Deep Sensing

Challenging the primacy of analytical thought in Western epistemology, this chapter explores the potential of Deep Sensing to cultivate richer, more embodied aesthetic experience in multisensory art. Drawing on Michel Serres’ critique of analysis as “destruction”, it argues that conventional sensory evaluation methods, focused on dissection and categorisation, can obscure the holistic and crossmodal nature of perception. Deep Sensing, a contemplative methodology integrating meditation, mindfulness, and Pauline Oliveros’ practice of Deep Listening, is proposed as a transformative alternative, cultivating crossmodal attention and non-judgemental awareness. This approach enables intuitive, integrated engagement with sensory phenomena, exemplified in the concept of sensory terroir. Drawing on autoethnographic practice and interdisciplinary insights, the chapter demonstrates how Deep Sensing might enhance both artistic creation and aesthetic reception, revealing deeper crossmodal connections. It advocates for an aesthetic practice that values synthesis and embodied awareness alongside analytical discernment, offering a new path for engaging with multisensory art across disciplines.