Tingles, Tea ­Boxes and Sticky Sounds —ASMR Read ­Diffractively with Agential ­Realism

Iida Nissinen Master’s Thesis Art Education, Department of Art, Aalto University 2018

Supervisor: Helena Sederholm Tekijä Iida Nissinen Avainsanat ASMR, inhimillinen, ei-inhimillinen, uusmaterialismi, agential realism, materia, toimijuus, intra-aktio, YouTube Työn nimi Tingles, Tea ­Boxes and Sticky Sounds —ASMR Read ­Diffractively with Agential ­Realism

Laitos Taiteen laitos

Koulutusohjelma Kuvataidekasvatuksen koulutusohjelma

Vuosi 2018 Sivumäärä 140 Kieli Englanti

­Ykskantaan ASMR ilmiön voisi lukea ­visuaalisen ja tapahtuvat. Post­humanistiset ja feministiset alakulttuurin muodoksi: ASMR videot ovat itse­ diskurssit, sekä uusmaterialistiset teoriat ovat Tiivistelmä tuotettua sisältöä ­YouTubessa, joka on eräs osa myös tämän päivän taidekasvatusflosofaa. Opinnäytteessäni tarkastelen ­teoreettisen ­suhteellisen hiljattain tunnistettu ja ­tunnustettu osallistavan online-kulttuurin areenoista. Tässä tutkielmassa laajennan ihmis­ fyysikon ja uusmaterialistisen feministi­tutkijan ­ilmiö, joka on viime vuosina alkanut ­herättää ASMR on kiinnostava esimerkki ­ilmiöiden keskeistä käsitystä ASMR ilmiöstä silkkana Karen Baradin käsitteiden kautta ilmiötä kiinnostusta julkisessa keskustelussa. ASMR toteutumisesta ja leviämisestä tässä ­ajassa. kulttuurin tuotteena, fyysis-­emotionaalisena ­nimeltä ASMR. Baradin teoria, agential realism ­ilmiön ytimessä on spesif, kihelmöivä hyvän­ Mainonta, mielipiteet, ­politiikka, kulutta­ aisti ­kokemuksena, tai joukkona ­erikoisia (suom. agentiaalinen realismi), on kokonais­ olontunne (tyypillisesti ei ­seksuaalinen), joka minen, vastustaminen, trendit, ihanteet ja ­YouTube-videoita. Tutkin Baradin ­käsitteillä valtainen ontologia, joka on muotoiltu kriitti­ koetaan ­rentouttavissa tilanteissa ­tiettyjen ­idolisointi ovat kietoutuneet YouTube ­kanavilla. ­miten, ja millaisissa intra-aktioissa (ei sessä vuoropuhelussa nykyfysiikan, tieteen­ moni­aististen ärsykkeiden yhteydessä.­­­ ­­­ Yk­ Itsensä elättäminen ”tubettajana” on yhä vuoro-, vaan kanssa­vaikutuksissa) toimijuus tutkimuksen, (intersektionaalisen) feminismin, sityiset videoblokkaajat, jotka ovat ­leikkisästi ­tyypillisempi toiveammatti perinteisen näytteli­ ­materialisoituu ja ­manifestoituu ASMR ilmiön sekä post­humanististen ja jälkistrukturalististen ­nimenneet itsensä ASMRtisteiksi, lataavat jän tai opettajan­työn ohella. Taide­kasvatuksella ­kontekstissa. Metodini on ­diffraktiivinen: olen­ ­teorioiden kanssa. Agentiaalinen realismi su­ ­miljoonia videoita YouTubeen, tarkoituksenaan tehdyn ­tutkimuksen pitäisi ­ottaa kriitti­nen naista on, että oivallukset eivät synny pelkästä lauttaa kvanttifysiikan tulkinnat ja meta­fysiikan synnyttää ASMR kokemus katsojassa. Ilmiön tarkastelu­kulma (visuaaliseen) ­kulttuuriin, aineistosta, ja sitten selity teorialla, eikä ­teoria perus ­kysymykset yhteen, ja ottaa kantaa ympärille onkin syntynyt nettiyhteisö, jonka ­jonka erottamat­tomana osana niin taide, määritä huomionarvoisia havaintoja, vaan ­todellisuuden materiaalisuuteen ja materian ­keskiössä ovat ASMR videot. Videoiden teemat kuin taide­kasvatus toteutuvat. Tämä kriitti­ ­teoria, aineisto (keskeisimpänä kaksi ASMR merkitykseen. Teoria pyrkii selittämään toimi­ vaihtelevat kuvitteellisista lääkärikäynneistä nen ­suhtautuminen tarkoittaa virittäytymistä ­ilmiöön kuuluvaa videota), ja minä toimimme juuden (agency) materiaalis-diskursiivista toteu­ näennäisen absurdeihin leikkeihin tyypil­ (­visuaalisen) ­kulttuurin käytäntöihin ja suhteelli­ kanssavaikutuksessa. tumista ilmiöissä, joihin kuuluu sekä ”inhimil­ lisesti taloustavaroiden, tai vaikkapa ruoan suuksiin, ­joissa ­materia ja merkitys toteutuvat lisiä” ­(human) että ”muita kuin inhimillisiä” kanssa. ­Erityistä videoiden­ sisällöissä onkin (non­human / other-than-human) ­osallistumisia. ­intensiivinen ja tarkoituksellisen pitkä­kestoinen Agentiaalinen realismi ei ole entiteettien antautuminen kanssaoloon ”inhimillisten”, ­realismia, vaan sen sijaan se käsittää ilmiöiden ”ei-inhimillisten”, ”elävien” ja ”elottomien” olevan todellisuuden perusyksiköitä. objektien ja materian kanssa (video saattaa Aalto University, P.O. BOX 11000, 00076 AALTO ASMR (sanoista ’Autonomous ­Sensory ­esimerkiksi kulua hiusten, hehkulamppujen, www.aalto.f ­Meridian Response’) on melko ­tutkimaton, vieras­kielisten sanojen tai sametin­ parissa). Taiteen maisterin opinnäytteen tiivistelmä

4 5 Author Iida Nissinen Keywords ASMR, human, nonhuman, new materialism, agential realism, materia, agency, intra-action, YouTube Title Tingles, Tea ­Boxes and Sticky Sounds —ASMR Read ­Diffractively with Agential ­Realism

Department Department of Art

Major / Subject Degree Program in Art Education

Year 2018 Pages 140 Language English

a living as a professional YouTuber has be­ production of ­agency ­materializes and mani­ come an ­increasingly common wish for one’s fests in the ASMR ­phenomenon. I’m not only Abstract ­occupation, alongside the more traditional as­ interested in what is produced as part of ASMR, In this thesis, I contemplate a phenomenon relaxed situations and triggered by certain mul­ pirations to become an actor or a teacher. Re­ but how it is produced. My method is diffractive called ‘ASMR’ through and with a few of the tisensory stimuli. Private vloggers, playfully search in art ­education, then, is a critical pros­ reading, which can also be phrased as ”think­ most prominent concepts of a new materi­ calling themselves as ASMRtists, are uploading pect towards and within (visual) culture; it is ing the theory” (agential realism) ”while read­ al feminist scholar and theoretical physicist millions of ASMR videos to spark tingles in the and should be attentive to the practices and ing the data” (ASMR phenomenon, with two ­Karen Barad. The chosen theory, agential re­ spectator. A YouTube community has formed relations that ­constitute matter and ­meaning. exemplary videos serving as concrete examples alism, merges physics and metaphysics and around the phenomenon. Themes of ASMR Posthumanist discourses, emerging with new of the genre). As I get entangled with ASMR, I proposes a fresh and comprehensive contribu­ videos vary from imaginary medical appoint­ formulations of feminisms, as well as the­ strive to think with and within the box, as much tion on how matter matters, and how ­agency ments to seemingly absurd play with house­ ories that account for materiality again, are as from outside it. is produced in material-discursive practices hold items. Peculiar to the videos is that they ­infuencing today’s art education. involving ”human” and ”nonhuman” partici­ feature ­extraordinarily intent and durational en­ My challenge is to expand the pants. Agential realism is formed in critical con­ gagements with ”human,” ”nonhuman,” ”ani­ ­instantaneous perception of the ASMR versations with contemporary physics, science mate” and ­”inanimate” objects and materials ­phenomenon as a mere example of ­human studies, (intersectional) feminist, posthuman­ (for example with human hair, light bulbs, for­ ­culture’s production, a bunch of YouTube ist, and post-structuralist theories. Intra-action, eign words, and velvet). At its simplest, ASMR ­videos, and a human-centric ­physical-­emotional matter, and agency are core concepts of agen­ can be defned as an example of visual subcul­ ­sensorial ­experience. In this thesis, I contem­ tial realism, which is not realism toward entities ture: ASMR videos are user-created content on plate how intra-active entanglements and the (things), but realism toward phenomena. YouTube, which is a site of participatory culture ASMR (’Autonomous Sensory Meridian online. ­Response’) is still a somewhat inscrutable topic, ASMR is a topical example of the although it has become more and more recog­ emergence of phenomena in this era. nized in public conversations. A bodily charac­ ­Advertisements, opinions, politics, consumer­ Aalto University, P.O. BOX 11000, 00076 AALTO teristic of ASMR is reported to be a ­pleasurable ism, resistance, trends, idolization and ideals www.aalto.f (non-sexual) tingly sensation, experienced in are all entangled on YouTube channels. ­Making Master of Arts hesis abstract

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CONTENTS

TIIVISTELMÄ 4 INTRODUCTION 13 RESEARCH 39 TOUCHING(S) 53 TAKE CARE CONCLUSIONS 119 QUESTIONS AND BE CAREFUL 87 & EXCLUSIONS Why Agential Realism Let’s Get Tingly ABSTRACT 6 You Don’t Get What You Give Interiors and Exteriors in ASMR? METHOD 39 – Or Maybe Later, And It Is FURTHER 122 Making Something Else ADAPTATIONS & ASMR Videos in Short Diffractive Reading – Thinking SPECULATIONS Not All the Bodies Produced Attentive Touch and with & Plugging in Are Human Bodies Why to Engage with ASMR ­Engagement with Objects Researcher – ­Knowledge REFERENCES & 124 Touching Matters Are Bodies Learning of Caring ­Practices as Material, In Production TRANSCRPTIONS THEORY 27 ­Entangled Methods STRANGE Brief Background for TOUCHING MATTERS 100 Barad’s New Materialism ANALYSIS 43 SOUNDSCAPE 67 Distance and Proximity in Sound Is a Material Matter Terminology Apparatuses in Baradian ­Online Asmr ­Theory: Background for the Not Only Words, But the ­Analysis to Understand the Causality in Asmr DATA 35 Sounds Can Be Touching Too Constitution of Phenomena Waste of Time, Leisure “Unintentional” video Delicious Sounds ­Pleasure, or Time Well Spent? #ASMR #BobRoss Workings of the ASMR+Mystic Sensualities of Matters Mountain -apparatus Spacetime Queerness and and Meanings Object-based ASMR video ­Absurdity of Asmr

ASMR AS AN INTIMATE ENGAGEMENT 79 Hands On Objects

Intimacy Is a More-Than-­ Human Matter INTRODUCTION

Niels Bohr1 once visualized their2 principle­ not ­respect the limitations of ­linear ­conceptions of ­complementarity in quantum physics by of time, nor ­other strict ­chronologies5. As an ­pointing to a cubist painting ­hanging on the ­artist, I can take visual inspiration from religious wall. The painting portrays a person from paintings made in the Middle Ages, mix it with ­seemingly ­contradictory perspectives. The ­today’s news, and throw in some hypothetic ­ensemble ­simultaneously ­depicts many ­aspects utopias about the ­future-in-making. My way of of the person as all the taken perspectives were theorizing as an art educator is ­similarly ­daring: necessary to capture the subject’s multi­faceted it is a genuine curiosity to grasp, ­infuence, nature.3 Bohr’s attempt was to ­emphasize shape and create reality6 while being sensitive that there is a range of different, ­ostensibly to the ways ­reality does the same for me, as an ­conficting ways of structuring ­understanding. ­integral part of it.7 For example, a sunset can be approached as a Art education today is much more than a physical ­phenomenon and as an examination­ of ­technical ­education about art making. Visual the passage of light, or it can be ­comprehended ­culture, ­whatever that term might include and through the aesthetics of color ­combinations. ­exclude, and its vibrant ­phenomena are an That is, all the “­complementary” ways of ­important point of interest for contemporary art ­processing a ­phenomenon enhance the under­ ­education8. To be mindful about the restrictions standing of it, nevertheless that from the of the ­prefx “visual” is crucial here, especially ­perspective of one discipline the other ways ­within this discipline that has anchored its very may seem vague and frail (Kallio-Tamminen ­justifcation in such a concept. “Multi­sensory”9 2006, 159). It is essential to acknowledge how and “­embodiment” are terms that come up intra-twined the cultural phenomena, ­including ­frequently in the contemporary paradigms of arts, politics, ecological issues and “natural” Finnish art ­education10. It seems ­evident that phenomena, ­different ­disciplines, and matters the taken supremacy of ­vision is now being of curricula, are. ­revised as that type of favoring is not ­inclusive I think that the research in the feld of enough to comprehend the subtle and multi­ art ­education is a propitious playground to faceted ­experience of being of the world, nor take a stand for the ­latest ­discourses across are rare (if any) ­phenomena, within the feld of ­disciplines.4 Luckily, I do not have the heavy art or in life in general, merely visual. ­burden of traditional science-making on my There are no things that art or thought ­shoulders. ­Whereas ­established contemporary­ could not ­e­xperiment with. Imagination­ natural ­science could never go back to the is an intra-­active, material­ ­phenomenon. ­beliefs of, let’s say, the 17th century, the arts do Art ­education, at its best, is to set the

13 1. Niels Bohr (1885–1962) was a Noble a diffractive transdisciplinary meth­ ing from a physicist, will make more Prize winning physicist, whose contri­ odology aims to critically rethink the sense towards the end of this thesis. ­circumstances for ­generative theoretical–prac­ ­videos are viewed each day (Burgers & Green butions were signifcant in the devel­ science and the social in their relation­ tical ­experiments. What I fnd most ­interesting 2013, 83). The fact that YouTubers (vloggers on opment of quantum mechanics. Bohr ality (Barad 2007, 92-93). My project 6. Reality is not a fxed essence, but is to a) take a ­concept so familiar that it is a YouTube) have ­increasing power as shapers of was a co-developer of the Copenhagen in this thesis is diffractive, and I think rather ongoing, manifold dynamics miracle to even ­consider of reconsidering it (youth) cultures and as ­opinion leaders on an interpretation. Karen Barad is heavily with ideas and conceptions, which can of spacetimemattering, reconfguring and to steal it from its taken ­context so that ­extensive range of matters from trans­gender infuenced by Borh’s physics. In their be thought to have their origin in other through intra-activity (Barad 2007, 206). it becomes ­un­conventional. Or, b) to take an rights to ­music taste should also be taken ­theory of agential realism, Barad also disciplines (when applying agential re­ See: Terminology: Intra-action. 15 applies many of the key insights of the alism, I will necessarily think with con­ ­emerging ­phenomenon that has not yet been ­seriously in the realm of art education. Copenhagen ­interpretation, e.g. the ceptions that have been raised in so­ 7. Importantly, I assume that this ­categorized and ­exhausted with explanations. downfall of subject/­object ­dichotomy. cial sciences’ discussion with quantum thesis would even be interesting to When frst coming across Asmr a few years Why Agential Realism physics, for example). ­Nevertheless, I many – what I am saying, is that I am ago, it ­appeared as the latter for me. Binaural also delightfully compelled to rethink 2. I will only use gender neutral pro­ have not written this thesis in cooper­ ­whispers in French? Why has someone ­recorded “Doing theory requires being open to nouns in this thesis, for I am not in a ation with a quantum physicist, and many fundamental concepts if I aim to an extra-­careful folding of towels? Why did they the world’s ­aliveness, allowing one­ position to make guesses on anyone’s thus I do not want to use the term comprehend Barad’s theory. ­upload it on YouTube? Why are there hundreds self to be lured by curiosity, sur­ gender identity based on their name. ’transdisciplinary’ when describing my methodology. However, I fnd the 8. “In practice, many art teachers of ­thousands of views for this hour-long video prise and ­wonder” (Barad 2012, 2). 3. I do not include this metaphor diffractive method justifed in this work with students to support their of a spoon display? to foster such analogy as the ­cubist thesis. I state that this project is not a interests and ­involvement with local It feels self-evident why a phenomenon I chose to apply agential realism in this ­thesis school of ­painting and special and global visual ­phenomena and trendy attempt to bridge disciplines, such as Asmr is interesting for art education. for two reasons. Firstly, it moved something ­relativity, but to present a ­simple idea networks, such as ­Manga, Cosplay, but about getting entangled with them The awareness of Asmr has ­increased ­notably in me: never have I ever felt that a theory can of diffractive methodology. See:­­ ­­­ Termi­ in order to think broader, deeper, and street arts, or, for example, ­different within a few years. I have remarked on this resonate with me in such an ­intimate and nology: Diffraction; ­Method: Diffractive most importantly, differentially, about areas of digital gaming. It is also time reading matters that do not actually have such for the national curriculum to offer also on a personal level. I would estimate that ­elemental manner. Reading Barad’s texts has (in delimiting frames around them: reality space and ­possibilities to teach with a every third ­person I’ve encountered and dis­ multiple senses of feeling) than ­engagements 4. According to Barad, trans­ is not divided into disciplines. ­recognition of ­students’ different and cussed about Asmr with ­already has some re­ with any other theoretical cogitations before. It disciplinary engagement (done with diversifed visual ­cultures and visual lation to it: they’ve heard about it, they’ve tried feels ­better (in the ­multiple ­senses of ­feeling) the realization that the production 5. Actually, despite the fact that their engagements” ­­ ­watching the videos, they engage with Asmr than any ­other theoretical ­cogitation I have read of the boundary between the disci­ theory is agential realism, Barad is also ­(Kallio-Tavin 2016, 38, n4). media ­frequently, or they recognize to have ­before. ­ I found no reasons for plines is already a material-­discursive critical towards the historical narrative Secondly, why 11 practice) is the best attempt to grasp of scientifc progress, which they refer ­experienced the physical sensation. Getting not to apply it. I had already decided to contem­ whatever phenomena under investi­ to as “tales of the ­continuous accretion online was a signifcant factor in the ­expansion plate Asmr ­phenomenon in my thesis, when I gation is (2007, 90). Transdisciplinary and refnement of scientifc ­knowledge of the Asmr. People live in social media – the came across with ­Barad’s theory. Agential real­ practices, in means of agential realism, over the course of history, sagas of palpable ­reality and virtual are not separate ism’s new materialist ­proposal seemed like an are not the same as practices that progress from an earlier time period to realms, rather they co-­constitute each other.12 interesting perspective to Asmr. That is, I was attempt to read the theories of two or a later one punctuated with discoveries YouTube13 is a signifcant forum of infuenc­ curious about the role of ­materia in Asmr, the more ­disciplines against each other, that lead the way out to the swamp of oftentimes ending up privileging one ignorance and uncertainty to the bed­ es, as it holds the second place ranking for the ways of being with materia and ­objects pre­ 14 approach over other (usually natural rock of solid and certain knowledge” most visited website in the world. The amount sented in the ­videos, and in the Asmr phenom­ sciences’ arguments are valued over (2014, 18). The reasoning behind this of content produced and ­distributed on ­YouTube enon in ­general. Agential ­realism is very much those of human sciences). Instead, provocative statement, especially com­ is astonishing, and hundreds of millions of about relations­ and agency,­ as well as about

14 footnotes 1–8 15 9. For example, a lecture series in the involved with a ­multiplicity of visuals 13. YouTube was launched by three Department of Art titled, ’The Realm and hyper-realities such as TV, Internet, former employees of the online trading questionable distinctions, like those ­between social ­practices, as well as the very produc­ 16 of the Senses’, introduces different comics, toys, entertainment, fashion website PayPal in June 2005. YouTube human and nonhuman . The ­entangled pro­ tion of such ­categories as human/nonhuman, approaches to the questions of per­ and advertisement. (2016, 37-38). declares their values to be based on cesses and practices through which these nature/­culture, and object/subject (Barad 2007, ception, sensory experiences, and the “Freedom of Expression, Freedom of very boundaries and categories are materi­ 70). An ­ethical ­dimension is embedded in agen­ dynamics of the senses in a context 11. Indeed, earlier in 2015, I inter­ Information, Freedom of ­Opportunity ally produced, differentiated, stabilized, and tial realism’s contingent ontology. There is no that is meaningful for art education. viewed a handful of friends who and Freedom to Belong”. (About ­destabilized is what agential realism’s post­ way around the fact that (our) practices ­matter: It is urgent to be critically attentive of currently engage with ASMR content YouTube. (n.d.). ­Retrieved 11 Jan 2018, 17 the ways that multisensory stimuli are online, and some comments are from: https://www.youtube.com/yt/ humanist and ­performative account calls into ­phenomena materialize differently in different used in public spaces to maneuver included in this thesis. Nevertheless, in about/index.html) question. However, this theory is not the sim­ ­circumstances (Barad 2007, 89). citizens (”consumers”, thus we live in this project, I did not want to approach From the very beginning, ­YouTube plest and is also not the most ­obvious. Taking The classical physics’ mechanistic ­order a capitalist system). Through personal the phenomenon merely from the ob­ allowed users to upload videos un­ a ­phenomenological ­perspective, for example, ­emphasizes the external relationships ­between experience, I realize how carefully vious human perceptional perspective, limitedly, provided simple ­community might offer me a much more accessible point independently existent entities - ­indeed, chosen scents, just like visual adver­ nor did I yearn to apply a patchwork of functions and easily linkable web of view on the matter. Nevertheless, ­agential ­according to this model, there are no ­other tisement and certain music, are used phenomenological theories to under­ page codes for accessible blogging. realism made such an impact on me that I kind of ­relationships than an “external ­contact” in shopping malls in Brazil, most prob­ stand my topic. However, the ASMR This all actuated YouTube to become ably to lure customers to make them phenomenon could be a fascinating very popular. As a site of participatory could no longer look at any topic from a more (Pylkkänen 2007, Introduction). Pylkkänen (2007) buy more. Ironically, ASMR is already topic to contemplate through some culture, YouTube is in the middle of ­conventional or ­unchallenging perspective. delineates, following David Bohm’s descrip­ harnessed as a piquant advertising more familiar concepts such as gaze the debates that consider the mean­ Poetic language is not suitable for tion, that the ­mechanistic model is termed gimmick in an online advert by IKEA: and ­spectatorship. ing and legitimacy of popular culture. ­scientifc description, nor is psychological by ­independent entities existing in different http://www.independent.co.uk/life- These conversations touch politically ­argumentation valid within neuroscience as regions of space and time so that their in­ style/asmr-what-is-it-autonomous-sen­ 12. This applies to art as well, which important questions, such as who such (­Kallio-Tamminen 2006, 159). I am not teraction does not bring about any chang­ sory-meridian-response-ikea-ad­ is emerging increasingly on and with gets the attention and voice to speak, vert-relaxation-video-a7887881.html the Internet, and has, in the postdig­ what are the rewards for creativity, throwing equations or square roots into this es in their ­essential natures. Developments­ (Retrieved 27 Mar 2018). ital age, become more blurred with and what sorts of uncertainties are thesis: such mathematical concepts are far out of ­contemporary physics ­invalidate this “other” content online. ­Moreover, the there around forms of expertise and of my area of ­expertise. Barad’s agential realism ­description of the world and ­challenge the 10. Mira Kallio-Tavin elaborates on the distinction between “art” and “visual authority. Although YouTube was is a comprehensive ­theory that takes a stand ­conventional assumptions about the nature possibilities of appropriate curriculum ­culture,” as well as between “visual primarily established to be a service for profound epistemological and ­ontological of reality, thus making physics ­inevitably im­ changes in contemporary Finnish art culture” and other forms of culture, for personal, amateur video sharing, it ­issues that are relevant in various felds. Bar­ portant for philosophical considerations, that education and proposes a shift that seems to be a more and more complex is now a hybrid of user-created videos would account for “social changes and project. and broadcast media content that cap­ ad notes that the attempt is not to present the is, for metaphysics (Pylkkänen 2007, Introduc­ refects contemporary art and cultural ture the public imagination. Copyright micro scale’s quantum phenomena as analo- tion). Nevertheless, the ­interpretational issues practices” (37). Slowly but surely Fin­ issues and market structures of online gous to the situations in the macro world as of contemporary quantum physics and the land is changing from a homogenous video distribution are hot topics in such (2007, 70).18 In contrast, what agential re­ basic notions of the quantum ­theory ­suggest culture to a relatively multicultural disputes around YouTube. (Burges & alism ­proposes is a philosophical ­perspective a ­signifcant­ revision of the insights of meta­ society, and the diversifcation is not Green 2013, 83.) that is attentive to scientifc comprehensions. physics, at least in the hypothesis of a ­realist only happening in local communities, but also in and through identities 14. Youtube.com Traffc Statistics. At the core of its interests are questions con­ philosopher (Kallio-Tamminen 2006, 111). linked to virtual groups. Kallio-Tavin (n.d.). Retrieved 11 Jan 2018, from: cerning the conditions of objectivity, the nature ­Barad does not approve an absolute distinction notes that being a member of a culture https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/you­ of bodies and identities, the role of natural and ­between ­physics and metaphysics – indeed, the “that is overly visual” is about being tube.com ­cultural factors in ­technoscientifc and other­ origin of the terms is thoroughly entangled, as

