How can I justify this title? Well, some few months ago, I visited the ASMR exhibition at the Design Museum and given that it was all about special sounds that make you feel ‘good’, ‘multisensory’ seems to fit the bill. Below are a small number of photos, which will probably mystify more than enlighten!
I must confess I did not ‘get’ any ASMR sensations, so the whole experience felt a bit like an emperor’s new clothes exhibition. We all dutifully queued to rub make-up brushes against mikes and lean into the sound armed with big headphones, but, sorry, nothing more came to me than the comic potential of the scene! Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t unpleasant in any way, but what I valued most was the opportunity to explore a cultural venue with my daughter, and to have the excuse to sit in a weird cushioned space after a tiring morning walking through Notting Hill and watch YouTube (videos of strange white poodle-mix breeds going for pretty intensive haircuts).
Here’s the proof that we earned our ‘down time’ in the soft space – pics from the fringes of Portobello Market, which felt a bit gray and seedy, perhaps influenced the weather, so the photos I have taken feasted on the color that was available.
After all that, what was the highlight of the day? A good old classic – visiting the lovely Liberty department store on Regent Street, full of various treasures, and then heading out into energy of Carnaby Street. That’s what multisensory really means.