Abstract
This article introduces Attuned Design Practice (ADP) as an umbrella term for studying embodied knowledge at the intersection of artistic and scientific inquiry. It addresses an epistemological gap across design and human–computer interaction, dance and somatics, and disability studies. Building on an existing framework of embodied knowing, we examine domain-specific traditions and expose the threshold between these knowledge domains. We propose Open Rehearsals as experimental settings for co-performance among human and non-human actors. Within this context, attunement is introduced as a performative materiality that enables relational, situated, and operational forms of understanding across disciplines. An eighteen-month field study in design, performing arts, and engineering reveals recurring dynamics and patterns of interaction. Rather than defining a fixed framework, ADP is presented as a sensitizing approach, offering provisional vocabularies and analytical entry points for future research toward inclusive and transferable embodied knowledge.
Keywords
attunement, embodied knowledge, design vocabulary, open rehearsal
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2360
Citation
Olthof, A.M., Verlinden, J., and Ben Allouch, S. (2026) Attuned design practice: Embodied knowledge as a design vocabulary at the intersection of artistic and scientific inquiry., in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2360
Creative Commons License
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Included in
Attuned design practice: Embodied knowledge as a design vocabulary at the intersection of artistic and scientific inquiry.
This article introduces Attuned Design Practice (ADP) as an umbrella term for studying embodied knowledge at the intersection of artistic and scientific inquiry. It addresses an epistemological gap across design and human–computer interaction, dance and somatics, and disability studies. Building on an existing framework of embodied knowing, we examine domain-specific traditions and expose the threshold between these knowledge domains. We propose Open Rehearsals as experimental settings for co-performance among human and non-human actors. Within this context, attunement is introduced as a performative materiality that enables relational, situated, and operational forms of understanding across disciplines. An eighteen-month field study in design, performing arts, and engineering reveals recurring dynamics and patterns of interaction. Rather than defining a fixed framework, ADP is presented as a sensitizing approach, offering provisional vocabularies and analytical entry points for future research toward inclusive and transferable embodied knowledge.