16 footnotes 9–14 17 15. For example, in 2017 the Time tion of ­nature/culture. Barad is not only biomimetics (objects of investigation magazine made their suggestion of assured that these distinctions matter, which are necessarily meeting the “meta ­physics” initially signaled to ­Aristotle’s quantum phenomena are worthy not only for the 25 most infuential people on but they seek answers to how they meta ­physical problem of conscious­ writings that followed their ­theorizations on physicists, but also for researchers in ­other the ­Internet, naming characters such matter and for whom. (Barad 2007, 87.) ness), bio­mimetic materials (e.g. paint physics (2003, 812: n14). disciplines. Take ­chemists, for ­example, who as Donald Trump, J.K.Rowling, the that rejects dirt), inventions of ther­ Intra-action, matter, and agency are the are interested in the structure of an atom, maker of the Pepe the Frog meme, 17. Barad’s (2007, 184) performativity modynamics (e.g. cooling and heating most prominent concepts in agential ­realism. atoms forming molecules and molecules beauty and ftness YouTubers and Gigi is not about “iterative citationality systems that use quantum bits), not to Intra-action is the entangled nature of ­being ­forming ­materia.19 Quantum ­phenomena are Gorgeous: a transgender YouTube star, (Butler), but as iterative intra-­activity”. mention the developments of quantum whose transition is documented in Not only different descriptions, computing, which opens up unseen and it is different from the more common also remarkable in the felds of technological full on vlog posts online. List re­ but ­different material-discursive possibilities for data processing and ’inter­action’. ’Intra’ means from within: par­ ­development, and the applications of ­quantum trieved 13 Feb 2018, from: http://www. ­confgurations, different differences developments of artifcial intelligence. ties ­involved in intra-action co-constitute each research have been forecasted to greatly shape dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4641188/ (diffraction patterns) are produced See (listen) for example this pod­ other within their entanglement, instead of the future of everyday life.20 Time-s-25-infuential-people-internet. by different material-discursive cast: Tiedeykkönen: “Kvanttiteknologia ­merely communicating and remaining in a html ­apparatuses (Barad 2007, 184). ja luontoa jäljittelevät aineet ovat state of ­independency. Agential realism is not ASMR? Helsingin Sanomat (21 Jan 2018, tulevaisuuttamme.­ Toimittaja: Sisko realism ­toward entities (things), but realism B6-B7) recently wrote a story on a 18. Indeed, the very notions of “mi­ Loikkanen. Yle ­Areena. Retrieved 27 Finnish YouTuber Roni Back: “Super cro” and “macro” worlds are troubled Mar 2018 from: https://open.spotify. ­toward ­phenomena. Phenomena, as differential “There are different triggers for me like: celebrity Roni Back - Roni Back’s occu­ by agential realism, which does not com/episode/46m7vJg3Hfe51nRhu­ ­patterns of mattering, are the primary ontolog­ when someone (mostly girls) drew on my pation is to publish videos on YouTube. count on geometrical analysis (nest­ Whe7x?si=lkTiR5eATHGGvVaH2rcOZA ical units in the constitution of reality. Barad is hand but slowly...i used to love getting ing shapes and sizes), but relies on Their channel has 324 000 subscribers. informed by Foucault’s theory of discourse and pen tatoos [sic] when i was a kid because topological perceptions of reality (as 21. Guest on an Internet conversation Youngsters know how their home Butler’s thesis of performativity most heavily, as it gave me this feeling even though after it looks like, whether their knee surgery producing connections and dis-con­ thread on ASMR, when the sensation well as Bohr’s principle of complementarity in was over it took 10 minutes to wash off... was successful, and what they did on nections that are entanglements and was still ­unnamed: WEIRD SENSATION a New Year’s Eve. Adults, in contrast, agential cuts) while it defes the con­ FEELS GOOD. (n.d.). quantum physics. watching cooking shows..where the person know nothing about Roni.” (Headlines, ventional notions of space, time, and Retrieved 28 Mar 2018, from: https:// Quantum theory started from ­physics is cutting something or ­doing something writer’s translation) The story can be matter at the same. www.steadyhealth.com/topics/weird- studies on an atomic level. However, the with great care…­listening to my ­grandma’s read online from: https://www.hs.f/ sensation-feels-good ­revolutionary fndings of quantum ­mechanics childhood stories..also quitely [sic] and 19. Thinking along with agential sunnuntai/art-2000005531116.html made it ­necessarily signifcant, in a very ­general soft toned” - Guest2637080758795521 (Retrieved 27 Mar 2018.) realism, the construction of reality is way when contemplating the nature of ­reality. To make a living on YouTube, one not necessary to be a relationship that does not need to be an adult – the grows in nesting scales, but rather Indeed, Barad affrms, that quantum theory is Asmr videos, and the phenomenon in ­total, is 22 confguring of material-discursive contemplated through topological concerned to be the correct theory of nature often referred to ’bizarre’, ’odd’ or ’weird’ . practices (like “work” in West) that dynamics, of which there will be more (­reality) that applies at “all scales” (or rather­ , Where does this eccentric queerness come following. segregate childhood and adulthood as just throughout) – so far no reckoned ­theory has from? For me, it was the intense sense of phenomena are iteratively remade. 20. For example: Without the insights proposed that the universe would be ­broken ­intimacy that made me feel more or less into two separately existing micro- and macro­ ­awkward, especially when engaging with 16. Following the project of other of quantum mechanics, such ordi­ feminist, poststructuralist, post-­ nary ­devices as cellphones or laptops scopic domains (2007, 85). In the recent ­decade, the role-play type of Asmr videos. Being un­ colonialist, queer and critical social would not had been ­invented (Barad quantum theory has been modulated to also familiar with the phenomenon, the peculiar ­theorists, Barad undertakes the issues 2007, 252). Quantum ­mechanics inform study phenomena on a “macro­scopic scale” way of ­touching ­objects, whispering, Asmr­ tist’s studies on artifcial life in quantum of dichotomies, such as the juxtaposi­ (Kallio-Tamminen 2006, 111). ­Nowadays, the ­devotion to their role and the home video

18 footnotes 15–21 19 22. In the Guardian’s interview, Davis, 0B8PG8) is composed of a selection 27. For example: The Washington 24 the other of the researchers behind of “satisfying” scenes: spiral shaped Post, The Independent, BBC News, ­aesthetics caused confusion – but even more, which are sprouting out on YouTube in in­ the frst study on ASMR, explained glass blowing, compressing cans in a Helsingin Sanomat, Ilta-Sanomat, The ­curiosity. Themes of the Asmr videos vary from creasing numbers. Asmr videos are ­created by that “ASMR is ­interesting to me as a row, slicing a tomato super thin, color­ Süddeutsche Zeitung. See References. imaginary medical ­appointments to ­seemingly ­private ­vloggers, and they are composed of psychologist because it’s a bit ’weird’. ing a helmet, a carrot picking machine absurd play with household items. Asmr is multi-­sensory ­stimulus to ­particularly ­trigger Kobayashi, Juri. (2015) Musically – The sensations people describe are at work, surrealistic 3D animation of a 28. not only about the visuals: binaural effects are the Asmr experience in the ­spectator. A search quite hard to describe, and that’s odd gigantic ball smashing a jelly armchair. Induced ASMR: An Amalgamated Ex­ ­important Asmr triggers, and thus the ­spectator on YouTube with a tag ‘Asmr’ reveals that there because people are usually quite The introduction to this video pro­ perience. Master’s Thesis. Department good at describing bodily sensation. claims: “Have you ever seen some- of Music: University of Jyväskylä. is instructed to use headphones. A typical Asmr is a vast population around the globe which So, we wanted to know if everybody’s thing that makes your skin tingle and video could depict a folding and unfolding of gets something out of the videos. 12 million, ASMR experience is the same, and for some unknown reason provides 29. ’Autonomous sensory meridian napkins for 40 minutes, for example. What is Asmr tagged videos can be found on ­uploaded of people tend to be triggered by the you with a sense of unbridled peace response’. Retrieved 26 Mar 2018, peculiar in the videos is the extraordinarily YouTube, and the most popular video ­channel from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Au­ same sorts of things.” and happiness? Gears working in ­intent engagements they feature with “­human,” ‘GentleWhispering’ has 445 956 900 views Etchells, Pete. “ASMR and ‘head perfect synchronization, a cake frosted tonomous_sensory_meridian_respon­ “­nonhuman,” “animate,” and “inanimate” and 1 250 430 subscribers.25 Naturally, Asmr orgasms’: what’s the science behind with absolute precision, marbles roll- se#Scientifc_commentary ­objects and materials (for example with human is not only experienced via engaging in Asmr it?” The Guardian, Guardian News and ing so smoothly it hurts. Something 23 Media, 8 Jan 2016. Retrieved 27 Mar that is just...satisfying? Well here’s 30. Barratt EL, Davis NJ. (2015) Auton­ hair, light bulbs, foreign words, and velvet). videos. Triggers are also evoked in every­ 2018 from: www.theguardian.com/ fve solid minutes of that feeling.” This omous Sensory Meridian Response The name ’Asmr’ stands for ­’Autonomous day ­environments in various situations and science/head-quarters/2016/jan/08/ video has 17 835 288 views on 30 Mar (ASMR): a fow-like mental state. PeerJ Sensory Meridian Response’. Asmr is reported ­circumstances. Indeed, Asmr videos have start­ 3:e851 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.851 asmr-and-head-orgasms-whats-the-sci­ 2018, when I accessed it on YouTube. to be a pleasant, ­emotional, and multi-­sensory ed as imitations of such situations, with the ex­ ence-behind-it. YouTube search with words “satisfying 31. Barratt EL, Spence C, Davis experience, ­characteristically appearing as a ception that the triggering elements are tak­ video” gives about 3 260 000 results, NJ. (2017) Sensory Determinants of ­tingly feeling at the back of one’s head while of­ en to the extreme. However, Asmr videos have 23. Another Internet trend that is whereas the word “asmr” is tagged in The Autonomous Sensory Meridian about ­hypnotizing / mesmerizing / 19 300 000 videos. (Retrieved 20 Mar ten spreading across the scalp and spine, some­ developed their whimsical aesthetics, themes, Response (ASMR): understanding the weirdly appealing videos are the so 2018 on youtube.com.) times also to the back and limbs. Specifc visual and styles to great lengths, and are intertex­ called “satisfying videos”, which mostly triggers. PeerJ 5:e3846 https://doi. and auditory ­stimuli ­trigger the ­sensation. tually infuenced by other online movements, org/10.7717/peerj.3846 depict different materials touching 24. Retrieved on YouTube 2 Apr 2018 Asmr causes a ­notable positive, calming shift in ­popular ­culture, politics etc.26 The (internet) each other, or things falling into place with search “ASMR”: https://www.you­ emotional states (Barratt & ­Davis, 2015; Smith, ­community around Asmr is constantly grow­ neatly. These videos are sometimes tube.com/results?search_query=ASMR ­Fredborg & Kornelsen, 2017). has also ing: bloggers share their experiences over referred as ASMR, but I suppose it is Asmr Asmr more likely that some of the satisfying 25. Gentle Whispering ASMR YouTube been called “­Attention ­Induced Euphoria”, but on social media, Asmr apps, podcast, Spotify videos work as ASMR for some, but Channel: Retrieved 2 Apr 2018 from: this is a less common term. Fascinatingly, the ­playlists, Facebook pages and so forth. Sever­ ASMR and the satisfying videos are https://www.youtube.com/user/Gentle­ phenomenon did not ­really have a consistent al well-­established newspapers and online-me­ not the same phenomena per se. That Whispering/about name before 2010 (­Stattford 2013; Etchells 2016). dia27 have published stories about Asmr, in­ is, they are entangled with each other, Although the abbreviation ’Asmr’ has terviewing people who consume and produce as satisfying videos can in some cases 26. See for example: https://www. ­originally referred to the physical sensation, it is Asmr ­videos. In 2015, in the University of have audiovisual similarities with youtube.com/watch?v=20XE6GM7x­ ASMR triggering content. Wo (Harry Potter ASMR - Hogwarts oftentimes used to indicate all things ­related or Jyväskylä in Finland, a ­masters’ thesis was writ­ For example, the video ’The Most Library); https://www.youtube.com/ associated with the matter (in this text, too). In ten about the ­connections between the Asmr Satisfying Video In The World’ (https:// watch?v=h9ke_ZFkpMU (Donald a point of fact, Asmr is now a ­widespread (on­ experience and that of ­listening to ­music.28 www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjeKw­ Trump’s Therapist role-play ASMR) line) phenomenon, thanks to the Asmr videos,­ During the ­writing of this thesis, Asmr also got

20 footnotes 22–31 21 a ­Wikipedia page29. Barratt & Davis conduct­ Asmr’s ­neurobiological background. ­Studies ed their frst ­peer-­reviewed research on Asmr look ­forward to enlighten what is ­happening in 201530 and their second study came out in in the body at the moment of ­reported 201731, in the ­latter their focus especially being ­euphoric ­shivers, as well as to un­ravel why in object-based Asmr triggers. some ­people recognize the feeling whereas­ Before the online community, many ­others have no such experiences. A ­following ­people experiencing Asmr thought they were ­question would be whether everyone has the the only ones.32 In The Guardian’s interview, ­physiological premises to experience Asmr. the researchers, Emma Barratt and Nick ­Davis A ­research group from the University of from the Swansea University, were asked ­Sheffeld is ­currently working on a study to pin why, ­despite its popularity, the psychological down the ­physiological basis of the ­sensation ­research community has not taken the Asmr ­(Etchells 2016). They are ­examining people sensation as real until very recently (­Etchells who ­report Asmr experiences to see if they 2016). Barratt and Davis say that the reasons show ­consistent changes in their ­physiological might be many, one being that Asmr is an ­measures, like heart and breathing rates, and “­inherently personal, private experience, and skin ­conductance. The frst step to examine ­perhaps one that hasn’t traditionally lent itself the ­neural underpinnings­ of Asmr was taken in to cropping up in conversation all that often” – 2017 by a ­research group from the ­University it is “a diffcult sensation to explain to someone of Winnipeg, Canada (­Etchells 2016). The group who doesn’t experience it” (Etchells 2016). published a second peer-­reviewed study about Asmr34 in the journal Social­ Neuro- “I knew other people had to have this, I’ve science. This study is an ­investigation of the had it for as long as I remember. Most­ workings of ­’default mode network’ (DMN, a mentioned in the ­paper as a ­recently ­noted a material-discursive entangled ­phenomenon. ly what sets it off is when ­people ges­ large-scale brain network of interacting brain ­tingly sensation, which is related to ­other That is, I will not accommodate ­extensive hu­ ture with their hands while talking. I regions) in ­individuals experiencing Asmr sen­ ­hedonic and emotional peek -­experiences man-centric, phenomenological ­refections, used to watch TV evangelists talk and sations. ­Indeed, the study revealed signifcant (Tihanyi, ­Ferentzi, el al., 2017; 4.3 Affective nor do I go deep to some neurobiological tell their bible stories and I would just ­functional ­differences in DMN between the con­ processes). ­speculations. Instead, thinking with Barad’s ride the ‘brain-gasm’ for hours some­ trol group and the individuals experiencing The bodily aspects are an important part concepts, I aim to take a more post­humanist times. I wish I could take a drug to set it Asmr (Smith, Fredborg, et al., 2017, abstract). of the construction of the Asmr phenomenon. I perspective on the matter and thus call into off, it rivals ecstasy at times.” -Guest33 Tingling, in its various forms, is ­interesting in will briefy contemplate these different ­aspects question my own presumptions about the ­contemporary neuropsychology. A study from in order to understand the ­phenomenon in its ­production of the Asmr phenomenon. Asmr, as In the past, the Asmr sensation was year 201735 ­investigated tingling as a broad multiplicity. Importantly, throughout this thesis, an object of investigation, is still a somewhat ­often confused to be a weirdly described sensory-­perceptional sensation, and the fnd­ my analysis is done by thinking with agential ­inscrutable yet emerging topic in academia, and form of frisson (’goosebumps’) (Etchells ings of this review article can be read against realism: I am curious about the ­multiplicity of I’m ­certain it will be ­interesting for researchers 2016). ­Scientifc interest is arising to ­examine the ­reported Asmr ­experiences too. Asmr is different ways Asmr confgures intra-­actions as across disciplines.

22 23 ASMR Videos in Short36 Asmr-video can be, for ­example, a button Asmr phenomenon is often juxtaposed with are looking for relaxation, sleep aids or collection display, or a recording of a per­ a fow state, mindfulness, and ­meditation stress-relief. Asmr videos are based on deliberated son whispering random words in various (Barratt & Davis, 2015). My friend ­Maria ­audiovisual content, which is put together languages or accents. It can depict some­ mentioned meditation when they ­described The results of Barratt & Davis’ study ­proposes in order to trigger the Asmr sensation in the one’s hands folding and unfolding napkins their preferences in Asmr: “I am also a that Asmr consumers suffering from spectator/experiencer. or turning book pages for nearly 40 minutes. fan of videos that instruct you how to ­depression experience a temporal uplift in Or, the video might ­simulate an appoint­ give yourself a face massage. I think their mood stress-relief (Barratt & ­Davis, Video makers playfully title themselves as ment in a spa where the ­spectator gets a vir­ the ­vocabulary of a massage therapist 2015). The more severe the depression, the Asmrtists. tual facial massage. It can also be a docu­ is ­relaxing. That can put me in a deep- more signifcant the reported relief in mood ment of hands preparing sandwiches in an ly ­relaxed state and trigger the Asmr. It’s was. Indeed, many depressed individuals Asmr videos may last from ten minutes to tens exceptionally touchy manner.37 ­almost like meditation through listening” disclosed that they consume Asmr in or­ of hours. A common length would be from a (Personal ­communication 28 Nov 2015). der to improve their mental state. Similar­ half of an hour to an hour Some of the videos resemble therapeutic ly, those suffering from chronic pain bene­ ­self-help tutorials, some have features of ftted from consuming Asmr and reported 3D microphones are often used in the making role-play, and many depict grooming in a remarkable reduction in their symp­ of Asmr videos, thus they are effcacious in some form, whether it be oriented towards toms with relief lasting hours after an Asmr creating immersive soundscapes. The spec­ objects, the viewer, or another person in ­session. Importantly, these positive effects tator/experiencer is ­advised to use head­ the video. The objects, materials, transcript were experienced even in the absence of the phones in order to ­enhance the binaural au­ (or the absence of it), roles of the performer ­tingling sensations (Barratt & Davis, 2015). dio triggers. and spectator, and the situation as a whole creates a unique and often bizarre scene in At frst sight it might seem that Asmr videos Asmr videos typically feature an atmosphere of each video. have to do with eroticism. This is a ­rather ­intimate personal attention and close prox­ common interpretation amongst people imity (e.g. such as you get when having a Barratt & Davis found four substantial types of who are not familiar with the ­phenomenon. haircut), or are ­centered around ­observing triggers that over 50% of the participants in Nevertheless, it turned out that Asmr is someone conducting a trivial task or activity their study experienced. The most common about another kind of pleasure, another kind very attentively and gently. triggers are whispering sounds (75%), per­ of involvement/ engagement/ being-with sonal attention (69%), crisp sounds (64%) than, at least explicitly, eroticism. Only 5 % Videos are shot in a point of view perspec­ and slow movements (53%). Watching re­ Why to Engage with ASMR of the participants in Barratt & Davis’ study tive, ­placing the spectator/experiencer in the petitive tasks works as a trigger for 34% of reported ­sexual motivation for Asmr (Barratt “front row” or in the middle of the events. participants. (Barratt & Davis, 2015.) Most A vast majority, 70-98% of the people who en­ & Davis, 2015). of the triggers come about simultaneous­ gage with the Asmr media38 (make/watch/ Themes of the videos vary from ­imaginary ly. For example, a scene featuring person­ listen the Asmr videos on YouTube, listen to medical ­appointments to ­seemingly ­absurd al ­attention often also entails whispers and Asmr tracks on Spotify, post comments, take play with household items. A typical ­repetitive motions. part in online conversation and so forth),

