Tactile Animation: Haptic Devices and the Svankmajer

Abstract

Czech Surrealist and animator Jan vankmajer has experimented with tactility as a sensory modality that can kindle affect by analogy. His approach to tactile experience is also as far removed from the aims and applications of computational theories of haptic perception as one could imagine. This article elaborates on the difference between objects that feel life-like through the incorporation of touch in multimodal tele-interaction, and the way Svankmajer conveys the vitality of objects through touch.