DiscReTe - Transdisciplinary research project

The DiscReTe project (Disconnections and Relationships mediated through Intimate Technologies) is part of the postdoc project of Dr. Michaela Honauer, Designing Intimate Technologies through Dance and I am part of the team as a choreographer and performer.

Project aims

Supporting social connection

The research is grounded in a case of a person experiencing physical disabilities which impact their ability to communicate and connect with other people. Informed by an investigation and understanding of this person’s challenges, the project develops a wearable to support persons with diverse communication needs in navigating social interactions, setting personal boundaries, and conveying their needs to others effectively.* The wearable is intended to address feelings of disconnection by facilitating nuanced, context-sensitive communication through the expressive capacities facilitated by the digitally-controlled technology embedded in the wearable.

* The wearable is not intended to be used as such in daily life. Rather, it is a poetic interpretation of how wearable technology might support social connection, aiming to provide a foundation and inspiration for further development of such technologies.

Designing through dance

The project combines transdisciplinary and participatory approaches, such as design through dance, to develop the intimate wearable technology. The team combines expertise in computer science & AI, design research, wearable design, engineering and inclusive performing arts to realise its aims (see below for a full list of contributors and roles).

The role of dance in this project is two-fold. First, it is used throughout the design process to explore human-technology partnership in social interactions and vulnerability-aware Intimate Technologies. Second, we present the wearable in a dance performance which is an artistic interpretation of the role of such technology in supporting social connection.