24 25 3 2 . Et c h ell s, P et e. “ A S M R a n d ‘ h e a d 3 6 . T his i nf or mati o n is c o nstr ue d 3 8 . I mostly use the ter ms ’specta ­ T HE ORY orgas ms’: what’s the science behind m ai nl y b a s e d o n B arr att & D a vi s’ t or’ a n d ’ e x p eri e n c er’ i n t hi s t h e si s, it?” The Guardian, Guardian Ne ws and (2015; 2017) st u dies. Als o, YL E Aree na because making up a whole ne w ter m M e di a, 8 J a n 2 0 1 6. R etri e v e d 2 7 M ar recently broadcasted The Guardian’s would have made the already co m ­ “ Nat ure is a ge ntic ­ it a ct s, a n d t h o s e matter that already over one hundred years 2018 fro m: w w w.theguardian.co m/ short docu mentary about A S M R. It’s a plicate d text u n necessarily dif fic ult t o actions have consequences for both the ago classical physics was revealed to be inad ­ science/head ­q uarters/2016/ja n/08/ brief a n d c o m pact i ntr o d ucti o n t o t he f oll o w. H a vi n g s ai d t h at, b ot h of t h e hu man and the nonhu ma world. We need equate to even explain the material pheno m ­ as mr ­a n d ­hea d ­orgas ms ­w h ats ­t h e ­ videos and A S M R sensations. In the mentioned ter ms are so me what mis ­ ways of understanding agency, signifi ­ e n a m o st e vi d e ntl y b el o n gi n g t o it s di s ci pli n e. scie nce ­b e hi n d ­it. T hi s st or y i s b a s e d docu mentary, the descriptions of the leading. ’ Spectator’ does not account cance, and ongoing transfor mative po w ­ ( K alli o ­T a m mi n e n, 2 0 0 6, 7 9.) T h e pri m al q u ali - on the intervie w of researchers E m ma i nt er vi e w e d A S M Rti st s ar e i n li n e wit h for ho w multifaceted the sensory Barratt a n d Nick Davis. the available infor mation and descrip ­ AS M R pheno menon actually is, and er of t he w orl d – ways t hat acc o u nt f or ti e s of p h y si c al o bj e ct s w er e b eli e v e d t o e xi st ti o n of t he feat ures a n d p ur p oses of privile ges visi o n over ot her f or ms of myri a d “i ntr a ­acti o ns” (i n Kare n Bar ­ as such, independently fro m the o bserv er, a n d 3 3 . Guest on an Internet conversation t h e A S M R vi d e o s. S e e: Ai v o ­or g a s mit se ns orial perce pti o n a n d se ns uality. ad’s ter ms) bet ween pheno mena that are t h e s u bj e cti v e q u aliti e s w er e b eli e v e d o nl y t o thread on AS M R, when the sensation | Ki o s ki s u o sitt el e e: G u ar di a n ­d ok u ­ ’ Ex perie ncer’, o n t he ot her ha n d, takes m at eri al, di s c ur si v e, h u m a n, m or e ­t ha n ­ exist i n t he o bserver’s c o nsci o us ness. At o mi s ­ w a s still u n n a m e d: W EI R D S E N S A ­ me ntit. (2017, Oct o ber 5). Retrieve d for granted that the person engaging hu man, corporeal, and technological.” 3 9 tic reductionis m, for exa mple, would assu me TI O N F E E L S G O O D. ( n. d.). R etri e v e d 2 8 1 6 O ct 2 0 1 7, fr o m: htt p s:// ar e e n a. yl e. with the A S M R videos would experi ­ t hat me ntal perce pti o ns, s uch as t he feeli n g Mar 2018, fro m: https:// w w w.steady ­ fi/ 1 ­4126509 ence specific A S M R tingles, and thus health.co m/topics/ weird ­se nsati o n ­ si mplifies the pheno menon: AS MR Brief Back gr o u n d f or of war mth in one’s body, are caused by bodily f e el s ­good 3 7 . S e e f or e x a m pl e: htt p s:// w w w. media does not exclude any motiva ­ Barad’s Ne w Materialis m stages, which in turn were reducible to the ob ­ youtube.co m/ watch?v=Yz GopH WPau U tions for engage ment, although most jective features of the ato ms in the body caus ­ 3 4 . St e p h e n D. S mit h, B e v erl e y ( A S M R S h o w & T ell B utt o n C oll e cti o n getti n g i nt o it are u n d o u bte dly l o oki n g The Cartesian attitude to wards nature as fixed i n g reacti o ns i n perce pti o nal or ga ns. T h us, Katherine Fredborg & Jennifer ~ So ut her n Acce nt W his per) ; htt ps:// f or ti n gles a m o n gst t he ot her p ositive and measurable paved the way for Ne wtonian the secondary qualities also could be seen as Kornelsen (2017) An exa mination of w w w.youtube.co m/ watch?v=EeL ­ feat ures of t he se nsati o ns. I n Barratt p hysics, w hich c o nsi ders material o bjects as mecha nically derivative of t he pri mary q uali ­ the default mode net work in indi ­ rhFIZFC A ( AS MR ­ Tri g g er W or d s i n & D a vi s’ ( 2 0 1 5) st u d y, t h e y al s o u s e a viduals with autono mous sensory E n gli s h, G er m a n, Fr e n c h, S p a ni s h & t er m ’ c o n s u m er’, w hi c h I w a nt t o a v oi d passive, i nert a n d discrete, reacti n g o nly t o a n ties. T his chai n of reas o ni n g by passe d t he fact meridian response ( A S M R), Social It ali a n ­ M al e W hi s p eri n g) ; htt p s:// i n t his t hesis beca use it i n t ur n narr o ws e xt er n al a g e nt, i n a ti m e ­s p a c e w hi c h i s b a s e d t hat wit h o ut perce pti o n t he pri mary q ualities, Ne ur oscie nce, 12:4, 361 ­3 6 5, D OI: w w w.youtube.co m/ watch?v=CpuZ4e D ­ t he r ole of t he ex perie ncer/s pectat or o n chai n reacti o ns of ca use ­a n d ­effect (Jacks o n such as size, shape and mo mentu m, could not 10.1080/17470919.2016.1188851. Ac ­ e n WI ( ~•/•/• ~ R el a xi n g N a p ki n s F ol di n g wit hi n t h e p h e n o m e n o n, a n d i n m y & M a z z ei 2 0 1 2, 11 0 ­11). T arj a K alli o ­T a m mi n e n b e o bserve d t o be gi n wit h. ( K alli o ­T a m mi n e n, cesse d 27 Mar 2017 fr o m: htt ps:// d oi. or T ut ori al ~•/•/• ~) ; htt p s:// w w w. y o ut u b e. o pi ni o n l e a d s t h e n oti o n of t h e r ol e of n otes t hat Cartesia n d ualis m, Ne wtonian 2 0 0 6, 7 4.) g/10.1080/17470919.2016.1188851 co m/ watch?v=6nbrPJu ­q6 w ([ AS M R] a n i n di vi d u al i n a dir e cti o n I wi s h n ot p h y si c s, a n d D ar wi n’s t h e or y of ori gi n of s p e ci e s After t he i nve nti o n of q ua nt u m m e c h a ni c s P a g e T ur ni n g : Ol d B o o k, C o mi c B o o k t o p urs ue. 3 5 . Be ne dek T. Ti ha nyi, Eszter Fere nt ­ & M a g a zi n e ­ N o T al ki n g) ; htt p s:// w w w. als o have ha d a lar ge a n d far ­r e a c hi n g i m p a ct i n a n d it s fir st a n d still a p pli c a bl e i nt er pr et ati o n, zi, Fl ori a n B ei s s n er, F er e n c K öt el e s youtube.co m/ watch?v=ZFlBKsYK1 w A 3 9 . Jacks o n & Mazzei 2012, 118, as cit ­ various fields of the hu manities (2006, 78 ­7 9). t h e s o ­called Copenhagen interpretation, the (2017): “The neuropsychophysi ­ (★ Drea my Crea my Spa Facial ºo O★ e d i n A k ai m o & H e k m a n, ’I ntr o d u cti o n: F or e x a m pl e, i n s o ci o bi ol o g y a n d i n e v ol uti o n tra diti o nal u n dersta n di n g of reality ca me t o a ol o gy of ti n gli n g”. C o nsci o us ness R el a x ati o n | A S M R | F a c e M a s s a g e) ; E m er gi n g M o d el s of i n M at eri alit y i n psychology the trend has been to reduce dead end. The Copenhagen interpretation de ­ a n d C o g niti o n. A v ail a bl e o nli n e 3 1 https:// w w w.youtube.co m/ watch?v=z3I ­ F e mi ni st T h e or y’ i n M at eri al F e mi ­ hu man behavior and societal pheno mena to manded the destruction of the mechanistic– O ct o b er 2 0 1 7 htt p s:// d oi. or g/ 1 0. 1 0 1 6/j. O2F N V1 B Y ( A S M R Tasty Triggers) ni s m s, 2 0 0 8, 5. concog.2017.10.015 Checked on ­ the workings of physics and che mistry. In many deter ministic co mprehension of reality that has li n e 2 8. 11. 2 0 1 7 : htt p:// w w w. s ci ­ hu manistic schools of thought the under l yi n g it s b a si s i n cl a s si c al p h y si c s. T h e n e w e x pl a n a ­ e n c e dir e ct. c o m/ s ci e n c e/ arti cl e/ pii/ foundation for explanations of c o m pli c at e d tions meant radical abandon ment of the pros ­ S1053810017302805?via %3 Dihub m at eri al ­disc ursive dy na mics (la n g ua ge, art, pect that science– making would be a practice r eli gi o n) d at e s b a c k t o cl a s si c al p h y si c s – n o through which it was possible to discover objec ­

2 6 footnotes 32–39 2 7 40. discursive practices > material studies emphasizes the importance of reality tracking “the-science-in-the-making” tive facts about objects or phenomena separate­ reconfgure ­discourses and discursive conse­ by being attentive to the specifcities ly existing from the observer (Kallio-Tammin­ quences. Agential ­realism does not only prob­ 41. I use the term ’becoming’ in this of laboratory practices, it vastly fails en, 2006, 135). While Newtonian mechanics was lematize the more ­commonly applied under­ thesis to distinguish that materializing to question the social variables, and signifcant for the preceding materialisms (ma­ standing of the direction of causal structures is an active process (not a continuous, continues to assume that those are terialist philosophies of the 19th century, nota­ between discourse and ­materiality,40 but un­ linear fow, but iterative and nonde­ destined ­categories of the social. In bly those of Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud), matter derstands their dynamisms as ­intrinsically terministic) instead of a static ’being’. other words, “the-gender-in-the-mak­ An important note is, that in terms of ing” – the production of gender and has turned out to be much more unattainable ­reciprocal - materialization is not homogeneous,­ agential realism, however, there is no constitution of other social attributes and complex for post-classical physics, forcing nor a uniform process, but a ­diffractive substantial dichotomy between being through and within technoscientifc us to reconsider the ways we understand and ­becoming41 of the world.42 and becoming (Barad 2012, 13: n18). practices is oftentimes forgotten. That interact with ­nature (Coole & Frost 2010, 5). Or means to ignore the mutual constitu­ rather, as Barad would probably put it, intra-act Terminology 42. discourse <> materiality (<> tion of the “social” and “scientifc” is, within nature; as of nature. ­signifying intra-action) ironically, at the core of the very pro­ Barad sometimes refers to their new I am about to apply Baradian philosophy, and I use ’reciprocity’ here by means of ject of ­science studies. (Barad 2007, 87.) intra-action, which is a co-­constitutive ­materialism as “onto-epistem-ology”. The onto­ obviously I will also use specifc terms that yet asymmetrical relation and, 45. See more: Method: Diffractive epistemology, knowing in being, takes further­ are central in agential realism. In their texts, ­according to agential realism, an exis­ reading. and deeper the materialist tradition of the ­Barad repeatedly uses particular expressions tential condition per se. Intra-­activity is modern era and turns the tables of the post­ such as “entanglement”, “­reconfguration”, the production of differential becom­ 46. I chose to use ’object-based’ modernist disposition of privileging linguistics ­“iteration”, and “bodies-in-production”. These ings (mattering), manifesting in pecu­ ­instead of ’object-oriented’ in this liar ways and volumes in ­phenomena. thesis for two reasons: ( ­Jackson& Mazzei 2012, 119). New ­materialism, are ­descriptive terms that Barad uses in multi­ See: Terminology: Intra-action; 1. Because the term ’object-orient­ then, is a post-Cartesian approach to ­matter faceted manners (for example, in terms of ­Diffraction ed’ easily associates with object-orient­ as agential, active and non­deterministic: quantum entanglement and entanglement as ed ontology (OOO) and object-oriented new materialism states that matter becomes a ­feature of orienting in intra-action), so that 43. That is, there is no relata ­existing philosophy. Mentioned theories take ­instead of saying that matter is (Jackson & some “­typical Baradian vocabulary” is not independently outside of their a very different perspective on the Mazzei 2012, 110-11). Agential realism diverg­ ­explicitly explained per se, but rather Barad ­relations within intra-actions (Barad matter from that of agential realism 2007, 429). (nevertheless, these schools of thought es from many feminist postmodern and post­ uses them to explain the other, more ­distinctive are sharing the same rejection of an­ structuralist ­theories in its attitude towards the concepts, such as “intra-action” and “exteriority-­ 44. Barad notes that feminist sci­ thropocentrism, and the same urge to material-­discursive dichotomy and the direction within”. To not change the very specifc meaning ence studies scholars have been foreground the matterings of nonhu­ of ­effects in these realms. For Barad, ­material of what is stated, I have not found it judicious attuned to issues of relativism and man forms). is a co-constitutive force with discourse, and to extensively replace these explanatory words refexivity for a good while already. 2. Moreover, while plugging in my thus does not only ask what the material (like “reconfguration) by ­synonyms (which They have ­argued that mainstream data and the concept of ’intra-action’, science studies have not been mindful I realized that the expression ’object-­ ­consequences of discursive practices are, but is are never the same) – there is a reason why about crucial social-material factors, oriented’ is too exclusive, because it also interested in what the ­relationship between ­Barad has chosen to use these particular words. such as gender, ethnicity, race, class, suggests that the intra-action at hand discourse and materiality is. ­Barad inquires how Agential realism is a ­theory that ­materializes religion and nationality. The paradox would be principally one-way in its does the discourse work its effects on ­material, in words and in the ways words are used. As lies in the fact that while science causal direction. and how could ­materiality in turn ­constrain and I aim to make the theory work in the context

28 footnotes 40–46 29 of my ­topic, I also ­widely use the language in to Merleau-Ponty’s conception of ’being-in-the- as an “exteriority-within-­phenomena” (see ­example, uses as a counterpoint to refexion­ a ­Baradian manner: in parts, the theory starts world’, Barad would rather say ’being-of-the- below). The dynamic separateness (­agential ­(refectivity)44. Both are ­optical ­phenomena, to work as a ­method too (for further annota­ world’ (2007, 160). Being-of-the-world emphasiz­ ­separability) of elements (agential objects but whereas refection is about ­mirroring; re­ tions, see: Method: ­Diffractive reading). Now I es the entangled nature of reality - how bodies and subjects) within the phenomena are fections, sameness, ­mimesis and ­homologous will briefy introduce the most prominent con­ are constituted along with the world, as integral ­emergent through “agential cuts”. The agential copies of the original; ­diffraction is about cepts of agential realism. I’ll ­apply the following parts of it. intra-­actions are processes which determine patterns of differences and ­relationalities throughout my analysis, and aim to make them Agency basically refers to an ability to act. where the boundaries and properties of the ( ­Barad 2007, 71, 89). Refection is grounded­ work by plugging them in with my data. For Barad, the primary ontological units are not ­components within the phenomenon emerge, on ­representationalism: it assumes that Matter, for Barad, is not a thing or a independent objects with inherent ­boundaries and how the particular concepts/ material ­representations refect the social or ­natural property of independently existing objects and properties, but phenomena (­Barad 2007, ­articulations of the world become meaningful. ­reality. The ­conviction behind refexi­ vity is in the world. Matter is substance in a repe­ 141). Agency is not something ­someone (Barad, 2007, 139-41.) In experimental settings, that we have somehow easier access to the titious intra-­active becoming, it’s a doing, a (­human or nonhuman) has, but a shifting an agential cut enacts a causal structure among ­representations than to the objects themselves. “­congealing of agency” (Barad, 2007, 210. Ital­ ­ability to act. Intra-action is the production of components of a phenomenon in the marking ­Refexivity holds the world at a ­distance, and ics mine). ­Phenomena come to matter through ­agencies within phenomena. Agential cuts ne­ of the “measuring agencies” (“effect”) by the it also holds on to the epistemological gap the ­process of intra-activity. In agential realism, gotiate the object and the subject over and over “measured object” (“cause”) (Barad, 2007, 140). ­between the ­knower and the known. Even matter refers to the materiality and materializa­ again. However, these agential components Exteriority-within-phenomena: the when the ­observer is aimed to be put back into tion of phenomena (Barad, 2007, 210). are not ontologically separable or preexisting ­continuous reworking of the agential ­boundary the game, ­refexivity only mirrors mirroring, Intra-action is one of the most important ­entities, but emergent only through and with- is also referred to as a condition of exteriority-­ ­because it still ­concerns the subject and ­object concepts of agential realism. Intra-activity is the in their ­relation. That is, according to Barad, within-phenomena. ­Following and further as discrete, believing that this separation, a gaze mutual constitution of matter and discourse. ­relata do not preexist before the relations, and ­developing Bohr’s ideas towards a posthuman­ from a far, is the condition for the ­possibility of It is important to understand that Barad’s in- therefore we should talk about relata-within-­ ist approach, Barad disputes ­spatial ­separability knowledge. (Barad 2007, 87-88.) Diffraction, in tra-activity is different from interactivity, which phenomena43 to begin with (Barad, 2007, 140). and the Cartesian cut (fxed, ­distinctive object turn, is not about ­interaction between separate is often used to indicate the interpersonal en­ This ­perception is radically different from the and subject) and instead ­offers an agentially entities, “a self-referential glance back at one­ counters between “distinctive” bodies (Jack­ more familiar ­Cartesian understanding, which ­enacted cut to better ­explain the recent fndings self”, but an intra-active “way of understanding son & Mazzei 2012, 115). Where the prefx inter takes the ­dualist ­distinction between a discrete of quantum physics (which ­indeed insist a new the world from within and as part of it” (Barad signifes among/in the midst of, intra means object and a discrete subject for granted. kind of ontic and ­epistemic ­approach to reality). 2007, 88). (from) within. When two bodies interact, they Agential separability means the ­production The pivotal point in an agential realist under­ Secondly, diffraction is a methodological remain in a state of independence. That is, each of the agential subject and agential object standing is that the ­observer can never stand approach (that is also applied in this thesis): it of these subjects are understood to exist be­ ­within a specifc intra-action. In Barad’s ­theory outside of the world - there is no such absolute is reading insights through one another, while fore the ­encounter with one another. When two of agential separability, objectivity is not lost exterior observational spot. (Barad 2007, 184.) being sensitive to the exceptions, exclusions bodies intra-act they in turn co-constitute each along with the rejection of a metaphysical Diffraction works in many ways in agential and delicate details, and being attentive to the other. This means that the individuals/entities ­individualism. Indeed, objectivity is possible realism: it is a trope that describes the workings ­relations of differences and how they matter.45 materialize through intra-action, and the ­ability through an agential separateness within the of agential realism on a meta level. Thirdly, diffraction, as a ­physical to act emerges from within the relationship, phenomena. This separateness is an ­agentially First of all, diffraction is a term that ­Barad, ­phenomenon, is a prominent object of not outside of it (Barad 2014, 30: n4). In contrast enacted material condition that ­Barad refer­ s following (most notably) Donna Haraway’s ­investigation in physics and in the ­philosophy

30 31 47. Hashtags (#) on the headline than online, e.g. the physical, mate­ maria-spends-20-minutes-folding-tow­ indicate the way the content related to rial changes on the spectator’s body els-why-millions-are-mesmerised-by- of physics. In classic physics, diffraction, and the pattern produced is called interference a certain topic is marked online with (notably, the tingles). Crucial here is asmr-videos-7956866.html ­sometimes also called interference, is a or a diffraction pattern. (Barad 2007, 76-77.) metadata tags. In the case of ASMR, to understand that this division is not ­characteristic behavior that exhibits in certain What makes the diffraction phenomenon unintentional content is oftentimes about absolute categories or distinct 50. See for example: http://discover­ conditions. Diffraction patterns mark the dif­ so interesting are the empirical fndings of a marked with #ASMR by other us­ realities, because the offine and online asmr.com/what-is-asmr/bob-ross-asmr/ ference between particles and waves: accord­ ­famous two-slit diffraction experiment. This ex­ ers, who classify it to be part of the are profoundly entangled. However, I ; http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-you­ ing to classical physics, only waves produce periment plays a crucial role in the ­development phenomenon. I think that the hashtag will use these terms in order to under­ tube-videos-that-will-give-you-asmr- is also a topologically fascinating stand the intra-active constitution of shivers/ ; http://www.dazeddigital. ­diffraction patterns, whereas particles do not of quantum physics and demonstrates that in phenomenon, because it makes visible ASMR phenomenon as emerging and com/artsandculture/article/18486/1/ because they cannot occupy the same place in some circumstances matter (classically thought the phenomenal workings of spaceti­ materializing in confgurations that are bob-ross-king-of-the-tingles ; http:// space at the same time. Waves, in turn, are not as composed of particles) can indeed produce memattering: it entangles information both online, offine, and crossing that mashable.com/2015/01/26/asmr-you­ “things” that can be localized to one point, but a diffraction pattern. Since the frst discovery which is “seemingly scattered” on distinction. tube/#ni0EsmqzsPq5 ; http://www. ­disturbances that propagate in a medium (like of such weird performing, the experiment has the Internet. That is, when I attempt to This same notion applies to other stuffmomnevertoldyou.com/blogs/ water) or as oscillating felds (like electromag­ been repeated extensively and the evidence think with agential realism, the Internet seemingly distinctive terms used in why-do-whispering-women-cause- netic waves; light, for example). Unlike parti­ against the classical comprehension of waves is not an abstract, virtual container this thesis, e.g. the human/non-human, asmr-brain-orgasms.htm ; http://www. where separate bits of data foat like animate/inanimate. I argue that usage newsweek.com/2014/10/10/soothing- cles, waves can overlap at the same point in and particles is only getting stronger. Not only particles of dust in the air. The Internet of such terms is well reasoned here, sounds-bob-ross-274466.html space: their amplitudes (heights) can combine does matter manifest wave behavior under cer­ is not a separate realm from “the because it is necessary in order to be creating a composite waveform. When two wa­ tain experimental circumstances, but it has palpable” reality, nor is the entangle­ sensitive to the diffractive practices of ter waves overlap, for example, the resulting been proven that the same works vice versa: ment of information a fshnet where materialization. Recognizing exclu­ wave can be bigger or smaller than ­either of the light, for example, can act both as a wave and hashtags would connect data like dots sions starts by being aware of the waves coming together. When the crests meet, as a particle. Diffraction patterns are evidence located in space. Rather, hashtags inclusions. Importantly, all categoriza­ should be understood as parts of the tions are always permeable, and the the waveform is larger, but when the crest of superposition. But here is the dilemma: the multiplicity of apparatuses at work, differentiation between matterings is of one combines with the trough of ­another, superposition of particles is a paradox (Barad apparatuses that do not work explicitly iteratively remade. the ­disturbances can cancel each other out 2007, 82-83). Diffraction phenomenon do not in the Internet or in the “reality outside and might appear relatively calm. That is, the only bring to the light the entanglements of the 48. The Joy of Painting ran for 11 of it”. According to Barad, reality is spa­ ­resultant wave is a sum of effects, a combina­ research settings in the laboratories, but is it­ cetimemattering, which does not con­ years from early 80s to early 90s on tion of individual disturbances. The combining self an entangled phenomenon (Barad 2007, 73). stitute of individually existing entities American television, and meanwhile located in space and evolving in time, won three Emmy Awards. of effects is called superposition. (Barad 2007, The puzzling fndings of contemporary quantum but of phenomena that are material en­ Source: The Joy of Painting. Retrieved 266.) physics (like diffraction patterns, super­position tanglements extending across different 27 Mar 2018, from: https://en.wikipedia. When two stones are dropped into calm and quantum entangled states) force one to re­ spaces and times (2007, 317). org/wiki/The_Joy_of_Painting water simultaneously, circular disturbances think many of the taken-for-granted formula­ When I use ’online’ in this thesis, I ­occur in the water. The disturbances caused by tions of Western epistemology and ontology refer to the Internet and to ways ASMR 49. Marsden, R. (2012, July 20). ‘Maria each stone start to propagate outward, and then (Barad 2007, 82-83). phenomenon are (re)confguring on spends 20 minutes folding towels’: YouTube, at the core of which are the Why millions are mesmerised by overlap with each other producing a ­pattern intentional ASMR videos. ’Offine’ is ASMR videos. Retrieved 26 Mar 2018, that results from the relative differences (in to mark the (re)confgurations of the from: https://www.independent.co.uk/ ­amplitude and phase) of the overlapping waves. phenomenon that are “elsewhere” life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/ Now the waves are interfering with each other,

