Laurent Campagnolle

Through the Senses, Making Sense

RECONNECTING THROUGH THE SENSES… If you think that the next structuring wave of our society will be data, change your perspective… Because the more digital technology connects us technically, reducing time and distance, the more it disconnects us from the moment, from ourselves, and from others. Our sensory part is thus almost unused in our work environment or in public spaces; it is often even sidelined. The risk? A break. The all-digital approach contributes to our disempowerment by automating decisions and relationships. Yet, human beings possess all the qualities of digital. They analyze, communicate, collaborate, and function in networks. Moreover, they feel, are capable of intuition, sensitivity, creativity, conviction, and empathy. The sensory will therefore be the next structuring wave of our society. It must regain its place at the heart of our workspaces and public spaces, whether in relation to our environment, internal relationships, or the connections woven with clients or individuals. Neuroscience confirms the inseparability of the sensory and reason in human beings. We are intelligible and sensitive beings; our balance depends on this complementarity. "Emotion facilitates knowledge through the processes of perception, attention, memorization, and decision-making that it triggers," says David Sander, a professor at the University of Geneva. Some companies or public institutions will choose to be pioneers of this movement of reconnection of meaning through the senses. With sensory designers, I founded the Résonances workshop to realize this vision. We have intervened in the public sector (Créteil hospital), large retail (Decathlon), luxury (Château Kirwan ~ DS ~ Cosmetic Valley), and communication (Shadow agency), to create moments of collective reconnection and team cohesion, or to sensorialize places, sustainably or temporarily.