Tactile augmentation: Reaching for tacit knowledge

Abstract

The experiential knowledge of a practice lives within the practitioner and is out of reach for an outsider researcher. Only when practitioners have intrinsic motivation in researching their practice, can experiential knowledge reach an outside audience. The present case study is an attempt to access some of the issues forming the embodied knowledge in the act of throwing clay on a potter’s wheel. One of the researchers attempts to augment her tactile sensitivity and awareness by throwing porcelain clay blindfolded for five days. Her experience is documented and reflected upon through diaries, a contextual activity sampling system (CASS) and videos that includes thinking aloud accounts. The tentative findings reveal that the researcher was able to articulate her tactile experiences and share her experiential knowledge to a great degree. Patterns in the making, such as dividing hands into categories of active and perceiving, and metaphorical language use was identified that may be of value in an educational setting. Feelings were acknowledged as major contributors to risk assessment and decision-making in the material problem solving process.

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