32 footnotes 47–50 33 DATA

For me, Asmr is a topical example of an ­videos are often conducted with limited or ­emerging phenomenon, which (literally) ­indistinguishable narration, or completely ­touches the most recent thematics of new without it (“no talking” Asmr). In these ­cases, ­materialism, both through its content and its the triggering sounds and visuals are ­created functionalities. For this thesis, I have selected ­merely by playing very attentively with ­different two (2) videos that ground my contemplations materials and articles. The human ­factor to of the Asmr phenomenon. Both of the videos these videos is often diminished so that the are on YouTube. Regardless of the fact that the Asmrtist is not visible except for their hands. selected videos form the core of my data, my Likewise, in the case of most of the Asmr approach to the phenomenon is manifold. I give ­videos, the viewer/spectator/experiencer is voice to ­polyphonic sounds in this ­thesis: I cite ­advised to use headphones for binaural audio articles, stories and studies, as well as my two sensations. Asmr “­capable” / Asmr experiencing friends. In their second study on Asmr, Barratt & While the themes of Asmr videos vary Davis remark that the previous exploration of ­distinctively, Barratt & Davis abstract two (2) Asmr focused more on “interpersonal triggers” main sorts of videos that emphasize ­different (introduced in type1 videos). Barratt & Davis settings to bring about the Asmr response. The analyze that the role-play type of online Asmr two ­categories are principally directive, not is so typical because many of the ­effcacious ­absolute (2015). triggers, like whispers and crisp sounds “are 1) In the frst type of video, the focus, incorporated into a ­situation that implies close ­solicitude and ­attention is oriented towards the contact with the Asmr­ tist, such as a ­dental viewer. These videos often simulate a ­situation ­examination or a beauty therapy appointment” of intimate personal attention, and they are (Introduction). They emphasize that \ ­merely ­typically conducted with binaural narration in ­approaching Asmr through type1 videos would order to enhance the sensation of close prox­ misrepresent the multifaceted ­character of imity and face-to-face encounter. The Asmr­ tist Asmr phenomenon, which is not only about is ­typically visible in the video. Barratt & ­Davis “ ­interpersonal” triggers: “As a result, the delineate these type of videos to contain ­qualities of effective triggers not directly related “ ­interpersonal triggers” (2017). to interpersonal actions made by a host, such as 2) In the second type of video the ­nurture the properties of effective trigger objects, have and attention are directed towards articles, largely been overlooked” (Barratt & Davis 2017, ­objects (human or nonhuman) and ­materia. Introduction). These nonhuman/object/materia -based46

34 35 Selected videos Mountain (Season 20 Episode 1)’ from Bob that they themself were not alive long enough of consensus. In an entirely subjective realm Ross’ ­legendary television show The Joy of to take part of this discourse. Bob Ross’s of ­experience, he is a commonly agreed upon I already summed up some well-recognized ­Painting.48 I’ve ­selected this video because it ­entanglement with the ASMR phenomenon is father, god­father, king and classic example of features of Asmr videos. Next I will introduce exposes the scope and ­historicity of the ASMR vastly represented in online discourses.50 what an ASMR ­trigger looks and sounds like.”54 the two selected ­exemplary videos and justify phenomenon (as not only limited to the ASMR the choosing of these particular videos. I want videos intentionally done in the recent years). “— the mystery is what exact­ 2) An Object–Based ASMR Video to remark here, that there are transcriptions­ This videos’ format is kindred to the type1 ly it is that’s so undeniably appeal­ of the videos attached to the thesis. Even ASMR videos, where the focus (“personal atten­ ing about watching this man paint GentleWhispering (2016, June 16). more ­importantly, I would like to suggest you tion”) is directed towards the viewer/spectator/­ trees and birds and cabins.”51 .•. Intoxicating Sounds .•. ASMR. to ­actually open the links to the videos, and experiencer. Thus, I state that this ­video broad­ https://www.youtube.com/ ­engage with them, rather than merely reading ens the coverage of my samples to not only An article titled ’How Bob Ross Became an watch?v=WY0JWpKsdWQ. the transcripts. include the more obvious and ftting piece of ASMR YouTube Star’ by CAITLIN SCHNEIDER52 See Transcriptions. data, which would be the object/materia–based states, that most of those watching ’The Joy of 1) “Unintentional” video #ASMR #Bob­Ross: videos in the context of the theory. One more Painting’ TV show never actually had an inten­ The second piece of data I get entangled with ­Mystic Mountain (Season 20 Episode 1) criterion for my pick is that this video is a gen­ tion of picking up the brush, but were looking and through my theory, is an object and ­materia erally accepted archetype of an ASMR triggering for something else; maybe comfort, or perhaps -based ASMR video (type 2, see above). The 2) Object–based ASMR video: .•. In­ content. Therefore, I fnd it to be a fruitful start­ some relaxing tingles53.Schneider writes on ­video is called ‘.•. Intoxicating Sounds .•. ASMR’ toxicating Sounds .•. ASMR ing point when wanting to understand the ASMR the ASMR thread on Reddit, “Bob Ross” is listed and it’s made by the Gentle Whispering ASMR. phenomenon together with the ontological con­ as a common ­trigger for ASMR, and one specif­ ’Gentle Whispering ASMR’ is globally the most 1) An “Unintentional” cepts of Barad. ic mountain painting video has an astonishing subscribed ASMR channel on YouTube. I’ve cho­ Video #ASMR #Bobross47 7,6 million views, while others too are typically sen this video because it’s a widespread and Bob Ross’ Entanglement with ASMR watched as many as two to four million times. vastly consumed example, and it matches the BobRossInc (2015, April 20). Schneider adds, that naturally, not all of the description of a typical ASMR video. Moreover, Bob Ross - Mystic Mountain “A frequently-cited example of existing people are watching Ross painting for the pur­ it’s a representative of an object/materia -based (Season 20 Episode 1). ASMR culture is the TV show made by pose of ASMR, but an increasing online presence video, which is particularly interesting for me in https://www.youtube.com/ American landscape painter Bob Ross; over indicates that the trigger seeking spectators terms of agential realism. watch?v=VlucWfTUo1A. 400 episodes of The Joy of Painting were would be included in the numbers. According See Transcriptions. flmed before his death in 1995, and they to the article, Ross has had an important role as have since become an ASMR staple.”49 a central character in the evolution of the ASMR This video is often referred to as a clas­ online phenomena: sic ­example of an “unintentional ASMR”. This The name Bob Ross has come up in ­personal “In the last fve years or so, the means, that the clip is originally done for an­ communication with several friends who ­experience—often described as a tingling that other purposes than ASMR, but has later been ­experience ASMR tingles. Investigating further, starts in the scalp, trickles down the spine, and vastly interpreted and engaged with as ASMR it came clear that Bob Ross’ involvement in the relaxes the whole body—has become well- media. This video is an episode called ‘­Mystic ASMR phenomenon is evident, despite the fact known, with Bob Ross as an unexpected point

36 37 51. Kloc, J. (2014, October 10). The 55. See the chapter ’Touching 58. Barad (2007, 198) follows Borh’s RESEARCH QUESTIONS METHOD Soothing Sounds of Bob Ross; Long Soundscape’, where I contemplate the resolution on the wave and particle after His Death, a Gentle Man Who ­materiality of sound. duality paradox, whose “translation” Painted Kitsch Landscapes on Public was causing inconsistencies within I inquire how intra-active entanglements and Diffractive Reading – Thinking Television Still Gives Millions of Fans 56. If there is a human participant quantum theory. The wave and particle shifting agency of human and nonhuman par­ with & Plugging in in an ASMR video, they are usually the Tingles. Newsweek. Retrieved 27 duality paradox entails a condition takers ­materialize and manifest in ASMR phe­ Mar 2018, from: http://www.highbeam. treated rather similarly to that of that it is impossible to observe particle nomenon. That is, I’m not only ­interested in Barad’s conception of “knowing in being”, com/doc/1G1-387235919.html?re­ “inanimate” (nonhuman) materia and wave behaviors simultaneously, fd=easy_hf (type2 videos). That is, human hair is because exclusive experimental set- what is produced in these entangled ­practices, ­asserts that the world is not to be grasped approached with same kind of “care ups are demanded. The solution here but how it is produced. What type of ­becomings by counting on representations, but ­rather 52. Schneider, C. (2015, July 05). How taking” and attentive touch when it is is to reframe “wave” and “particle”, (materializations) does ASMR generate as we should be attentive to and ­accountable Bob Ross Became an ASMR YouTube being brushed, like a plastic beauty which are classic, descriptive concepts a material-­discursive phenomenon? How for the entanglements of which we are a Star. Mental foss. Retrieved 28 Mar bag is when it is being tapped in an of physics. Through understanding that does intra-action work in the context of ASMR part. ­Theorizing, thinking, observing, and 2018, from: http://mentalfoss.com/arti­ ASMR video. Verbal communication “wave” and “particle” refer to two mu­ phenomenon? ­experimenting are not about intervening from cle/65661/how-bob-ross-became-asmr- between a human participant and an tually exclusive phenomena, instead of For Barad, matter is rather a doing than a distance, but about intra-acting from ­within. youtube-star ASMRtist is usually diminished, and observation-independent objects, the often this “voluntary human materia” referentiality is reconceptualized. The a noun. According to the theory of agential Knowledge practices play a constitutive role 53. Indeed, an article ’The Soothing has a passive role in the video. See for outcome of this epistemic shift is that ­realism, space, time and matter are one but in the production of objects and subjects and Sounds Of Bob Ross’ by Joe Kloc example: https://www.youtube.com/ “a condition for objective knowledge not singular phenomena. Aiming to grasp this ­matter and meaning (Barad 2007, 56). on newsweek.com claims that Ross watch?v=fpxUn3LH3Io ; https://www. is that the referent is a phenomenon” ­statement, I must look at ASMR from a perspec­ The practices of ’plugging in’ and ’reading/­ themself said that most people do not youtube.com/watch?v=1pRZaEP8pTo (Barad 2007, 198). tive which questions my preliminary assump­ thinking/seeing diffractively’ describe my watch their show to learn how to paint: “Instead, they watch it for relaxation”, 57. Accordingly, Barad notes that: tions of what it is and how it functions. The ­methodological approach in this thesis. “A the reclusive painter told the Sentinel “Electrons, molecules, brittlestars, primary questions that begin my analysis are ­diffractive reading is not about what is told, in a rare interview in 1990. – “We’ve jellyfsh, coral reefs, dogs, rocks, following: or experienced – it is about the ways in which gotten letters from people who say icebergs, plants, asteroids, snowfakes, Can online ASMR truly present an intimate what is experienced is formed in the intra-­ they sleep better when the show is and bees stray from all calculable presence while it holds a “virtual distance”? action between the material and discursive” on.” Retrieved 28 Mar 2018 from: http:// paths, making leaps here and there, How does the spatial ­dimension come to ­matter ( ­Jackson&Mazzei 2012, 130. Bolding mine). www.newsweek.com/2014/10/10/sooth­ or rather, making here and there from ing-sounds-bob-ross-274466.html leaps, shifting familiarly patterned in terms of intimacy and the digital when ­Diffraction is a term that Barad uses to indi­ practices, testing the waters of what ­contemplating online ASMR? Is there energy cate both a phenomenon of physics and the 54. Schneider, C. (2015, July 05). How might yet be/have been/could still have transmitted?55 What is the signifcance of atten­ theoretical counterpoint to ’refection’, follow­ Bob Ross Became an ASMR YouTube been, doing thought experiments with tive (and seemingly uncanny) material engage­ ing Donna Haraway’s conception of diffrac­ Star. Mental foss. Retrieved 28 Mar their very being” (2012, 1). ments so often ­proposed in ASMR videos?56 tion as ­marking specifc patterns and effects 2018, from: http://mentalfoss.com/arti­ of differences (­Barad 2007, 71). As applied in cle/65661/how-bob-ross-became-asmr- youtube-star agential realism, a diffractive method is a non-­ representationalist approach, especially suit­ able for critical ­examinations of socialnatural practices (Barad 2007, 88). Diffractive reading and theorizing is ­attuned to material-discursive

38 footnotes 51–58 39 entanglements. It is “reading insights through is just sort of have an idea in our mind tion between the subject and the object. That More over, Barad understands reality as another in attending to and responding to the and we just sort of let it, let it happen, is, agential realist theory does not approve the constituting of phenomena, not of ontological­ details and ­specifcities of relations of difference and if you’ll practice this a little bit, very knowing subject to be that of humanist or an­ ly separate entities, and thus the “object” of and how they ­matter” (Barad 2007, 71). soon you can enjoy the freedom ­creating tihumanist contemplations, nor transhuman­ ­investigation should be also seen as a phenom- Plugging in is a phrase originally intro­ a painting right on the canvas.” (Bob ism’s prosthetically enhanced human, but rath­ enon58. Thinking with my theory, I stand with duced by Deleuze&Guattari. Jackson&Mazzei Ross on Mystic Mountain episode1). er, knowing is “an ongoing performance of the the statement that objectivity is not about try­ apply the phrase in their textbook ’­Thinking world” which materializes within human and ing to stay clear and declare undistorted rep­ with Theory in Qualitative Research’ to ­signify Researcher – Knowledge nonhuman confgurations, and entails respon­ resentations of the things situated in the reality the to and fro process of organizing, ­arraigning Practices as Material, siveness and accountability (Barad 2007, 149- around us, but rather taking account of marks and ftting together theory and data (2012). Entangled­ Methods 50). Knowledge practices are not exclusive­ on bodies, being attentive to diffractions (specif­ The method of plugging in is an ­attentive ly human doings (as “an intellective agent”), ic materializations, differences that matter) and ­involvement, which could also be called “ – knowing is a matter of ­differential nor has thinking ever been disembodied, like entanglements of which I am a part (Barad 2007, “reading-­the-data-while-thinking-the-theory”, ­responsiveness (as ­performatively the traditional humanist accounts of intelligi­ 49, 89, 91). Knowledge practices do not only although I would rather like to call it engaging- ­articulated and accountable) to bility would insist (Barad 2012, 1). A (ration­ have material consequences, but they are ma­ the-­data-while-thinking-the-theory. Plugging in what ­matters” ­(Barad 2007, 149). al human) “mind” is not necessarily concom­ terial engagements that participate in (re)con­ is a disruption of the theory/practice ­binary in itant with a brain nor a condition for knowing, fguring the world (2007, 90). In terms of agen- that the very process they constitute and also As noted earlier, my challenge is to think of but rather, “mind” is a specifc confguration of tial realism, knowing is to become entangled makes one another (Jackson&Mazzei 2012, 1, ASMR phenomenon as something more than a material reality (Barad 2007, 379). Intelligibility ­(Barad 2007). 4-5). Following Jackson&Mazzei’s guidance, mere example of human culture’s production, is the world’s ontological performance: differ­ I aim to broaden theoretical thinking beyond a bunch of YouTube videos, or a human-cen­ ential articulations of reality-in-making. Barad the customary qualitative methods, such as tric physical-emotional experience. To do that, remarks that “brain cells are not the only ones ­creating themes or codings (2012). Plugging I have to pay close attention to the diffractions that hold memories, respond to stimuli, or think in is a process of creating new unpredictable and constitutive exclusions, and note the agen­ thoughts” and that “electrons as phenomena knowledge from chaos; from matters that are tial cuts through which my analysis is possible. carry the traces of their enfolded become with­ seemingly discrete. In the process of contemplating, talking, in them, just like any other phenomena” (2007 writing, and engaging with ASMR phenome­ 379-472: n53). They assert that the world and all [4:39>] “If you haven’t painted with us non, I’m also a part of its continuous constitu­ life forms including inanimate forms of liveli­ before (soft voice of brushing, fram- tion (and You, when reading this, might be as ness theorize and experiment.57 I want to add ing back to the close-up, heads of cloud- well). In Baradian thinking, this does not mean that while thinking this way it is obvious that like shapes appear on the canvas), one that my knowledge or understanding of the there are differential ways that knowing takes of the things that we try to do here, we ­phenomenon is purely subjective (which, from forms. It is not only “cognitive” knowledge or a try not to teach you just to copy, all we’re a traditional perspective, means that my posi­ logical thesis about the trueness of an ­argument trying to do is teach you a ­technique tion as “objective” researcher is contaminated), that matter, but other types of knowings too. and turn you loose on the world, we as this perception would follow the representa­ One can know everything about swimming in use no patterns, no ­tracings, all we do tionalist idea which presumes a fxed distinc­ theory, but still not know how to swim.

40 41 59. It is crucial to remember that, 64. Note: stating something does not 66. Carlile, Nicolini, et al, in the book A N ALYS IS thinking with agential realism, phe­ simply make it so, like using whatever ’How Matter Matters: Objects, Arti­ nomena never sit still, but are in a con­ instrument in a lab does not produce facts, and Materiality in Organization tinuous fux without absolute points of whatever results are desired; intra-ac­ Studies’ , state that, while the ethical Although the chosen videos and Barad’s con­ tion. As far as I understand, for Barad, the re­ starting and ending. The local, agential tions are not causally deterministic dimension of materiality and account­ cepts form the basis for my contemplations, the ality is a multiplicity of entangled, constitutive separability allows causal structures (Barad 2007, 211). How I understand ability has been implicit in some of the borders between the theory, the data, and me relations (agential intra-actions). Indeed, the to occur: the cuts create a temporal Barad’s take on the matter is that the new materialist discourses, it has not as a researcher will appear as unstable as they issues concerning the boundaries and ­agency object and a temporal subject - but signifer and signifed are not the same received enough of formal attention never for good, never once and for all. thing, nor is the signifer a representa­ (2014). According to them, this dimen­ actually are. Honoring the theoretical and meth­ are again inherently bonded. In addition to In my understanding, doing research is tion or the signifed, but rather, they sion raises specifc questions about the odological framework of mine, the intra-acting questioning the taken boundaries between a material-discursive, entangled prac­ are entangled, existing intra-actively. production of sociomaterial entan­ and emergent processes (analysis <> text <> the entities/nonhumans/humans/­subjects/ tice (including human and nonhuman glements: inquiry about how those matterings) are not following some pre-struc­ objects/­phenomena, Barad disputes the role participants), through which some­ 65. Agential cuts are at work in the entanglements are conceptualized, and tured system, chronology, or categorial anal­ of apparatuses as apathetic measurements or thing comes to be and something else material-discursive production of possibly detached. This segregation ysis. Instead, my analysis is an intra-woven, ­mediating equipment (2007). Although from does not. phenomena. How I see it is that the of the human and nonhuman actors spontaneous synthesis (entanglement) of the the ­instantaneous viewpoint of art education, constitution of categories is a mate­ is done by individuals through the 60. Importantly, the boundaries which rial-discursive iteration of practices process of refecting experiences. The data and theory. In other words, I plug in the ex­ the term ’­apparatus’ might seem arbitrary, it is mark the agential separability are not through which agential cuts appear. editors affrm that an insightful and emplary videos and ASMR as a broader phenom­ a concept used by many philosophers, for ex­ made once and for all, but remade That is, the usage of contradictions in critical reconsideration about material enon with Baradian conceptions (e.g. agency, ample by Foucault and Deleuze. Barad has their over and over again. meaning (and matter) making, e.g. by confgurations could lead to number materiality, diffraction and intra-action) through own way of ­utilizing the term. First of all, they conceiving concepts ’nature’ and ’cul­ of practical implications for contem­ notions that emerge in the process of “engag­ make visible our unquestioning, yet pragmatic, 61. <> designates intra-action. ture’ as oppositions, is a material-dis­ porary sociomaterial assemblages ing-the-data-while-thinking-the-theory”. The way of delimiting things by rethinking ordinary cursive act that has material-discursive and arrangements (such as schools, 62. Simply, the subject and the object consequences. hospitals, offces, cities, technologies analysis is a hybrid of engagements, it is diffrac­ concepts: What if there is a wireless connection are codependent on the relational (8-9). Carlile, Nicolini, et al., claim that tions that would had not been occurred with­ between the measuring instrument and a com­ order of the words in the sentence. E.g. “In the end, matter matters not only out the to and fro process described above. My puter that collects the data? Does the apparatus interchanging two words in a following as an intellectual effort, but also in an analysis is an attempt to understand the theo- in this case include the computer? Is a printer sentence turns around its compre­ ontological and practical sense, i.e., it ry through practically applying it, and to under- paired with a laptop part of the apparatus? What hensible content: “The cat was eating generates consequences for how we stand the data through a theoretical approach. about the paper that is fed into the printer? Or when a girl walked in” / “the girl was experience and act in our world” (2014, eating when a cat walked in”. 9). Thinking with Barad, I could take the person who flls the paper in? The person this notion further, and say that matter Apparatuses in Baradian who reads the text on the printed paper? (Barad 63. Importantly, the differences in does not only generate consequences Theory: Background for the 2007, 142-43.) productive practices produce differen­ on the social lives of human subjects, Analysis to Understand the In agential realism, ’apparatuses’ are not tial matterings: the nature of a specifc but matter is a consequential, social, embodiment matters, and thus the Constitution of Phenomena mere embodiments of human concepts, ­passive natural, human and nonhuman pro- embodied actions are differentially measuring equipment, or laboratory setups. cess in iterative remaking. effcacious. Sound waves as materi­ For Barad, entities do not posses set bound­ Instead, apparatuses are specifc material-­ al disturbances are different than of 67. See my critique on prefx “post” in aries. Similarly, phenomena do not start and discursive practices producing differences that embodiments of language in bodily chapter Causality In ASMR. end sharply, but rather they are overlapping, matter. Apparatuses are open-ended boundary-­ gestures. (Barad 2007, 210-11.) “­intratwined”, and in a continuous transforma­ making practices; constructive of matter and

