

This transformative perception is a necessary paradigm shift in the era of anthropogenic climate, heightened social divisiveness, digital distraction, and the commons' poverty.

Bio

David Howes is a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Concordia University and an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Law at McGill University, Montreal. He is also Co-Director of the Concordia Centre for Sensory Studies. Howes is a legal anthropologist, a pioneer of the anthropology of the senses and a leading theorist in the interdisciplinary field of sensory studies. He is currently directing a project called ‘Explorations in Sensory Design’. Recent books include The Sensory Studies Manifesto (2022), Sensorial Investigations (2023) and Sensorium (2024).