By Arife Dila Demir
First Published Year: 2023 | Language: English
Extended [Textile] Soma: Somaesthetics Of Bodily Discomforts
Arife Dila Demir’s dissertation, Extended [Textile] Soma: Somaesthetics of Bodily Discomforts (2023), investigates how design can engage with chronic pain and bodily discomfort as meaningful, transformative experiences rather than problems to be solved. Grounded in somaesthetics and phenomenology, the study views the body as a sensory and reflective medium through which we understand ourselves and the world. Demir proposes a new framework called “Designing with Discomfort,” which encourages acceptance and embodied engagement with pain through movement, awareness, and material interaction. Using interactive wearable textiles—termed “soma extensions”—she explores how these artefacts can externalize the felt qualities of pain, creating tangible and sensory dialogues between the body and its discomfort. The research combines research-through-design, autoethnography, and first-person inquiry, drawing from Demir’s own experiences with chronic pain. Three case studies—Squeaky/Pain, Caring Companion, and Pain Creature—demonstrate different approaches to translating, engaging with, and adapting to bodily discomfort through interactive textiles. The dissertation contributes to Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) and textile design by expanding soma design theory to include discomfort and proposing methods for designing artefacts that promote bodily awareness and empathy. Ultimately, Demir suggests that by designing with and through discomfort, we can develop new ways of being-in-the-world—cultivating understanding, acceptance, and deeper connection with our embodied selves.