42 footnotes 59–67 43 meaning and productive of phenomena. Sig­ Workings of the ASMR+Mystic MysticMountain -apparatus while plugging it Agential Separability - The nifcantly, apparatuses are part of phenomena Mountain -apparatus in with some pertinent concepts of ­agential Making of Matter And Meaning themselves, they are dynamic reconfgurings of realism. the world in its intra-activity. Like nothing else, Yet An(other) Apparatus: First of all, to understand how the To recap: the confguration of the material-­ apparatuses do not possess inherent bounda­ A­ SMR+MysticMountain -apparatus constitutes, discursive systems (the spectator, the screen, ries, nor are they located in the world or evolve I start my analysis with the “unintention­ I go back to Barad’s notion of apparatuses as the headphones, the ­internet, YouTube, and in time: they are of the world, assiduously con­ al” ASMR video: Bob Ross’ painting episode open-ended, boundary-making ­practices that the Mystic Mountain episode uploaded ­online) fguring and reconfguring spatiality and tempo­ called ’Mystic Mountain’ on YouTube. Obvi­ are constructive of matter and meaning and works like an apparatus within the ASMR rality. (Barad 2007, 146.) ously, ASMR as a phenomenon is much more productive of phenomena (2007,146). Then -­phenomenon. The apparatus of ASMR+­Mystic­ An apparatus enacts a local, agential­ cut than a singular video. Moreover, the Mys­ what does the productive apparatus comprise Mountain does not possess inherent bounda­ within the phenomenon. The agential cut tic Mountain episode is also a part of oth­ in the case of ASMR+MysticMountain? The con­ ries - it makes the boundaries within and for the is a causal structure through the ­measuring er phenomena in addition to ASMR, and thus I fguration of the material-discursive systems phenomenon. As a boundary-­making practice, ­instrument (effect) and the measured ­object preemptively use an appellation ’ASMR+Mys- at work in the ASMR+MysticMountain changes the apparatus of ASMR+­MysticMountain is also (cause). That is, as far as I understand, an ticMountain’ to refer to the video and its in- iteratively, but as delineated for this analysis, responsive to the agential cuts. The agential ­apparatus and a measuring ­instrument are tra-actions as an ­apparatus. The composi­ it includes the spectator, the screen, the head- cuts are ceaselessly reconfgured. Agential cuts not one and same thing. An apparatus is tion of this apparatus principally ­includes the phones, the Internet, YouTube, and the Mystic produce the agential subject and the ­agential a ­productive ­practice, of which a ­specifc spectator/experiencer and the ­Mystic Moun­ Mountain ­episode uploaded online. This com- object and, with that, ­create a possibility for ­measuring ­instrument can be a constitutive tain -episode on YouTube. ­Hypothetically, the position works as a generative apparatus with- agential separability60. Agential cuts enable the part. If the apparatus is replaced with a ­different phrase ASMR+Mystic­Mountain thus also de­ in the agential phenomenon of ASMR. All of the local causal structures that construct ­specifc one, a ­corresponding change occurs in the scribes a general occasion of someone con­ components involved in the composition are ­diffraction patterns through which the matter agential cut: a different delineation of object suming Bob Ross’ painting ­videos for the pur­ already intra-­acting with and within other ap­ and meaning come to be in their peculiar ways. and observing agencies is ­enacted, a different pose of ASMR. Moreover, in the context of this paratuses. That means that there is not one, causal structure emerges by the cut. In short, thesis, the A­ SMR+MysticMountain -apparatus but a multitude of apparatuses working in the “Last But Least” different agential cuts produce different phe- necessarily also involves me. Wanting to under­ ASMR+Mystic­Mountain. The countless other en­ nomena. Importantly, for Barad, the apparatus stand ­Barad’s notion of objectivity in research trances to the material-discursive apparatus­ An apparatus is not a phenomenon per se, but is both causally substantial and the condition ­practices, I must ­acknowledge my position es that the A­ SMR+MysticMountain is entangled these two exist within each other. ­Phenomena for the possibility of the objective ­description within the phenomenon: I have a double role with are, for example, other YouTube videos (in­ are basic units of reality, “the ­ontological of material phenomena. (Barad 2007, 173-75.) as both the spectator, and the researcher. My cluding the intentional ASMR videos), the pro­ ­inseparability of agentially intra-­acting analysis, then, is the speculation of intra-­actions duction of technology and electronics (includ­ ­components” (Barad 2007, 33). The ­components and matterings with and within the ASMR+Mys­ ing laptops and headphones), debate forums and their relations reconfgure through ­agential ticMountain -apparatus as parts of the ASMR around ASMR (including news sites, blogs, re­ practices: apparatuses. It is ­essential to phenomenon.59 Having said that, the defni­ search of the topic), other phenomena of visual ­remember that in terms of the chosen ­theory, tions above are to clarify the starting point of and popular culture (other tv-series, other an ­apparatus is not the same as an instrument.­ the analysis. In what follows, I’ll rethink many American cultural phenomena tracing back to Thinking with the example of ­laboratory of the constitutive components of the ASMR+­ 80’ and 90’), and so forth. ­settings, an apparatus is not merely a piece

44 45 of scientifc ­equipment (like microscope), but about this specifc phenomenon - every insight The apparatus within the phenomenon is is ­intra-active. Similarly, ­YouTube does not rather the material-discursive, ­productive that comes to be, all theorizing, is a shaping of a co-constitutive part of the very emergence of ­preexist the ASMR sensation, the A­ SMRrist does ­practices at work within the composition dynamics, and importantly, all material-discur- the phenomenon. That is, the confguration of not preexist the spectator, and I, as much of the researcher<>­instrument<>measured sive ­practices always also entail constitutive ex- material-discursive systems of the ASMR+Mys- ­involved in the matter when writing this, do not ­object61. To put simply, in the case of online-­ clusions.63 That is, “last but not least”, what ever ticMountain is an open-ended apparatus re- ­preexist the ASMR phenomenon, and so forth ASMR, productive practices (the apparatus) is the ­context, is more or less a lie: sometimes the producing agential intra-actions. This means and so forth. None of these actors emerge as ­conducted by the ­spectator<>screen<>video. last is not the least, but it is never the same as that depending on the situation, the seemingly ­separate of each other. Rather, they consti- Or, when turning tables in the spirit of the frst. According to Barad, there are no sep­ separated, differentially materializing elements/ tute each other, and thus an absolute object ­agential ­realism, I might also say that the arate materialities, and thus there is nothing entities/actors/parts within the phenomenon and an absolute subject outside of intra-­action ­apparatus is the screen<>video<>spectator, or cryptic in the relation of the materiality of lan­ (e.g. the spectator, the screen, YouTube etc.), as is an ­impossibility. Even when emerging in ­spectator<>video<>screen, or video<>screen<>­ guage and materiality of the body (Barad 2007, well as their attributes, such as human/nonhu­ ­intra-­action, the object and the subject are not spectator. Changing the order or the words 211). The agential causal structures emerge in man/animate/inanimate, are enacted by agential absolute or ontologically distinctive, but agen­ changes my understanding of it, and that is an entangled, intra-active practices (apparatuses cuts. The agential cuts do not, however, change tially separable (Barad 2007, 208). ­important cognition when critically consider­ composed of language, bodies, materials, ob­ the condition of intra-activity: none of the en­ I want to make examples to demonstrate ing the workings of material-discursive prac­ jects, events, momentums etc.), through which tangled components (video, screen, spectator) the workings of agential realist apparatuses tices. For a reader familiar with the Western the reality comes to be. precede each other as ontologically distinctive in a way that I understand the concept. When writing system, where the text is arranged, entities, no matter how they are arranged in “a person” is writing with “a pencil”, the tem­ written and read from left to right, the order Apparatuses ≠ Passive these appellations. poral agential subject might confgure as the of the words does make a difference. It is the Material ­Arrangements Between Let’s make a thought experiment about the pencil-person, making the paper as an agen­ material-discursive production of ­differences Discrete Human Actors workings of video<>screen<>spectator. In the tial object, so that the agency is not always in that matters here. A different value, a different ASMR+MysticMountain -apparatus the agential accordance with the seeming “borders” of the agentic potential, is embedded in the order of Changing the order of the words is to create an­ cut marks the spectator as agentially separat­ “entities”. The agential subject within an appara­ words. This is true in the very construction of other hypothetical apparatus: another produc­ ed, allowing a local causal structure to emerge. tus might as well constitute seemingly dissim­ ­sentences62, and it also applies in the construc­ tive practice of matter and meaning.64 And this This happens, for example, when the energy ilar elements, for example in a phenomenon tion of ­ingredient lists, for example. All indus­ is indeed how the agency shifts within phenom­ of the sound waves (agential subject) vibrates where the material-discursively producing insti­ trially ­produced goods have their ­ingredients ena: through agential cuts. An agential cut is a the spectator/experiencer’s eardrums (agential tutional arrangement “classroom-chair-surveil­ ­listed from the most dominant towards the causal structure through the measuring instru­ object). Or, when the photons of light (agential lance” is a temporal agential subject, intra-act­ least. The ­appellation video<>screen<>spectator ment (effect) and the measured object (cause) subject) reach the eyes (agential object) as one’s ing with a “person” who enters the space and is a weird combination of words, and when read (Barad 2007, 146). If the apparatus is replaced gaze is directed towards the screen of a laptop. becomes an agential object. The agential sub­ from left to right, it translates a bit like a list, with a different one, a corresponding change That is, there is a direction in the ­transmission ject of a “classroom-chair-surveillance” is acting although the ’equal to’ marks (which indicate occurs in the agential cut: a different delineation of energy, a local ­causal effect, within the phe­ on the agential object (“person”): their behav­ intra-­action) obscure this impression. The role of of object and observing agencies is enacted, a nomenon. ­However, the spectator/experiencer­ ior is effected and controlled by the cameras, the video in the workings of the apparatus feels different causal structure emerges by the cut. In does not preexist the event of ­listening, they their bodily production is reconfgured in intra-­ more meaningful when the word ’video’ starts short, different agential cuts produce different do not preexist the headphones, the screen action with the material-discursive conditions the phrase. What changes is my understanding phenomena.65 (Barad 2007, 173-75.) or the video, and thus their whole ­becoming of the classroom (unwritten expectations of

46 47 ­demeanor, furniture arranged the space and the agential participants in the shaping of reality ­imitating a scene from a doctoral ­appointment mean a face-to-face encounter with “­another shaping the possible movement, one differen­ – metaphysically discrete agents, swaggering or playing a facial masseur in a spa. ­Personal human subject” (often ­referred as inter­ tially set table that materially establishes pow­ around on top of a pyramid in an ethical and in­ ­attention, as understood in the context of ASMR, subjectivity in theories that do not ­question the er relations between the students and teacher tellectual hierarchy. Assuming this, everything is an obvious factor in the amiability of Bob existence of ontologically individual ­entities). etc.) not to mention the chair, which concrete­ else except the spectator in the ASMR+Mystic­ Ross’ painting show. An ASMR enthusiast sums That is, a concurrent, reciprocal “human” en- ly demands the body to take a certain position Mountain -apparatus would be agentially com­ up why The Joy of Painting works for many in counter is not necessary for the experience of and thus also a certain relation to the other hu­ promised: indeed, everything else is not only ASMR purposes in a writing titled ’Bob Ross vid­ personal attention. man and nonhuman elements in the room. This “less conscious”, but “inanimate”. So, what is eos for ASMR’. On top of Ross’ soft, calm voice Thus, I argue that as the assumed is an ­example of materialization of power within the agential importance of the screen of a lap­ tone and their incredible concentration on the “ ­persons” (Bob Ross, the spectator) and all material-discursive regulatory practices (appa­ top? Mystic Mountain episode, in turn, seems painting, the aspect of personal attention is the other elements (the screen, the head- ratuses), which, importantly, are not end-to-end even more complex in its intangibility: it is bits mentioned: “Next we have personal attention, phones, YouTube etc.) are material-­discursively “human” practices, but material reconfgura­ of data somehow existing on a genius invention he acts almost as if he is just standing in your ­constitutive of each other, and as they do not tions of reality within which the human and called the Internet. And Bob Ross? Is Bob, while living room giving a one-on-one class about posses ­inherent boundaries nor is their mat- nonhuman elements are repeatedly reconstruct­ mixing paints on their palette and talking softly, painting directly to you”.70 In Barratt & Davis’s tering (as humans or as parts of the apparatus) ed and emerging in intra-action.66 just an inert representation68 of themself, cap­ study, personal attention was the second most tied in time (in a linear sense73). The ­concept tured on a tape decades ago? common ASMR trigger participants ­reported of ­personal attention, in this context, should Getting Post-Personal67 (2015, Table2). Then what exactly is person- be extended towards something like post-­ [0:29>] “If this is your frst time with us al attention - or more importantly, how does personal74 attention. Indeed, the ASMR+Mystic­ “—phenomena are differential patterns (gentle, melodious voice, shrugging it function? In the case of the ­Mystic ­Mountain Mountain -apparatus has mostly “nonhuman” of mattering (“diffraction patterns”) pro­ shoulders at the same time), let me ex­ ­episode, the spectator (the experiencer/­the elements at work, as the spectator is the only duced through complex agential intra-­ tend a personal invitation for you to drag ASMR tingle seeker) and Bob Ross are not even “human” at play. actions of multiple material-discur­ out your brushes (raising their brush), alive71 at the same time. “­Being live” is a sive practices or apparatuses of bodily paints and, and paint along with us each phrase often used to indicate the situation of Not Representations, ­production where apparatuses are not show, I think you’ll enjoy it.” (Bob Ross streaming a video online “in real time” – that but Diffractions mere observing instruments but bound- in the beginning of the Mystic Moun­ is, “without ­delay”. Being alive or being live are ary drawing practice - specifc ­material tain ­episode1, facing the camera) not necessities for the “personal attention” in Agential realism is a non-representationalist (re)confgurings of the world - which the case of ASMR. In all online ASMR72, ­personal theory. Representationalism assumes that mat­ come to matter.” (Barad 2007, 140). The phrase “personal attention” is attention does not entail two ­humans being ter and meaning are produced and understood ­commonly used in the context of ASMR. On ­simultaneously aware of such an ­encounter, and through refection and that representations rep­ As noted earlier, there are correlative ­causal ­YouTube “personal ­attention” is a code for a regardless, the phenomenon called “­personal resent social and natural reality. Refection is structures emergent within ­phenomena. typical set-up in the nurturing type of ASMR attention” works. In other words, in the ­Mystic about mirroring, mimicking, and, ultimately a My project here is to analyze ASMR with and ­videos where the atmosphere is that of an Mountain episode, likewise in the case of any chase for the “authentic”. Diffraction, on the oth­ through a theory that problematizes the ­intimate69 encounter. In these videos the focus YouTube video or tv-show where the host/­ er hand, is about patterns of differences and ­anthropocentric worldview. Anthropocentrism is in the spectator/experiencer, and there might performer is acting towards the camera and relationalities - matter and meaning are thor­ is based on the ethos of humans as the most be elements of role-play involved, such as “taking contact”, ­personal attention does not oughly entangled, and their mutual ­production

48 49 68. See the critical diagnosis of a possible episode of satirical TV show of “translife” by combining fora and representationalism and how it Black Mirror perhaps - but some start- fauna, achievements of computer happens in intra-action. (Barad 2007, 71, 89.) ­materialize as such exactly because of the intra-­ ­juxtaposes with Barad’s ’diffraction’, in ups are investing serious time and science such as research on artifcial As far as I understand, reality is about con­ action. Every singe diffraction is a marking on chapters Workings of the ASMR+Mystic money in the concept. Eternime, for intelligence (potentially leading to tingencies that come to matter, real material the ­reality’s body, every materialization matters Mountain -apparatus and Intimacy Is a example, plans to combine your on- technological singularity), as well ­differences, and an iteration of practices which in its own peculiar way and volume. More-Than-Human Matter. line footprint - made up of everything as the inventions of cellular agricul­ entail inclusions and exclusions. Thinking this you’ve ever posted on social media, ture (like cultured meat) do not only way, Bob Ross on the Mystic Mountain is not a for me 69. How intimacy works in the context your thoughts, smartphone pictures challenge the defnition of life, but also 75 of ASMR is a perplexing yet relevant and so on - with artifcial intelligence make the ever-perplexing problem of “representation” of the “real” person. That is, there is no other. question. Intimacy as a term indicates to create a digital version of yourself.” consciousness more topical than ever this Ross is a diffraction of the ­phenomenon of because there is no default. close emotional or physical proximity, (Bearne, S. (2017, August 22). How (Barad 2008, 171). which the “person / human” that once “lived” everyone affection and familiarity. See chapter your digital self could live on after you is of too - their existence is inherently entan- is ASMR as An Intimate Engagement die - BBC News. Retrieved 6 Apr 2018, 72. “Live ASMR” is done, but gled with one another - they are one, but not a a variation of life. from http://www.bbc.com/news/busi­ naturally it requires the subscriber singular phenomenon. The “animate Bob Ross” 70. Why is Bob Ross Such a Common ness-40935790 to be actively updated in order to is (was) not, by any means, more real than the Nayyriah Waheed (2013, 243) ASMR Trigger? (n.d.). Bob Ross Videos According to Barad, the distinc­ be online at the moment when the For ASMR. ASMR LAB. Retrieved 28 tion between animate and inanimate video is streamed. For those adven­ Ross on the tape. This is interesting also from Mar 2018, from: http://www.asmrlab. materia is so hard-wired in Western turous tingle seekers, who are not the spectator’s point of view: it seems that they com/asmr-videos/bob-ross-videos/ philosophy that the issue remains in too devoted to their favorite channels, are the only “animate human being” in the sit­ many serious attempts to unravel the live ASMR can be found on YouTube uation of the ASMR+MysticMountain -­apparatus. 71. What is to be alive? Take a “dead by fltering the video search to only nature-culture dichotomy (2007, 419). I Everything else is something else: not artist”, for example: Vincent Van Gogh realized how discordant this separation show channels that are currently live ­representations of the studio, person, ­canvas is not “a human”, but a phenomenon actually is when accounting that some streaming. VR ASMR is yet awaited, 76 fueling a lot of agential performances generally acknowledged, constitutive but undoubtedly coming (one example and paints, nor “dead” material arrangements that have to do with money, politics, phenomena of reality, like atoms, are being a haptic glove, with which it is of headphones, laptop and the screen, but art, culture, theory, museums, oil easily concerned as inanimate. This already possible to interact (intra-act) differential­ materializations of lively reality. paints, heritage, narratives etc., even distinction itself comes to a dead end with virtual objects in manners that Thinking with agential realism, the when “they” are not “alive” anymore resemble “offine” physical experi­ when given a second thought: how A­ SMR+MysticMountain -apparatus cannot be (or, perhaps in many ways, because does the “liveliness” of “animate enti­ ences, like grasping: Retrieved 4 Mar considered as a mere instrumental composi­ of that). Indeed, as sci-f as it sounds ties” then occur when “they” too “are” 2018 from: https://www.youtube.com/ there are already companies that have of this “dead materia”? watch?v=OK2y4Z5IkZ0&feature=youtu. tion of the screen, headphones, YouTube, and productized the phenomenal nature of In 1973 Carl Edward Sagan delin­ be the video, between those who are easily under­ human: BBC online media writes with eated fve different defnitions of life stood as the ’persons’ (assumably the spectator a title “How your digital self could ‘live’ from the perspective of physiology, 73. More about the nature of time in and Bob Ross) in the situation of personal atten­ on after you die”, that “Your digital agential realist understanding in chap­ biochemistry, genetics, metabolism tion. The production of human and nonhuman ghost could jump onto Facebook and and thermodynamics. All of these an­ ter Causality in ASMR. is intra-active, and the ever-changing boundary join in a light-hearted argument about chored their referent to carbon-based Friends, or post Instagram updates organisms. Ever since the defnition of that builds these categorizations is never cast­ reminiscing about that Italian road life or “aliveness” has become even ed in concrete. The elements (relata) ­entangled trip you took with an ex-lover. Living a more complex. (Barad 2008, 171.) The in a certain phenomenon do not ­preexist as digital afterlife might sound strange - genetic modifcation producing forms ­separate from each other - their positions

