Watching an object changing its (orientational) attitude allows us to simulate a similar, imaginative sense of orientation. Observing an object at an equilibrium of balance may not enable us to experience explicit kinaesthetic empathy. Once the object becomes unbalanced, however, we can suddenly detect the sense of imbalance and imagine more easily the kinaesthetic sensations of holding a similar posture.
The kinaesthetic element of rotation refers to the centrifugal force experienced in moving along a curved line, such as running along such a line, or rotation, such as a ballet dancer spinning on pointed toes or an athlete throwing a hammer, or passengers riding spinning teacups in a fairground attraction. Regardless of whether the rotation is a full 360 degrees or only part of it, there is a sense of inertia felt in the direction toward the opposite of the centre of the curve.
As we move our bodies, the shape of the space we ‘feel’ we occupy, akin to what is known as ‘personal space’, can change according to one’s posture, although it is not possible to radically change the physical mass of a human body in a short time. The element of volume refers to the sense of this space. This type of sense is perhaps most noticeable when it is invaded by something, or someone, else.
The element of vibration refers to the sensation of rapid shaking, where one perceives the repetition not as separate strokes but as an integrated whole. One might experience it when feeling cold, nervous or furious, shaking a spray can, cycling on a bumpy road, and so on. Observing vibration in objects could evoke this type of kinaesthetic empathy from the observer.
The element of gravity refers to the sensation that derives from the awareness of natural, vertical gravitational force. It is experienced in a broad range of situations, not only in free fall but also in jumping, falling over, riding on a swing, sitting on a rocking chair, being in a lift that starts to ascend, descend or stop, and so forth.
While many other elements are mostly about internal stimuli, the element of hapticity concerns physical contact between surfaces. Looking at, or even just hearing, a door slammed shut, one can imagine feeling the collision between various dynamics and materiality, such as the impact between the door and the frame, air being squashed and blowing through the gap between the door and the frame, and the metal door-latch quickly sliding into the lip strike.
The structural element known as a ‘joint’ or ‘hinge’ refers to a point at which separate rigid objects are connected while allowing certain movement. These elements often exist to enable movement in parts of everyday objects, such as the bending points of a desk lamp, the hinge of a laptop and the connections between a door and a door frame. The human body also has similar structures, known as joints, or articulations, such as the shoulder, spine, wrist, finger, knee and neck, although these body parts vary in structure and the degree of freedom they afford. These points of articulation are constructed to move freely within, but not beyond, certain degrees and directions. The element of articulation refers to the unique sensation of moving such skeletal structures.
We know how our body itself can move elastically, when bending, twisting and inflating. When we stretch our body, we feel both the physical effort required to stretch the parts of the body and the sensation of the tensional force while being stretched. Likewise, it is also possible for us to imagine the tensional force simply by watching the behaviour of the material, especially if we are familiar with the material of the object we are observing. The felt sense of the tensional force while watching a physical phenomenon is what the element of tension refers to.
In & out is involved in actions such as inhaling and exhaling, eating, drinking, vomiting and excretion. It is concerned with our body’s relationship with objects and materials external to it, especially where they move from the outside to the inside, and vice versa, of the body. Everyday examples include a kettle emitting vapour from its spout or whistling, water flowing out of a hose, and a vacuum cleaner sucking dust and air.
Proprioception is a technical term meaning an awareness of the positions of one’s body parts. Proprioception enables us, for example, to find the switch and turn on the light even in complete darkness, relying on the tacit knowledge of where our own body parts are in the space. This type of kinaesthetic empathy is occasionally experienced in observing the transformation of objects. Seeing the form of an object changing can enable the viewer to simulate the transformation internally by mapping the transformation onto their body.
While volume concerns the space that the body in motion occupies physically, the kinaesthetic element of space refers to the physical size and shape of the space in which we are situated. In a small, limited space, we feel repressed. On the contrary, being in, and moving around, a wide-open space makes us feel the opposite. Even in the same space, we feel the space differently when we stand in the middle of the space and when we sit tightly in the corner of it.
The elements of impulse and resistance refer to the sensations that derive from acceleration and deceleration, or positive and negative inertia. An action that shifts the body from stasis to motion, such as moving from standing still to walking, allows us to experience the element of impulse, whereas reducing our speed enables us to feel the element of resistance.
The elements of impulse and resistance refer to the sensations that derive from acceleration and deceleration, or positive and negative inertia. An action that shifts the body from stasis to motion, such as moving from standing still to walking, allows us to experience the element of impulse, whereas reducing our speed enables us to feel the element of resistance.
As the frequency of vibration becomes lower, however, the vibration is no longer viewed as an integrated whole. The cadence of the simple movement itself that constituted the oscillation becomes more and more noticeable. Such moderate vibration, which is slow enough to feel each up and down (or back and forth), as another separate element, is rhythm. The sensation of rhythm appears in a number of innate bodily movements, such as respiration, heartbeat, walking, chewing and rocking a baby to sleep.
If we attempt to keep our body completely static for a moment, we notice how natural it is for the body to be constantly moving. The unique kinaesthetic quality of being immobile is what the element of stillness refers to. In kinaesthetic empathy, stillness can be experienced particularly when a static object is contrasted with something dynamic, when an object that is expected to be in motion is actually not so, and when an observed movement is paused by either internal or external forces.