Lotte Meeuwissen
Lotte Meeuwissen is a designer and researcher exploring the role of the ‘other’ senses in the visually dominant world we live in. In 2016, Lotte became fascinated by ’embodied cognition,’ a theory showing how our thinking is shaped by physical experience. For example, scientific research shows that holding a warm cup of coffee makes us perceive strangers as warmer and friendlier than when we hold a cold drink. This is because our brain associates physical warmth with emotional warmth. This is just one of many examples demonstrating how the senses, emotions, behavior, and language are interconnected.
Lotte uses her knowledge on this subject to bring a fresh perspective on inclusivity within the design world. With a sensitive approach that guards against cognitive overstimulation, Lotte designs products that create space for the natural curiosity people have to learn. To increase equal opportunities and the joy of learning, she promotes ’embodied learning’ through her work – a method where cognitive, emotional, and physical learning processes complement and support each other.
After completing a propaedeutic year in communication sciences at the University of Amsterdam, Lotte graduated in 2017 from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. She has experience in a wide range of contexts, having undertaken projects for corporate companies like Danone, NGOs such as UNICEF, and participated in a research project at the University of Stavanger in Norway.
Example: Core Value as a Multisensory Object
What if we could see, feel, and even smell the core values for the energy transition of the Municipality of Amsterdam? Scientific research shows that our thinking is shaped by physical experience. This means that language is influenced by, and perhaps even originates from, the experiences we have through our senses.
During the workshop, the team from the Municipality of Amsterdam worked on tracing the core values back to their sensory experiences: they made the meaning of the core value literally tangible. By exploring the sensory associations they have with the core value, participants chose a scent, color, and shape that represents the core value. This ensured that participants not only think of something when considering the core value but also feel and experience something. These sensory elements were designed into a multisensory object. The object was placed in the office and can be used during meetings to ‘smell’ the core value again.