50 footnotes 68–73 51 74. Interestingly, Rosi Braidotti has 78. Many projects taking part of these 82. Retrieved 20 Mar 2018 from: used the term “post-personal” to theorizations aim to critically examine ­Dictionary.com Touching(s) ­being touched”, as well as “that sense by which describe the style of working against their oppressive structures, which anything material is perceived by means of the writer/reader binary while do­ are often entangled with touch and 83. Retrieved 20 Mar 2018 from: “A common explanation for the physics physical ­contact”. ­Ironically, from the perspec­ ing ­qualitative research. See more: its workings. Interestingly, touch(ing) https://dictionary.cambridge.org of touching is that one thing it does not tive of physics, touching is not a very concrete ­Jackson & Mazzei 2012, 139. became extremely topical in everyday ­involve is … well, touching” contact after all. Indeed, touching is an electro­ conversation and global politics from 84. BDI: “Beck Depression Inventory” (Barad 2012, 3). magnetic interaction: “a repulsion between 75. “Images or representations are October 2017 onwards (in the West) as (Barratt & Davis 2015, Section 1—de­ not snapshots or depictions of what the normalization of sexual harass­ mographics) ­electron clouds that do not so much “touch” in awaits us but rather traces of multiple ment and daily violations of personal Touching touches the ASMR phenomenon in the sense of encountering each other’s bound­ practices of engagement” (Barad 2007, integrity was brought into public 85. Nickname ’rattterby88698’ citing multiple manners. The ASMR videos are about aries through physical contact as sense one 53). discussion and judgement. The game their ASMR experiencing friend on touching, and the ASMR sensation in itself ­another’s electron clouds” (Barad 2007, 411: Internet conversation thread about changing avalanche started online is touching, in both meanings of the word. n25). The more the distance is reduced, the 76. “Dead” is a fascinating term in a from the campaign named #metoo ASMR, when the phenomenon was But what is to touch? Barad77 comments that stronger the repulsion: two electrons81 ­cannot sense that to be dead, one has to have by an American actress Alyssa Jayne still unnamed and very much un­ there’s a long history of trying to enunciate ­directly be touching each other. Secondly, lived. When did the materia(lity) of the Milano. Conversation on the matter discovered as a coherent sensation. world die? is extensive. See for example: https:// Retrieved 28 Mar 2018 from: https:// what touch, as an essential issue of physics, ’touching’, is also used to qualify something 82 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_Too_move­ www.steadyhealth.com/topics/weird- actually entails (2012, 2, 11: n2). Indeed, touch emotionally “moving” and “affecting” , it is “to 77. Barad’s frame of reference on ment ; http://www.bbc.com/news/ sensation-feels-good?page=2 as an object of study was taken up already by infuence someone or something emotionally, touch and touching formulates in topics/cql0269k80xt/metoo-campaign ; Aristotle, and it is today just as timely topic, or cause feelings of sympathy in someone”83. conversation with quantum physics https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/ not least amongst postcolonial and feminist Barad would probably say that the mentioned and multiple theorists such as JL metoo-sexual-assault-harassment-gen­ scholars78. The topical puzzles in contemporary “mental” and “physical” formats of touch are Nancy, Derrida, Haraway and Levinas. der-equality-john-worboys-law-jus­ See: Barad (2012): ’On Touching – The tice-a8170546.html quantum theories submit perplexing questions diffractive materializations of the phenomenon. Inhuman That Therefore I Am’. deeply related to touch, like those concerning That is, to touch and be touched in a mental or 79. Retrieved 20 Mar 2018 from: quantum entanglements (Barad 2012, 2).­­ Touch­ emotional way is also a material doing, a con­ http://dictionary.cambridge.org/diction­ ing, in an ­immediate understanding, refers to fguration of bodily being (becoming). Mika Elo ary/english/touch?q=to+touch two things. Firstly,­ ’to touch’, from the instant of explicates that the forms of touch are multiple,

80. Retrieved 20 Mar 2018 from: http:// ­understanding, signifes the physical act ­related and thus “touch needs to be understood in a www.dictionary.com/browse/touch?s=t with the carnal knowledge and sensory tactile wide sense as a set of processes taking place in experience; touch is the palpable and tangi­ ­regard to both the physical and mental ­senses 81. Electrons are particles on the ble sense of ­being. Cambridge ­Dictionary79 on­ of touch” (2012a, 4). According to Elo, we “outskirts” of the atom, and atoms are line ­delineates one meaning of ’touch’ with the should acknowledge the intratwined processes composted of empty space mostly. ­defnition “of two or more things to be so close of touch that are “technological”, “conceptual”, Electromagnetic repulsion is what negatively charged particles are about together that there is no space between; to be “affective” and “sensuous” (2012a, 4). when they “push each other away”. in contact”. The world’s largest digital diction­ Elo compares touch and vision with an (Barad 2012, 3.) ary80 defnes ’touch’ in corresponding ways: it example of seeing a stone versus ­touching means “to come into or be in contact with”, and it(2012a). They state that the tangibility and “the act or state of touching; state or fact of immediateness of touch gives it a certain

52 footnotes 74–85 53 ­trustworthiness and reliability. A sense of dis­ research practice, is to “become ­entangled”: in an agential play (the play is the workings and time factors (before, during, immediate­ tance remains when seeing a stone “out there”, this is what makes both touching and know­ of the apparatus), where the reconfguring of ly ­following, and three hours after engaging but when the stone is touched, it is “right here” ing deeply ­ethical matters (­Barad 2007, 453). agential object and subject iteratively changes with ASMR). The results showed that participants and touching back (Elo 2012a, 2). A stone, which A ­pivotal point to remember here is that the their positions as touchers and touched within felt best while engaging with ASMR media, and is only seen, can be an artful illusion: stone-­ ­objective referent can never be a seeming their mutual constitution of the phenomenon of the mood then steadily decreased within sev­ looking props might be realized to be ­plastic ­individual object, but a phenomenon (Bar­ touching. Importantly, agency is not ­distributed eral hours afterwards. Participants with more only when touching reveals the materiality. ad 2007, 244). When I contemplate touch and evenly to “entities”: sometimes fngers and ­severe ­depression felt their mood declining “It is due to this fullness of touching that the touching through and with these notions it some of the household items form a ­temporal more rapidly. However, the correlation between ­tactile metaphor of “grasping” can stand for means that even as a “direct material engage­ agential object (toucher), and that which is BDI scores and the change in mood score im- “fully understanding something” (Elo 2012a, 2, ment with the world”, similar to knowing, to touched by this phenomenal unity becomes the mediately after the ASMR experience suggest bolding mine). The conceptions of touching as touch something is not an ultimate discovery agential object (like a part of the velvety fabric that people struggling with depression get the ­entanglement and touching as knowledge are or exposure of an authentic essence of the real, underneath). greatest beneft from engaging in ASMR. 69% fnely tuned by María Puig de la Bellacasa (2017, as if the real itself was existing outside of the of those who scored moderate of severe de­ 118) as they adduce that touch, waiting to be found (Barad 2007, 49). In- Let’s Get Tingly pression said that they use ASMR to ease their stead, touching per se should be thought of symptoms. (Barratt&Davis, 2015, Figure 2: BDI “– engagements do not so much ­entail as a phenomenon, a reworking of boundaries, “Tingling is a bodily sensation ­experienced graph.) that knowing will be enhanced, more an intra-active, entangled practice – (re)con- under a variety of ­conditions from ­given, or immediate through touch than fguring of the relations, through which mark- ­everyday experiences to ­experimental “I theorize that certain people have through seeing, rather, they call ­attention ings are left on the (human and nonhuman) and therapeutic situations” ­(Tihanyi, ­developed to be very empathic and to the dimension of knowing, which bodies-in-production. Ferentzi et al., 2017, Abstract). ­therefore psychologically programmed is not ­elucidating, but about affecting, to get an endorphin high when ­someone ­touching and ­being touched, for better “Toucher” is not an autonomous agent, “a per­ A special kind of pleasurable tingly ­sensation else is ­paying loving, tender ­attention or for worse. About involved knowing, son” in conventional sense, and “touched” is is always mentioned in the defnitions of to something.” – rattterby8869885 knowledge that cares” (bolding mine). not a passive, discrete receiving object. The ASMR. Indisputably, the tingles are a very “toucher” and “touched” are not even roles ­important diffraction in the materialization of Another recent study86 looked into the However, touch is also very ambivalent in a someone or something has. Instead, they are the ­phenomenon. According to Barratt & Davis’ of the workings of default mode network sense that it does not always entail some­ materializations of the shifting agency with­ study, 80% of the studied reported that ASMR (DMN: a large scale brain network of interact­ thing good: connected bodily experience does in a phenomenon. Agential separability pro­ has a positive effect on their mood (2015). Half ing brain regions)­ in the case of ASMR (2017). not necessarily improve caring, nor does the vides a possibility for a temporal agential sub­ of the participants in the study said that en- The study revealed­ signifcant function­ reduced distance assure that predominant ject and a temporal agential object. “Touching” gaging with ASMR improved their mood, even al dif­ ferences in the DMN between the con­ ­oppressive confgurations are questioned, or is the phenomenon within which the “touch- when they did not experience tingles, where­ trol group and the indi­ viduals experiencing even resisted (Bellacasa 2017, 112). ­According to er” and “touched” are produced and re-pro- as 30% proclaimed that the tingles were piv­ ASMR (Smith, F­ redborg et al. 2017, Abstract). ­Barad (2012, 2) knowledge practices, like theo­ duced in their intra-action. On the ­Intoxicating otal to mood improvement. The study looked The results­ ­indicate that the DMN of those who rizing, observing, and experimenting, are about Sounds video, this means that the objects (tea into the relation of the status of depression ­experience ASMR showed signifcantly less being in touch. Touching, like ­observing as a box, sleeping mask, comb etc.) and fngers are (high, medium, or low as defned by the BDI84) ­functional connecti­ vity than that of the con­

54 55 86. Smith, S. D., Fredborg, B. K., & 87. Occipital lobe: “The posterior 88. I put quotations to remark that Kornelsen, J. (2017). An examination of portion of each cerebral hemisphere, “activity” and “passivity” are com­ trols. More over, the DMN of indi­ viduals with Tihanyi, Ferentzi, Beissner & ­Köteles’ the default mode network in individu­ concerned with the interpretation of pletely relational matters, which ASMR demonstrated increased­ ­connectivity ­paper “The neuropsychophysiology of als with autonomous sensory meridian visual sensory impulses.” (Collins depend on what type of being is set between regions in the occipital, frontal, and ­tingling” ­summarizes the most recent ­scientifc response (ASMR). Social Neurosci­ English Dictionary – Complete and Un­ as a default for the comparison. Here, temporal ­cortices87. This atypical­ function- knowledge on the tingling sensation and its ence, 12(4), 361-365. doi:10.1080/1747 abridged, 12th Edition 2014. Retrieved the spectrum appears to be built on al ­connectivity suggests that the unique sen- ­concomitants from the perspective of neuro­ 0919.2016.1188851. Accessed 12 Mar 13 Mar 2018 from: https://www.thefree­ the bases of doings (beings) of “a sory-emotional ASMR experience­ is associated physiology and psychology (2017). The article 2018 from: https://doi.org/10.1080/1747 dictionary.com/occipital+lobe) human subject”, so that passivity is 0919.2016.1188851 Frontal lobe: “The frontal lobes con­ towards the other end of the spectrum with “a blending­ of multiple resting-state net- ­illuminates the psychophysiological background stitute two thirds of the human brain, as a state of “not doing much at all”, works” (Smith, F­ redborg et al., 2017, abstract. of ­tingling phenomena and the complexity­ yet the functions performed by them whereas on the other end there are Bolding mine). Bar­ ratt & ­Davis present the of the ­interaction between the “afferent”, remained mysterious for a long time. some “high intense activities” or “peak similarities between the exper­ iences of ASMR “­peripheral” and higher “cognitive” or “­central” – Recent advances have uncovered performances”. and fow (defned as “a deeply immersiv­ e factors involved (2017).90 ­Tihanyi, ­Ferentzi important roles for the frontal lobes sense of relaxation and eng­ agement”) are the et al., (2017) state, that while skin ­related in a multitude of cognitive processes, 89. Comment on an online thread “sense of deep r­elaxation” and “well-­being”, ­sensations, ­including pain, are traditionally such as executive function, attention, concerning ASMR, when it was still memory, and language. The impor­ unnamed and unexamined sensation. as well as the experience of time “pass- put into the exteroception category (“relating 91 tance of the frontal lobes in processes Retrieved 28 Mar 2018, from: https:// ing at an altered rate” (2017 Introduction).­ to ­stimuli that are external to an ­organism” ), underlying affect, mood, personality, www.steadyhealth.com/topics/weird- The most notable dissimilarity­ then is that the ­contemporary neuro­anatomical research self- awareness, as well as social and sensation-feels-good fow state c­ haracteristically occurs during an has testifed the matter to be more complex. moral reasoning, is also a renewed “­active” ­performance, whereas ASMR requires ­Indeed, the modern understanding counts area for research.” (Chayer & Freed­ 90. “Afferent” means sensations or the experiencer­ to be in a “passive” position pain and ­certain skin related modalities, e.g. man, 2001, 1: 547. Accessed online 12 neurological occurrences that are 88 Mar 2018 from: https://doi.org/10.1007/ moving inwards towards the central ( Bar­ ratt & Davis 2017, Introduction). ­affective touch and thermoreception, to be more s11910-001-0060-4) nerve system; “peripheral” refers to The researchers remark that where ASMR ­interoceptive (“relating to stimuli produced Temporal lobe: “This lobe is the loca­ external stimulation or peripheral pa­ ­experiencers’ DMN seems to function atypically­ within an ­organism”92), than exteroceptive. tion of the primary auditory cortex, thology (peripheral means “outermost”, (statistically),­ they would not categorize ASMR Nonetheless of this categorial shift, the study “borderline” or “outskirts” - “near the which is important for interpreting condition to belong to psychopathology presents that the “exteroceptive tactile infor- the sounds and language we hear. surface or outside of it”) and “cogni­ (scientifc­ study of mental disorders). Indeed, mation is tightly ­integrated with ­interoceptive The temporal lobes are involved with tive” / “central” factors mean those memory and hearing, and process that are postulated to origin from ASMR ­media is mostly used to relax and cope ­modalities” (e.g., ­proprioception), and that information from our senses of smell, within, for example, the experiencer’s with stress and depression in a mental health one’s perception is not always in ­accordance taste, and sound. The primary function attention and expectation. Sources: Ti­ ­supportive ­manner (Smith, Fredborg et al., with the intensity or presence of an external of the temporal lobes is to process hanyi, Ferentzi, Beissner, Köteles (2017, 2017, 364). ­stimulation (2017, Introduction, bolding mine). Introduction) & http://www.dictionary. auditory sounds.” (Abhang, Gawali That is, the susceptibility of skin-­related sen- & Mehrotra 2016, 1.3.3. Accessed com/browse/afferent?s=t ; http://www. “It is like this tingling in my scalp. The only sations is ­sensitive to expectations93 (­Tihanyi, online 12 Mar 2018 from: https://www. dictionary.com/browse/peripheral sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/ Retrieved: 28 Mar 2018. way I can discribe it is like a silvery ­sparkle Ferentzi et al., 2017). temporal-lobe) through my head and brain... ­almost To sum up, the results of these ­studies like a sort of head orgasm, but there is on ASMR propose that engaging in ASMR nothing sexual about it.” – bean48789 has ­positive effects on mood, especially for

56 footnotes 86–90 57 those who experience tingles, and for those Interiors and Exteriors “There is no geometrical relation of Barad ­proposes an alternative option for an ab­ ­suffering from depression. The tingly ASMR in Making ­absolute exteriority between a “causal solute exterior and interior: a dynamic, reitera­ sensation seems to have to do with many ­apparatus” and a “body effected,” nor an tively changing topology95. According to Barad, ­sensorial and affective functionalities in brain. “Human bodies and human subjects do idealistic collapse of the two, but rather “agential separability is a matter of exterior- ­Tingling ­phenomenon is a captivating object not exist as such; nor are they mere end an ongoing topological dynamics that en­ ity within phenomena” (Barad 2007, 176-77). of ­investigation from the Baradian prospect as products. Humans are neither pure cause folds the spacetime manifold upon itself, The ­concept of ’exteriority-within’­ offers an well. Like other sensorial experiences, tingling nor pure effect but part of the world in its a result of the fact that the apparatuses of ­intriguing ­perspective on ASMR tingles. can be seen as an ­example of intra-action. open-ended becoming” bodily production (which are themselves First of all, for Barad, an absolute meta­ As intra-action, the tingling sensation is (Barad 2007,149-150). phenomena) are (also) part of the phe­ physical “outside” is unreal. Agential separa­ about co-constitutive relationship between the nomena they produce.” (Barad 2003, 826.) bility is not ontological separability, as Einstein “body” and “the stimuli” (let it be “­internal” or Barad pronounces that while scientifc ­realists would have it (they believed that there is a pos­ “external”94). The causal structures between and social constructionists have different Barad’s conception of causal structures, sibility for an absolute exteriority, and that is ­exteroceptive and interoceptive factors, as ­beliefs about the ways they think knowledge is as well as interiors and exteriors, differ signif­ what would ensure the objectivity of science), well as the intra-relationality of the “­mental”, ­produced, both parties share the representa­ cantly from some commonly recognized formu­ but the making of agency within phenomena “ ­bodily”, “internal” or “external” aspects are tionalist understanding that is grounded on an lations in cultural and social constructionism, (Barad 2007, 340). Apparatuses are responsible perplexing also for neuroscientists. However, atomistic worldview (2007, 48). Democritus’s which, according to Barad, rely on a geomet­ for the agential cuts that create agential sepa­ it seems evident that the very entanglement­ theory of atoms and the void paved the way rical understanding of an absolute exteriori­ rability. Reality comes to be through agential of the ­mentioned factors is ­imperative for the for an idea which has become deeply estab­ ty (2007). In such theorizations culture is con­ separability; real material differences emerge emergence of tingling sensations. Causal intra-­ lished in thinking within Western cultures: the cerned as an external force producing or acting within phenomena. The distinctions are ­never actions entail marks left on bodies; “bodies idea that there is a gap between the representa­ on passive nature. In some more delicate rhet­ absolute, thus there is no absolute ­exteriority, ­differentially materialize as ­particular ­patterns tion and the represented. That then raised oric contemplations nature is thought as being but an exterior-within: local, temporal ­interiors of the world as a result of the specifc cuts the question of which representation is “real”. shaped or inscribed by culture. Barad brings and exteriors. A simplifed example of an and ­reconfgurings that are enacted” (Barad ­Citing Rouse, Barad notes that the ­Cartesian front that the problem is whether nature exists ­agential cut could be a situation where the trig­ 2007, 176). As an example of intra-action, the ­distinction between “internal” and “external” - in any pre-discursive form (2007). If yes, then gers on an ASMR video are the “cause” and the ­tingling sensation questions the constitution their insistence that we have a direct access to its anterior existence is outside of construc­ tingles are the “effect” (situational causal struc­ of a “­human body” as a seemingly discrete or­ our thoughts which we lack towards the world tionism, and thus it marks the limitations of the ture). In this situation the agential subject is the ganism that operates in an “external” ­reality. outside of us - has also played a prominent theory (which sounds like a paradox). If nature video and the triggers, and the agential object is ­Moreover, the tingles are characteristically role in the constitution of representationalism does not preexist, and is produced by culture, the body (subject and object made by an agen­ ­skin- ­related sensations, which means that they (1996). According to Barad, the problems of rep­ how could it become ontologically distinctive tial cut). However, acknowledging the ­proposals happen on the conceived “borders” of the body. resentationalism are a) the metaphysical sup­ if the culture is the very condition for its exist­ on paper about the neuropsycho­physiology The production­ of borders is one of interesting position that the world constitutes individual­ ence? The geometry of an absolute interiority of tingling96, the interoceptive stimuli, such as ­issues in agential realism. ly ­existing entities with separately determinate is not more attractive for Barad either, thus it is the experiencer’s expectations97, are at least properties b) that it fails to account for the prac­ just another form of idealism in the reduction as important than the “external” stimuli in the tices through which the representations are pro­ of the effect to its cause, nature to culture, or productions of tingly sensations if not more. duced (Barad 2007, 48-55). matter to language. (Barad 2007, 176-77.) ­Rather, Barad’s term ’exteriority-within-­phenomena’

58 59 91. Retrieved 28 Mar 2018 from: their inner identity (which is not inner 95. Topology, in contrast to geome­ https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/def­ in a sense of being exclusively “their try, thinks spatiality as a manifold of is the reworking of an agential boundary, the ­inwards” the bodily boundaries, or, more accu­ nition/exteroceptive business”, but always reconfguring in connectivity and boundaries. Geome­ ­making-of an inside and an outside. Agen­ rately, question the “solidness of a person” to intra-action), and will pursue a sex re­ try, which is especially concerned with cy does not belong to ­separate or preexist­ begin with. For me, the most intelligible way to 92. Retrieved 28 Mar 2018 from: assignment surgery. This causes some enclosures, such as shapes and sizes, ing entities but is emergent and functioning understand the exteriorities-within in terms of https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/def­ of their subscribers to get upset and could not fully contemplate cosmo­ only through and within the co-­productive a “human” body is to acknowledge that “our” nition/interoceptive unsubscribe to their channel, whilst on logical phenomena like wormholes, ­relations98 (Barad 2007, 140). body is approximately 65% water, composed the other hand many new subscribes which are an example of two points 93. For example, the so called ‘illu­ come along and show support. The geometrically located far apart, but as much of bacteria as of “human” cells, and sory touch’ (creating a visual illusion material-discursive constitution of the when thought topologically, the points “When two hands touch, there is a sensu- “our” lungs need to be flled with air if “we” of touch) is broadly used as a model communities the ASMRtist is a part of are actually in a proximate relation to ality of the fesh, an exchange of warmth, ought to stay “alive” - and more over, “we” to understand medically obscure has now changed, and the announce­ one another. (Barad 2007, 451.) a feeling of pressure, of ­presence, a change redundantly. So what is a human after symptoms in somatoform disorders, in ment has caused the ASMRtist, and proximity of otherness that brings the all? “Human” is not a closed system or an in- which the person experiences physical their body, to be “internal” (includ­ 96. Tihanyi, Ferentzi, Beissner & ­other ­nearly as close as oneself. Perhaps dependent entity – “human” is not even per- symptoms which are unexplained by ed) in some discourses (like those Köteles (2017) ­closer. And if the two hands belong to meable, but intra-actively co-constituted as of any neurological or medical condition. concerning trans rights, for example; (Tihanyi, Ferentzi et al. 2017, Introduc­ more over, there is a big subculture 97. Here, “expectation” is not thought one ­person, might this not enliven the the world in its very becoming as a phenome- tion.) of people going through their transi­ as a mere human psychological matter, ­un­canny sense of otherness of the self, a non. To ­understand the workings of the exteri­ tion on YouTube) and “externalized” but as a material-discursive phenom­ ­literal ­holding oneself at a distance in the ority-within in our ASMR example, lets note that 94. Importantly, “internal” and “ex­ enon which emerges in intra-action. (excluded) from some groups (like sensation of contact, the greeting of the in the tingly sensations, the interoceptive as­ ternal” here are understood from the Expectation is one example of the the non-determined group of ASMR stranger ­within? So much happens in a pects play a fundamental role. The ASMR ex- “perceptional scale” of “human”. Go subscribers with intolerant or strictly ways that the ever-changing and recon­ touch: an infnity of others - other beings, periencer’s expectations matter and make a “smaller” and you can investigate the heteronormative attitude to sex or fguring “human” body is produced in assumed inside and outside of a cell gender). This is a material-discursive entanglement with other (human and other spaces, other times - are aroused.” difference in 1) their decision to engage in the within a “human”, or go “bigger” and reconfguring of a particular “human” nonhuman) bodies-in-production. (Barad 2012, 1. Bolding and italics mine). ASMR video, and 2) when their expectations to investigate the unstable, yet materi­ (body-in-production) - a reconfgur­ partake in the emergence of the ASMR tingles. al-discursively constitutive delineation 98. As mentioned earlier, this per­ ing of their entanglements and their So, what if ASMR tingles are not ­understood That is, the expectations towards ASMR are al­ of a city the “human” lives in: where, ception is radically different from the constitution in intra-action with other as simply a physical–emotional reaction to ready an example of intra-action which has left what and how the border crops out “humans” and “nonhumans”, appara­ more familiar Cartesian understand­ outside stimuli? Aiming to understand the a marking on the body and thus reconfgured the regions that are concerned as the tuses and phenomena. ing, which grounds on the distinction outskirts. Or, lets use more imagina­ between a discrete object and subject. ’exteriority-­within’ in terms of ASMR, I must (changed) the body (as far as I understand, the tion and consider the internal and ­concern that ASMR tingles are not only about exterior-­within is not a static feature, but a func­ external from a more topological, the intra-active relation of the body (agential tional condition which changes according the material-discursive perspective with object) and the triggers on the video (agential intra-actions). The expectations result from en­ an example of ASMR. In this example, subject), but also about the exteriorities with- gaging with something (e.g. a conversation with the “human” would be a part of an online ASMR community as an ASM­ in the body. When contemplating the “human a friend who explains watching an ASMR video), Rtist with lots of subscribers. One day body-in-­production”, the boundary-­questioning which is at the same a reconfguring of the per­ they upload a video where they say “extensions”, like mobile phones and tools, son / the body (now their material-discursive that they have decided to get into the are somehow more ­easily concerned than the confguration is marked by an experience which process of fxing their body to match boundary-questioning practices that “push is internalized as expectation - a diffraction that

