ARTICLE
12 May 2026
The Value and Creation Strategies of “Non- Digitizable” Sensory Experiences in Physical Exhibition Spaces
Yifan Wang
Show Less
1 Beijing University of Financial Technology, Beijing, China,
JWA 2026 , 10(2), 11–17; https://doi.org/10.26689/jwa.v10i2.14693
© 2026 by the Authors. Licensee Whioce Publishing, Singapore. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

While digital technologies bring immersive experiences to exhibition spaces, they also give rise to a crisis of “digital flattening”, the compression of rich sensory experiences into visually dominant data streams. Grounded in phenomenology and embodied cognition theory, this paper proposes the concept of “non-digitizable sensory” experiences and deconstructs it into four dimensions: material tactility, bodily scale, atmospheric field, and interactive traces. It systematically discusses their irreplaceable value at the cognitive, emotional, social, and cultural levels. Subsequently, four major strategies are constructed: the method of material tactile narration, the method of bodily movement choreography, the method of holistic atmospheric control, and the method of participatory trace design. Through case studies, the dialectical relationship of “physicality as the foundation, digital technology as the tool” is verified. This research aims to provide both a theoretical pathway and practical tools for exhibition design to return to human-centered experience.

References
Merleau-Ponty M, 2003, Phenomenology of Perception (J. Jiang, Trans.), The Commercial Press (Original work published 1945), Beijing.
Norberg-Schulz C, 2010, Genius Loci: Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture (Z. Shi, Trans.), Huazhong University of Science & Technology Press, (Original work published 1979), Wuhan.
Ye H, 2010, Embodied Cognition: A New Orientation in Cognitive Psychology. Advances in Psychological Science, 18(5): 705–710.
Pallasmaa J, 2016, The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses (X. Liu & C. Ren, Trans.), China Architecture & Building Press (Original work published 1996), Beijing.
Benjamin W, 2002, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (C. Wang, Trans.), China City Press (Original work published 1935), Beijing.
Share
Back to top