Weird Sensation Feels Good

ASMR (“Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response”) is a term that describes a physical sensation: euphoria or deep calm, sometimes a tingling in the body. In recent years, an online audience of millions has emerged, dedicated to watching the work of designers and content creators who aim to trigger this feeling in their viewers. They do so by whispering or eating, touching or tapping, and more besides. This exhibition, first presented in Stockholm, is the first to be dedicated to this feeling—and the field of creativity that is growing around it.

WEIRD SENSATION FEELS GOOD: The World of ASMR explores the design story of an evolving internet movement through a series of forty immersive audio, visual, and tactile works. Step into an acoustically tuned environment and understand how people around the world are using new and existing tools and materials to navigate our complex world. Opening to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week in the United Kingdom, the exhibition includes an interactive studio space created by Julie Rose Bower.

WEIRD SENSATION FEELS GOOD: The World of ASMR is an exhibition at the Design Museum created and presented in collaboration with ArkDes, Sweden’s National Centre for Architecture and Design. It was first shown at ArkDes (April 8–November 1, 2020).