60 footnotes 91–98 61 ­matters). I must revise the given example about Why is “human” in quotations? Thinking physical ­mechanisms of sight, ­questioned the of the stick as a foreign body is lost and the im­ the intra-active production of the ASMR tingles: alongside agential realism, the constitution accurateness of the seeming borders of objects pression of touch is localized at the point where The body (agential object) <> the conversation of “­human” is not to be taken for granted. In previously in the 60’s. The enhancement of con­ the stick meets something in the room. That is, about ASMR (agential subject) <> the body+ex­ an immediate understanding the borders of tours in the workings of visual systems of some the stick cannot be simultaneously used as an pectation (exteriority-within) <> the body (agen­ the body seem clear and indisputable – peo­ animals, e.g. humans, has caused humans to instrument of observation and be observed it­ tial subject) <> ASMR video online (agential ob­ ple end at their skins, right? Reliance on the stress the outlines: “In order to draw an ­object, self (complementarity; the mutual exclusivity ject > agential subject) <> the body+tingles visual clues99, ­however, is misleading. Bar­ we have only to draw its outline. How used we of two different practices). Also, the perceived (agential object). In other words, sensorial expe- ad notes that the bodily boundaries, “includ­ are to looking at pictures that have only the out­ bodily boundaries are extended when the in­ riences are about causal, intra-active entangle- ing their seeming visual self-evidence, is a re­ line!” (Feynman 1964, as cited in Barad 2007, terface migrates from the hand to the tip of the ments within the body (exteriority within) and sult of repetition of culturally and historically 156). stick. As mentioned earlier, Barad states, that with other bodies in production. specifc bodily performance” (2007, 155). Barad But what is an outline? There is no ­actual the conceived boundaries of bodies are also Thinking with agential realism, ASMR writes that a wide range of disciplines100 have line around objects, but the notion of outline produced and promoted through specifc, cul­ ­tingles are co-constitutive with all the ­other called into ­question the taken-for-grated nature arises from visual contrast between light and tural and historical bodily performances (2007, becomings of ASMR as a material-discursive of the boundaries of bodies (especially those dark, or the seeming edge between one color 155). Barad explicates the notions further with ­phenomenon: the bodily experience cannot of ­humans), and along with that, criticized the and another. Nevertheless that everyday vision phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s ide­ be ontologically separated from the triggers, mechanistic ­comprehension of embodiment101 has deluded us, physics has affrmed that the as, who proposed that the successful perfor­ the situation, or other material-discursive ele- (2007, 155). conceived borders are not determinate; nei­ mance of everyday bodily tasks (such as getting ments working in the arrangements of appara- ther ontologically, nor visually, when examin­ used to wearing glasses, driving a car, or using tuses (including the screen, the computer, the “Touch is sentience at the ­limits, ing attentively enough. (Barad 2007, 154.) When the stick) is to incorporate instruments, extend headphones, YouTube and so on). Boundaries, and thus an exemplary fgure of an ASMRtist’s fngers touch a tea box103, on the the scope of touch and to be transplanted into meanings, properties, and marks on bodies are ­reconfguration” (Elo 2012a, 2). “interface” between the box and hand, there is objects105. Barad sees this fgurative example ­produced by agential cuts in intra-actions. “The not sharply determinate number of atoms be­ not as a mere example of human experience, entanglements we are a part of reconfgure our Talking of the human body, skin seems (based longing to the hand, nor an obvious number of distinct from the “nature of external reality”, but beings, our psyches, our imaginations, our insti­ on visual clues that form the basis for every­ atoms constituting the box. Moreover, the dif­ as being about the differential confgurations of tutions, out societies” (Barad 2007, 383). day empirical evidence), as a perception­ fraction pattern visible in physical optics has material embodiments (“humans” and “other al organ, and also feels in order to cut “in­ shown that there actually is not a sharp edge than humans”) - a reworking of ontological bod­ Not All The Bodies Produced dividuals” out of their “surroundings”. The surrounding objects, but a series of light and ies and boundaries. (Barad 2007, 154-59.) Are Human Bodies relationship between the “cause/stimuli/trig­ dark bands104 (Barad 2007, 156). Interestingly, “Direct material engagement” is not ger” and “effect/­reaction” in many skin-relat­ Bohr explained the theory of complementarity only happening in cases like the hand hold­ “— causal intra-actions need not in­ ed perceptional ­sensations is not easy to de­ through a layman metaphor of a person navi­ ing the stick. Touching is also involved in the volve humans. Indeed, it is through such fne, nor does the actual experience (such as gating in a dark room with a stick. Through this ­disturbance coming from the headphones and practices that the differential bounda­ phantom pain) always ­locate “inside” one’s metaphor they also address the issue of bound­ trembling the ear drums, following the scene of ries between humans and nonhumans, ­assumable “outlines”; within the taken-for-­ aries of bodies. When a stick is held loosely the fngers pressing against the sticky plastic front culture and nature, science and the so­ granted bodily borders102. ­Nobel ­laureate sense of touch expounds it as an object. How­ of a sleeping mask on an ASMR video. ­Indeed, I cial, are constituted” (Barad 2007, 140). ­physicist Richard Feynman, who studied the ever, when the stick is held frmly a sensation cannot think of a situation of not being in touch

62 63 99. I briefy note the problematics of 104. Barad exemplifes the diffraction 108. “– life, whether organic, or “visual” in the Introduction. wave pattern with a photograph of inorganic, animate or inanimate, is in one way or another. There is always a part workings of apparatuses within the phenom­ a razor blade illuminated by a mon­ not an unfolding algorithm” (Barad of “me” in touch with “something”: foor, bed, enon (­person-room-stick-navigation). An ap­ 100. Barad (2007) mentions neuro­ ochromatic light source. Diffraction 2012, 2). The human animal as an mug, cat, friend, or the clothes on me. Unless, paratus ­enacts a local causal structure within physiology, anthropology, feminism, fringes appear as light lines in dark isolated entity is also questioned in you might think, in a very unlikely situation the ­phenomenon (person-room-stick-naviga­ physics, phenomenology, psycho­ regions, where there should not be any other felds of natural sciences, for where I am foating in a space where there is tion) and this causes a renegotiation of the analysis, as well as queer, science, shadows. That is, the indeterminate example in contemporary studies of no gravity. Well, there is still something. Even borders of bodies in production (hand / stick postcolonial and disability studies outline makes the delineation of the genomics. John Dupré is a philosopher scholars (155). “real” boundary of the object very of biology who revises conventional mysterious dark matter can be contemplated as > ­personstick / room). Agential cuts create the tricky. (Barad 2007, 156, 75-76.) accounts of evolution by stating that some uncanny sort of matter. The air I breath is agential ­separability within a specifc intra-ac­ 101. These contemplations are very in the light of contemporary research, a medium as well, and it is trespassing through tion, like in touching, for instance. When the fascinating especially for cyborg 105. This conversation could be taken genes are not a code that just actual­ me, touching me, making me in intra-action, at hand holds the stick loosely, the contact, the be­ ­theorists (Barad 2007, 155). The all the way to the issues concerning izes, but genomics work in a non-de­ this very moment. And, when there is air in my coming-with, creates the parties (hand / stick) classical thought experiment “Ship “normal embodiment” vs. differently terministic manner. See more: John lungs, what am I? I am of the air, the air is of as separate within the phenomenon of touch­ of Theseus”, is an interesting one, abled bodies and their embodiment Dupré on Genomics / philosophy me, “my” borders are unstable, my being is an ing. Bellacasa, following Barad’s harvest from when mooting the constitution of “a with objects, prothesis and technology. bites. (2014, September 29). Accessed human”: consider a technologically See Barad 2007, 157-59. online 28 Mar 2018 from: https:// exteriority-within. There is no “me” outside of the epistemic of quantum physics, states that “enhanced” human (where more and secure-hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/3/a/7/3a7f­ intra-action. There is no other way of being than in the encounter, in the meeting that is being, more biological body parts would be 106. Barad (2007, 76-77) ; Sound is a 7c040758d666/John_Dupre_on_ touching - touching is intra-action. the physical universe is as much the agent as replaced with prosthesis), or just the Pressure Wave. (n.d.) Retrieved June Genomics.mp3?c_id=7672293&expi­ the knower, there is no separation between ob- fact that a majority of human cells 11th, 2017, from http://www.physics­ ration=1522240808&hwt=c88eaf1d2e­ “Reality is a process of intra-active touch. serving and touching (2017, 114). That is, when recur during a lifetime. classroom.com/class/sound/Lesson-1/ 649233a4bd4ec65aee0495 Sound-is-a-Pressure-Wave ; Elert, G. Interdependency is intrarelational. As it holding the stick frmly, the personstick (ob­ 102. See the See the chapter Interiors The Nature of Sound. Retrieved June undermines the grounds of the invulner­ server) becomes as an agential subjec, and the and Exteriors in Making. 11th, 2017, from http://physics.info/ able, untouched position of the master-­ agential object is the now the foor (observed) sound/ subject agent that appropriates ­inanimate that the personstick meets. That is, agential 103. Intoxicating Sounds: [2:52 >] worlds, this ontology carries ethical cuts do not “respect” assumed bodily bound­ Haptic examination: opening the tea 107. Color, as a basic issue in art box, tapping around the edges with and also in art education, would be a resonance. – This is thinking touch as aries, but ­remake them as the “bodies” are tips of the nails and fngering the tea similarly interesting matter to inquire world-making” (Bellacasa 2017, 114-15). themselves produced in the material-discursive packages in glossy wrappings. See: in regards to agential realist intrarela­ practices of intra-actions. ­Consider an exam­ Transcriptions. tional ontology: the colors of objects Touching Matters Are ple of a “person”, a “stick” and a “dog”. “They” (local colors), color as light (electro­ Bodies-In-Production can form a functional, sensing phenomenon, magnetic radiation) and the perception within which there is an ­repeated remaking of of color in the eyes and in the brain are As noted earlier, apparatuses are the ultimate agential boundaries, sometimes so that the phenomena producing in intra-action. The “human experience” of seeing boundary-making practices; constructive of temporal agential subject can be the unity of a colors, similar to hearing or tingly sen­ matter and meaning and productive of phe­ dogstickperson. sations, again, emerges in intra-action nomena (Barad 2007, 146). Thinking of touch­ Lets think of the situation of engaging with of the “exteroceptive” and “interocep­ ing and agential realism through one another, the MysticMountain episode. In this case, the tive” factors. I suggest that touch (hand-stick) is a part of the apparatus we’d like to contemplate involves

64 footnotes 99–108 65 you, the screen, the headphones, and the the “agential subject” does not mean “an Touching Soundscape air moving in and out of the body. From my ­Mystic Mountain episode uploaded online, all ­entity” which is “conscious” (in a ­traditional own experience I can say that the binaural being part of ASMR as an open-ended, material-­ humanist sense) of its agential ­position, but Sound Is a Material Matter ­channelling of sounds through headphones discursive phenomenon. When you get curi­ the agential subject and agential object are to the ears increases immersive ambience, ous and push the play button on YouTube you the workings of agency in its ­materiality, [0:15>] “So today I’d like to do a relax­ the sense of immediateness. Especially with become the spectator (agential subject). Bob and as such they are temporal composi­ ing sounds video …(swoosh - stroking one’s eyes closed, it is not hard to imagine that Ross natters to your ears as the brush is doing tions of “­human” and “nonhuman” as well as the ­fabric slowly)… to help us be more the source is physically present and extreme­ its thing on the canvas [10:40>] “So just a lit­ “ ­animate” and inanimate” materia. That is, the ­present; focused not on the words but ly close, right next to me. Indeed, sometimes tle white. Little circles, tiny little circles (brush- ­productive, agential, temporal borders emerge on the sounds… so there will be very lit­ the binaural effect is so powerful that it is more ing). Shoot, maybe there’s one right here, I within causal intra-actions. Touching­ matters tle speech.” (Intoxicating Sounds ASMR) like the ­crinkles and whispers were emerging don’t know. I don’t know (with singsongy tone are bodies in production. Agency is produced inside­ my head. Where and how are the sounds of voice, the brush goes whoosh whoosh on in the remaking of boundaries of bodies within As the title of the video ’ASMR: ­intoxicating emerging actually? the canvas)”. The apparatus at work ­enacts an material-discursive practices, of which touch is sounds’, and the name of the channel ’Gentle­ Let’s tackle the how frst. To put it simply, agential cut again and again. The headphones an ubiquitous example. Touch and borders, the Whispering’ imply, the specifc soundscape, sound is waves that travel through MATERIA. and the energy coming to your ears (agential sense of self and self’s separation from another, the act and sense of hearing, and the ­emotive Sound is often described as a longitudinal (in subject) changes your position within the ap­ are ­profoundly entangled. Touching as knowing aspect of ASMR are all features of the phe­ some exceptions also transverse), mechanical paratus, and as the tingles go down your spine and knowing as material engagement within nomenon. Object/materia -based videos wave. Sound can be also defned as a variation (local causal effect) you become the agential ob­ the world are sisters - not the same as such, but (type2) are often conducted with limited or in pressure; a disturbance that travels through ject. In agential realism, as far as I’m concerned, diffracting practices of becoming in intra-action. ­indistinguishable narration, or completely with­ the medium, transporting energy from one loca­ out it. In these cases, the triggering sounds and tion to another. The medium through which the visuals are created merely by playing very at­ disturbance is moving, can be thought of as a tentively with different materials and articles. series of interacting particles. Sound can ­travel Likewise in the case of most of the ASMR videos, through any medium (=material), let it be in a the viewer/spectator/experiencer is advised to solid, liquid, plasma or gas state. ­Accordingly, use headphones for binaural audio sensations, sound cannot travel through a vacuum (­regions and the sounds are created using a 3D-micro­ of space that are void of particles), and thus phone for omnidirectional sounds. The sound­ there is no sound in outer space. The speed scape of the Intoxicating Sounds video is com­ of sound is dependent on the qualities and posed of a manifold of elements intra-acting: ­direction of the movement of the material its humming background noise (“white noise”), traveling through (for example, sound waves swooshing sound emerging from hands en­ ­going a certain direction in the air: sound waves countering the velvety canvas, the differential move slower if it’s blowing in the opposite di­ tones confguring from the differential ways rection in contrast to the situation when the air of touching different objects and materials, is more still).106 Barad explains that waves can ­occasional whispered comments and breaths, ­interfere with each other, meaning that two or

66 67 more wave disturbances can be simultaneous­ is the bag the origin of the sounds (despite the as it does without us, it would not reconfgure the ­Intoxicating Sounds video: [15:42>] “This ly at a given point in space, causing a result­ narration, which politely gives the credits of the in the same ways. sound is…great, hypnotic…so relaxing” (Hands ing disturbance to be a sum of the amplitudes auditorial deliciousness to the bag). Thinking­ Thinking with agential realism, we are not moving around a pink plastic comb wrapped of the component waves (disturbances) (2007). with Barad, the bag, or “anything” or “­anyone”, in the world, but of the world, and I dare to con­ in see-through plastic flm. The comb is frst That is, waves can form superpositions. (Barad does not exclusively have a sound of their tinue: the world is of to us too. Accounting this brought close to the left ear and then to the 2007, 266.) Thinking with agential realism, sound own. This is a fascinating notion, ­concerning simple fact, the idea of intra-action becomes right [that is, alternately close to the two re- is a relational phenomenon: it is intra-action. In that voice, for instance, is in everyday under­ much more concrete: the ecosystem in total, corders of the 3D microphone]. When moving its very existence, ’sound’ is entangled with oth­ standing assigned to human individuals as if without any fundamental division to nature and the comb across the scene, the crinkly sound er phenomena, other apparatuses, like ASMR, for it was their property, self-governed ­capacity culture, is intrinsically intra-action. sincerely seems to appear inside my own head: example. Or rather, sound and other phenom­ or ­personal feature (“Madonna’s voice”), no So, sound from an agential realist the sound is not located in the earphones but ena are of each other: there is no ASMR without ­matter that the voice simply could not be ­perspective, is as an entangled phenomenon. in me. When the comb touches the fabric, a the phenomenon of sound, sound is not without ­without the intra-action of the air and the vo­ Thinking with and through agential realism and wind-like rasping hum is produced). As a mat­ the phenomena that it is of, like ASMR. Touch, cal organs. That is: Madonna is ’Madonna’ be­ the Intoxicating sounds video, I already covered ter of fact, sounds do appear (also) inside my sound, and the ­materiality of the world are in- cause of their voice, which is not exclusively the question of how the sounds emerge. The head (in the intra-action between the auditory tra-twined: they do not exist as separate phe- theirs, but which is an intra-active, ­beautifully other of my preliminary inquiries was where triggers, my ears and brain) – that is what hear­ nomena independently of each other. Rather, resonating phenomenon and one diffraction the sound emerges. It has become clear that is ing is, by defnition. Thus hearing as a phenom­ they are constitutive of each other, they come in the material-discursive confguration of impossible to pin down a punctual location of enon is again a reworking of the bodily bound­ to matter through the process of intra-activity. ­Madonna-in-production. Similarly, in the case of a phenomenon. The attempt to chase a loca­ aries. The soundscape is touching ­indeed, both Plugging in the Intoxicating Sounds ASMR video the orange107 beauty bag, the sound emerges tion easily leads to comprehending the world ­metaphorically and metaphysically. with Baradian notions leads me to realize how in the intra-action between the fngers, the air, as a container, where separately existing enti­ captivating the example of an entangled phe­ the cloth underneath, AND the bag. Maybe the ties are positioned and things happen like ep­ Not Only Words, But the nomenon the production of the audio triggers is most excluded, yet very essential operator here isodes proceeding in a liner timeline. Sound, Sounds Can Be Touching Too indeed. is the air. as a material-discursive, entangled phenome­ There is a specifc transition of energy in­ Air, then, is an interesting concept when non (beauty bag-fngers-air-cloth-whispers-vid­ Juhani Pallasmaa compares hearing to seeing volved in the event of consuming ASMR on­ further elaborated with Baradian thinking. In eo-headphones-air-ears-brain), is materializing as they write about the intimacy of acoustics: line. That is, sound waves coming to the head­ everyday life, air is rarely given much thought, in multiple manners, and as such it does not “Sight isolates, whereas sound incorporates; phones are transmitting energy and making the but it is a metaphysically fascinating substance. have one spot that it would occupy in space. vision is directional, sound is omni-directional. spectator/experiencer’s ear drums tremble. This Take breathing, for example: for humans and Specifc sound phenomenon is a part of the it­ The sense of sight implies ­exteriority, but sound is a local, causal structure - but the causality; for the majority of other animals, breathing is erative reconfguration of spacetimemattering. creates an experience of interiority” (2005, 49). the agential cause and agential effect - is con­ the most pivotal act of staying alive108. “We” Also my bodily experiences are specifc recon­ Barratt & Davis describe that “many qualita­ ditional for intra-action: the object and subject simply are not without the air, exactly as “we” fgurations: they are the body-in-production. I tive contributions throughout the survey echo become due to, and within their entanglement. are not without the water, without the bacteria note with exception the particular binaural sen­ the sentiment that sounds created by objects in Let’s consider the moment of engagement in­ in us, without the particles of which the world sations, also sometimes referred as “three di­ ASMR media should be realistic” (2017, Results: volving the orange plastic beauty bag [8:16>]. constitutes. Similarly, the world and everything mensional sounds”109 or “surrounding sounds”, Realistic content, bolding mine). Even though The ASMRtist does not produce the sounds, nor it iteratively becomes, would not be or become from my own experience in the transcription of participants reported an unexpected noise

68 69 109. Listening to a binaural ­recording 112. For example, the most popular 116. Imagination: “the faculty of through headphones simulates the ASMR channel, Gentle Whispering ­imagining, or of forming mental ­occasionally to foster a notably strong tingling, video can ­actually be a distraction, so your binaural hearing by which people ASMR, started with very straight­ images or concepts of what is not a majority agreed that the preferable sound­ right, I tend to keep my eyes closed.” (Personal listen to live sounds. For the listener, forward and unedited type2 (object-­ actually present to the senses” / In scape should mostly formulate around sounds ­communication, 28 Nov 2015) this experience is characterised by based) videos (see the very frst video psychology: “the power of reproducing that they could somehow expect in terms of the Jani notes, almost identically, that the two perceptions. Firstly, the listener from 2011: https://www.youtube.com/ images stored in the memory under introduced objects and environments (Barratt & sounds and the feeling of intimate ­attendance ­perceives being in close proximity to watch?v=VAxyAxXiOoc), developing the suggestion of associated imag­ Davis 2017). Interestingly, both my friends, Ma­ are essential elements for them: “­Visuals are the performers and location of the towards more groomed upshot: better es ­(reproductive imagination) or of sound source. Secondly, the listener microphones, meticulous lightning recombining former experiences in the ria and Jani downplay the signifcance of vis- less important. They do play a part in the perceives what is often reported as a and more “artistic” props solutions creation of new images directed at a uals when seeking ASMR tingles. Instead, they ­experience, but plain sound also works, if three dimensional sound.” (’Autono­ (see one of the very latest videos specifc goal or aiding in the solution stress the importance of certain auditory stim­ you can feel the presence of the ASMR actor mous sensory meridian response’. from 2018: https://www.youtube.com/ of problems (creative imagination). uli and the feeling of another person’s pres­ through sounds like breathing, binaural sound Retrieved 26 Mar 2018, from: https:// watch?v=y1ucBSGR2Do). ­Retrieved 28 Mar 2018 from: ence. This is very intriguing, because when and/or if the person is explaining what they en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_ http://www.dictionary.com/browse/ the visuals are taken away, (post-)personal at­ are doing with their hands and so on. I most- sensory_meridian_response#Scientif­ 113. Approx. 5 830 000 videos when imagination tention cannot function in an assumed man­ ly watch videos­ where I get personal attention, ic_commentary) retrieved on YouTube with search “asmr no talking” 4 Apr 2018: https:// 117. That is, they reveal that the ner – through gaze and mimicked touch reach­ have a haircut, doctor’s appointment, or I’m 110. See the chapter Getting Post- www.youtube.com/results?search_ situation is not happening in shared ing towards the spectator.110 Then how does it in an offce or library situation or a massage. Personal. query=asmr+no+talking spacetime in the sense that two people work in the case of when the visuals are shut Best ­triggers are whispering, when the person have when they sit ­opposite to each off? Soundscape is what matters here. How moves towards and further from the recorder 111. See for example this ASMR 114. Meg Whisper on Spotify: Paper other in a cafeteria, for example. does the soundscape of an ASMR video enable so that I can hear them move closer or away. video, which utilizes green screen Cutting Part1. ­technique, more professional camer­ Retrieved 24 Mar 2018 from: https:// 118. The so called ’onomatopoetic’ or (post-)personal attention? They can be asking me questions and typing awork and enhanced visual effects: open.spotify.com/track/3WKhkiL­ ’echomimetic’ sounds are interesting Maria describes their preferences when them on a computer, or if I’m having a haircut, ’ASMR | Don’t forget, it’s okay to 0WLleXZPNFljRfQ?si=nBcXdWksSmC­ reminders that language, as itself a engaging with ASMR: “I turn the volume all the they might be explaining what they are doing, remember! Memory Restoration Role­ U8aevLcIbBA material, has never existed outside of way up and listen very closely (focus intent- while doing it.” (Personal communication, 30 play for Sleep’: https://www.youtube. the material reality it “refers to”. Ono­ ly on the speaker). The binaural effect is im- Nov 2015) com/watch?v=Pd6Bf5C-smw 115. .•. Tingle Club ­Members matopoeia: “The formation of a word, portant because the headphones are loudest It seems that the role play aspect of ASMR ­Appointment | ASMR Roleplay.•. as cuckoo, meow, honk, or boom, Retrieved 2 Feb 2018 from: https:// by imitation of a sound made by or when someone whispers close to their mi- is most important in terms of successfully www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq9H­ ­associated with its referent.” Retrieved crophone, and it causes one side of the head- creating an intimate atmosphere. The visual gH4x_jo 2 Mar 2018 from: http://www.diction­ phones to be louder. So I guess my trigger is ­settings, such as costumes and the interior ary.com/browse/onomatopoetic loud whispering on one side of my head as (there are ASMR videos where the visual aspect it causes the headphone to buzz. It can real- is highly developed, and a lot of effort is put to ly feel like that person is in the room. Espe- the ­costumes, backdrop, and special effects111, cially when they blow on the microphone. This where as the frst ASMR videos were ­visually is relaxing for some reason and triggers the less ­intricate112) are utilized to enhance that ASMR. The calmer the speaker, the better the sensation. As Jani mentioned, the performer of­ effect. I am not very interested in watching the ten asks questions and addresses the viewer. video as much as listening. The image in the Typically, the tone of the actor is very ­empathic

70 footnotes 109–118 71 and unconditional, which ­emphasizes a com­ Delicious Sounds and they are ­giving their attention to both the the lids… you could almost smell the scent forting atmosphere. As the creator of ‘Gentle­ ­spectator and to the objects they handle. The from the bottlesss, or the ­containers, that Whispering’ puts it in Washington Post’s in­ Intoxicating Sounds ASMR [20:48>]: A pearl motif of the ­video is outlined in the ­description: were making the sounds. For instance, this terview: “Most of the time, when I look at the flled pink sleeping mask with transparent “ASMR­­ Tingle Club: You can sit comfortably one is (glassy sound when nails are tapping camera, I try to think that this is my friend . . . plastic front is introduced. “This sleeping in headphones ­listening and watching your the side of the lotion jar) umm, a moisturiz­ my family” ­(Gibson, 2014). mask…(glutinous­ pressing, sticky squeezing ­favourite [sic] ­triggers whilst smelling the scent er and it had a rose scent (palm of the hand Importantly, in case of ASMR as a ma- and tapping sounds) is both relaxing visual­ and feeling the items around you”. ­Basically, stroking the jar) so when you’re watching it, terial-discursive phenomenon, not only are ly and auditorially [sic]…if that is a word” (fast­­ the ASMRtist is introducing an idea of a house and ­hearing the sound (unscrewing the jar) the meanings of the words are meaningful, whisper). with themed rooms, where the spectator could you can ­imagine the smell of what’s inside the but what also matters is the ways that the engage with different triggers. ­However, this ­container”. That is, here the narration is used words materialize. As Barratt&Davis conclude: “And it is in this sense that mat- scenario is then left in the spectator’s imag- to fuel the ­imagination in order to “feel” the “Lower-pitched, complex sounds were found ter ­matters to us: our “seeing” things, ination116, as in the actual ASMRtist sits still objects/ ­materials with more than two senses to be especially effective triggers, as were “­hearing” things, “making sense”, and throughout the entire video. ­Imagination is (seeing and hearing). The sensorial ­experiences ­slow-paced, detail-focused videos. ­Conversely, “talking of” things, are all material prac­ also at stake when the ASMRtist zigzags across seem rarely, if ever, to be strictly “visual”, “hap­ background music inhibited the sensation for tices, ­involving the intra-twining, or the the thin border of playing along with their role, tic” or “auditory”, but combinations of differ­ many respondents.” (2017, Abstract). There is ­entanglement, of certain of our mate­ and on the other hand being ­honest about the ent sensory ­impressions. Moreover, I suggest also a vast amount of ASMR113 which does not rial bodily ­processes with those of the ­situation which does not entail a ­traditional that imagination and previous experiences, involve spoken words, one common ASMR tag material world. To repeat, we are not face-to-face encounter117. That is, in the me­ “marks on body”, are important too, when for­ being “no talking”. ­separate agents, but “­participant parts” ta-narration they are both ­acknowledging mulating a wholesome impression of the world ­within and of an ­indivisible, ­continually that the spectator knows that they “sit by within particular intra-­actions. The ­Finnish term “But I guess some people call it art (deep ­unfolding, stranded, fowing whole, able ­themselves” engaging with an ASMR video, and ’materiaalin­tuntu’ is a useful word to grasp and chuckling whispering, paper and to set the boundaries that matter to us at same time they make this fact to be OK. The this idea. ’Materiaalin­tuntu’; when directly ­scissor sounds) ummm, I think that I within it one way at the moment and an­ narration in the video exposes the multi­faceted ­translated, means something like ’the feel or could… maybe it’s a dinosaur that I cut other way at the next.” (John ­Shotter nature of the ASMR experience, which is not sense of ­material or ­texture’. ’Materiaalintuntu’ out (hums on the microphone) I don’t 2013, 35-36 in How Matter Matters) only about sensorial sensations, but also about is a ­haptic ­conception of a particular material; it know. I’m gonna cut out something else ­imagination that brings together the senses. is also a sense that one imagines, when given in a way so (breathy laughs) doesn’t My attention was caught by some words I heard While twiddling a jar of lotion, ­unscrewing a ­description of it, or when seeing something ­really matter, it’s the sssound that mat­ on an ASMR video that I came across accidental­ and screwing its lid very gently (the ­clatter of but not touching it (in a literal sense). I state ters (whispers appearing on the left ear) ly (I often had ASMR playing in the background this action blurring with the rustling of their that the ­online ASMR incorporates this “haptic its all about the sound” (robust ­scissoring while writing this thesis). The video is called jacket and forming a surprisingly ­pleasant ­conception” (visual ­hapticity) a lot, including and sound of cutting thick paper).114 “Tingle Club Members Appointment | ASMR soundscape), the ASMRtist notes [16:50>]: the ­Intoxicating sounds video: [19:20>] “That’s Roleplay” on a channel “WhispersRed “When we frst opened the room, we just a very pleasant sound… (ductile, resilient ASMR”115. This video falls in between the two used the sounds. After a few days we ­realized sounds of patting and dabbing)…it’s sounds ­categorizations of ­typical ASMR videos (type1 (swish of the jacket touching the microphone) polished, and heavy…and smooth” (voice turn- and type2), as the ASMRtist’s face is visible that along with the visuals of the sounds of ing very sleepy, almost­ drowsy).

72 73 119. Partakers in effectively ­touching 118 ASMR soundscape (<> signifes The intra-action of language and ­materia this to be very distinct. I want this to be ­intra-action): meanings of human-en­ in the ­production of sensorial experiences very quiet, subdued, far-away, gentle, tangled sounds <> ­qualities / manners is evident in the ASMR videos (both in type1 soft… think about those types of words the sounds emerge <> particular and type2) which contain “human”-entangled and stuff, when you’re painting, and it’ll object-entangled sounds sounds like narration, vocalizations, ­speaking help, help your hand go much more gen­ with accents, whispers and so on. In ASMR, tle” (hypnotizing narration, knife mov- 120. Etchells, Pete. “ASMR and ‘head orgasms’: what’s the science behind the language and the sounds are all used in a ing in front of canvas and applying more it?” The Guardian, Guardian News and ­manner that promote a positive ASMR response. white; ridges of the mountains appear). Media, 8 Jan. 2016. Similarly ­functioning features are often at work Retrieved 2 Mar 2018 from: www. in the unintentional, ASMR triggering content, Sensualities of Matters and Meanings theguardian.com/science/head-quar­ like in the Mystic Mountain episode. That is, in ters/2016/jan/08/asmr-and-head-or­ many cases the touchiness of the soundscape The majority of voices in the general discus­ gasms-whats-the-science-behind-it. emerges in the intra-action of 1) the meanings­ sion deny that eroticism would be an essen­ 121. Retrieved 17 Mar 2018 from: of the words or content of the sentences, if tial feature of Asmr, nevertheless there are https://www.merriam-webster.com/ some actual language is incorporated 2) the cases where these two are brought togeth­ dictionary/multisensory ways the words or vocals are pronounced er. ­Accordingly, 84% of the anonymous partic­ (I have an impression that the qualitative aspect ipants in Barratt & Davis’ study deny that the 122. This question is also presented in terms of agential realist understand­ is the most important in all sounds, and it is Asmr sensation was sexual and only 5% report­ ing, which demands a reconsideration emphasized by the fact that “foreign language” ed to seek sexual stimulation from Asmr vide­ of the idea of an “inert” materia. ASMR [non-english ASMR] is one tag for ASMR os (2015). Evidently, the contemporary visual Against this notion, all confgurations content online) 3) the object-based sounds culture in the West is saturated with sexualized (phenomena) of liveliness (reality) like taps, rustles, crinkly sounds, strokes, content, let the erotic vibe be related to the ac­ should rather be taken as “sensing” swipes and so forth, which are not ’sounds tual matter or not. Asmr is not an exception. – starting from particle phenomena, which indeed conficts the passive role of the objects’ per se, but are the outcome of “There are a lot of people who latch onto some assigned to “inanimate materia”. the intra-action that involves specifc types Asmr videos involving attractive women and of touching and specifc type of ­materials.119 dismiss what we found to be a very nuanced 123. Retrieved 17 Mar 2018 from: For example, in this fragment of the Mystic­ activity as exclusively sexual. Our fndings will https://www.merriam-webster.com/ Mountain episode1, the soundscape is a combi­ hopefully dispel that idea” comments ­Barratt dictionary/sensual nation of all the aforementioned: in the Guardian’s article from 2016, which is

124. Defnition for ’sensual’ retrieved ­ironically titled, ’Asmr and ‘head orgasms’: 120 17 Mar 2018 from: https://www.merri­ [9:05>] “Now, then (deep whisper, ­turning what’s the science behind it?’ . am-webster.com/dictionary/sensual back to the canvas), barely touch it, no Equally misleadingly is the Finnish title pressure (murmuring, fast whisper). No for The Guardian’s short documentary ’Asmr 125. See the chapter Getting Post-­ pressure (knife swishing white paint on Videos’ named ’Aivo-orgasmit’ (displayed on Personal. top of dark strokes). And I don’t want YLE Areena). ’Aivo-orgasmi’ is a direct trans­

74 footnotes 119–125 75 lation from the outdated English appellation with each other. ’Multisensory’ is defned as ically inseparable practices) is at stake when entrenched and misleading notions of rep­ ’brain orgasm’ (also ’braingasm’ or ’head or­ “relating­ to or involving several physiologi- contemplating the relationships of matter(s) and resentationalism, formulating their own under­ gasm’). ’Brain orgasm’ is not used much any­ cal ­senses”121. This term is perhaps most de­ meaning(s): it is especially fascinating in the standing in conversation with various science more, or extensively replaced with the abbrevi­ scriptive when talking of Asmr. Thinking ­further, case of associating Asmr with sexual pleasure/ studies scholars and social and political theori­ ation ’Asmr’, at least in the context of the videos, even ’multisensory’ is in many contexts is a pornography/ erotism. Whispering is an excit­ zations, i.e. with Bohr’s interpretation of quan­ most probably to distinguish the sensation from rather daft expression: in which the situation of ing example: it is a production of sound, a phe­ tum physics and with Butler’s contemplations instant erotic connotations. The Asmrtist, who being-­of-the-world (living) is something else nomenon in which the air and the vocal cords of performativity (2007, 48-49). A ­performative has vast subscribers on their YouTube channel than multisensory122? ’Sensory’, ’sensuous’ and intra-act and the body is reconfgured. Whis­ understanding of naturalcultural practices named ’WhispersRed Asmr’, notes on the docu­ ’­sensual’ have much more in common, with an pering is a particular material-­discursive way ­invalidates the idea that there are representa- mentary that “Just recently there’s been just a important difference that ’sensual’ is more viv­ of being-of-the-world, like any other gesture is. tions and ontologically separate entities ready small infux of channels starting up doing kind idly crossing ’sensible’ aspects of life as it is Barad assures that language is not the same to be represented, and focuses instead on of an erotic Asmr. I think they are doing it to “­relating to or consisting in the gratifcation of as discourse, and meanings are not semantic the productive practices: on the practices of appeal to different people. Some people might the senses or the indulgence of appetite; fesh- properties of words like it is ­easily thought from ­representing, as well as on the effects and con- say that it’s making them tingle, but I’m not ly; sensory; devoted to or preoccupied with the a representationalist perception (2007,149-51). ditions of these practices. That is, the perform- sure how that can. There’s a massive difference senses or appetites; voluptuous”, and is also Rather, meanings are ­differentially produced ative ­enactments are the point of interest and between sexy and sex, and then just sensu­ “defcient in moral, spiritual, or intellectual in phenomena in their open-ended becoming. Barad accentuates that humans are not the al and being in touch with one’s emotions and ­interests: worldly, especially irreligious.”123 According to agential realism’s posthumanist only ones engaged in these practices. ­(Barad feelings and senses. And maybe Asmr is just account, discursive practices are also causal in­ 2007, 49.) another sense”. Davis presents on The Guard­ “— the material is always already tra-actions, within which the agential dynamics ian’s interview (Etchells 2016), that while whis­ ­discursively produced and the ­discursive change and a part of the world makes itself in­ Matter is a matter of trans/­materiality—a pering is the most popular trigger, but at the is always already materially ­produced” telligible to another part. This agential becoming cutting ­together-apart differentiating-­ same only very few people reported sexual mo­ (Jackson&Mazzei 2012, 111). is the performance of the world. Importantly, entanglements, agential ­relatings [sic] tivation for Asmr, this indicates that “the sensa- discursive practices are not run by entities – in­ and differences across, among, and tion is related to being intimate with someone I think that in many accounts, Asmr is also deed, they do not even need to involve humans. “­between genders, species, spaces, in a non-­sexual way”. They suggest that Asmr a sensual ­experience (phenomenon), because There are no human bodies and human sub­ knowledges, sexualities, subjectivities, is rather “about feeling ­relaxed or vulnerable it has not only to do with the mere “­physical” jects outside of the constitutive, reconfguring and temporalities” (Barad 2014, 16). with another person.” changes in terms of “­sensorial” sensations material-discursive intra-actions within which in the body, but also with the intimate and the very distinctions between “­humans” and In the temporality of the material-­ ­emotional aspect (which is inherently ­material). “nonhumans” are made. (Barad 2007, 149-51.) discursive reality which “I” am a part of when Whispers What are the traces of diffraction patterns in The issues related to representations, our “ac­ writing this, a “child” whispering is different material-­discursive reality that have marked cess” to them or the reality, as well as and the from “an adult” doing so. There is a chance The Asmr experience does not seem to ­proft phenomena ’that are sensual’ to carry a con­ ways reality is constituted or produced, have that a whispering “adult” is interpreted as from an absolute segregation of senses as notation as being ’morally suspicious’ (as the been taken up by many philosophers and schol­ ­being seductive: certain tones, voices and their workings, thought with agential realism dictionary suggests)?124 The intra-action of lin­ ars (e.g. Foucault, Deleuze and Butler amongst sounds are coupled with eroticism when they (and neuroscience), are inherently entangled guistic and material (as co-productive, ontolog­ others). Barad suggests how to supersede the are ­pronounced by certain bodies (in this case

76 77 126. Hands seem to be the most 129. If there is a human participant common “human organs” that come in an ASMR video, they are usually those that are material-discursively confgured ASMR As An Intimate to mind when touch is contemplated. treated rather similarly to that of as “adults”). Whispered things are often ­private, Engagement Indeed, the cover picture of Bellaca­ “inanimate” (nonhuman) materia secret, sacred or are taboo. Whispers and sa’s book ’Matters of Care’ depicts a (type2 videos). That is, human hair is ­secrets go together, sexual matters are matters Hands On Objects fgure of green leaves in a shape of a approached with same kind of “care of intimacy, and intimacy is very personal: it human hand (having said that, I’m not taking” and attentive touch when it is concerns something that is not be pronounced I already stated that personal attention is more fully certain about the aptness of this being brushed as a plastic beauty bag fgurative illustration, concerning the when it is being tapped on in an ASMR out loud, at least not in public. This indeed is ­accurately post-personal attention, because a speculative extensiveness of the book). video. Verbal communication between the co-constitution of matter and meaning: the simultaneous, ­reciprocal “human ­encounter” is Besides hands, skin is another human a human participant and an ASMRtist “bodily” performances are construed and pro­ not necessary for ­personal attention to work.125 part that is associated with touch as a is usually diminished, and many times duced, but also dominated and controlled by To recap, post-personal ­attention in the case sensorial organ. See the chapter Let’s this “voluntary human materia” has “culture”, and at the same time “culture” is in­ of online Asmr, especially in type1 ­videos, is a Get Tingly. a passive role on the video. See for divisibly composed of these material enact­ practice principally presented through ­bodily example: https://www.youtube.com/ ments. The causal, productive intra-actions are gestures, most notably through gaze (Bob 127. As noted in the chapter ASMR watch?v=fpxUn3LH3Io ; https://www. Videos in Short, Barratt & Davis (2015) youtube.com/watch?v=1pRZaEP8pTo not happening in different realms of materi­ Ross ­talking to the camera), through hand sort out the most substantial types of al and discourse (Barad 2007, 210-11). In other ­movements126 (the spectator positioned in the triggers that stood out in their study. 130. Hosie, R. (2017, August 11). words, discursive practices are of the world do middle of the Asmrtist’s “touchy” care taking) They found out that the most ­common ASMR: What is this curious new relaxa­ not ­exist outside of material reality and, in turn, and through sounds (like whispers coming to triggers are whispering sounds (75%), tion phenomenon? Retrieved 28 Mar palpable reality reconfgures through and with the spectator’s ears, as if the source of the voice personal attention (69%), crisp sounds 2018, from https://www.independent. 127 (64%) and slow movements (53%). co.uk/life-style/asmr-what-is-it-au­ discursive practices: was right next to them) . Watching repetitive tasks works as tonomous-sensory-meridian-re­ In the object-based videos (type2), the s trigger for 34% of participants. sponse-ikea-advert-relaxation-vid­ “Discursive practices are not speech ­attentive ­engagement and physical examina­ ­Nevertheless this delineation of eo-a7887881.html acts, linguistic representations, or even tion is directed ­towards articles, objects (­human triggers come about simultaneously, ­linguistic performances, bearing some or nonhuman), and materia. ­Oftentimes the that is, personal attention often entails 131. See: Transcriptions. unspecifed relationship to ­material human-factor in these ­videos is ­diminished whispers and repetitive motions, for practices. – Matter is not a linguistic so that the tist is not visible except for example. 132. In case there is speech in an Asmr object-based video (type2), it is typi­ ­construction but a discursive production their hands. These videos are shot in a point 128. 1. “An act or instance of explor­ cally a general explanation of what is in the posthumanist sense that ­discursive of view perspective, ­placing the spectator/ ing or investigating; examination.” happening, like commenting on the ­practices are ­themselves ­material (re) experiencer in the “front row”. ­Basically, the specifcities of the object while it’s be­ 2. “The investigation of unknown confgurings of the world though spectator/­experiencer is in a position of looking regions.” Retrieved 12 Mar 2018, from: ing handled (the sounds that occur, the which the determination of boundaries, at/ hearing of/ sensing of stuff being touched/­ http://www.dictionary.com/browse/ weight, the texture etc.) or narration 128 exploration of the type of touch which is applied ­properties and meanings is ­differentially explored in peculiar ways in the video. I fnd (like tapping), or description of what is ­enacted” (Barad 2007, 149, 151). this ­setting particularly fascinating to ­analyze about to come next. as intra-­action and in respect to “human” ­relationship with materia. When mapping the factors of effective online Asmr ­triggers, most

78 footnotes 126–132 79 ­participants in Barratt & Davis’ study submitted ferent types of explorational touch: tapping,­ of touch is similar to the objects in the video). on my chest, in addition to a general ­feeling that the “sounds that the object would make if swiping, stroking, squeezing, dabbing. The ma­ In terms of agential realism, it must be kept in of ­pleasure - similar to a feeling of ph­ ysical manipulated” were either an extremely or very teriality of the cloth is essential in the produc­ mind that attention does not exclusively belong ­closeness to a person I like” (Personal important stimulus where only 1,6 % of the re­ tion of the desired sounds when the ­objects are to, or start from no-one, but instead emerg­ ­communication, 30 Nov 2015). spondents felt that these sounds were mean­ moved around on the fabric ­surface. The camera es through and within intra-action in which the In the book ’Matters of Care – ­Speculative ingless in terms of Asmr sensations (Barratt & is set on automatic ­sharpening, which follows partakers are constituted. In the case of the In­ Ethics in More Than Human Worlds’ María Puig Davis 2017, Table1). Fascinatingly, the color of the movements in front of the lens. The sharpen­ toxicating Sounds video, the object-based at­ de la Bellacasa135 takes on many questions that the Asmr ­triggering objects and materials was ing seeks and optically ­intensifes occasions and tention would not be (work) without the hands are compelling in terms of Asmr phenomenon. reported to be the most insignifcant visual points where contact between the hands and AND the objects. In the case of Mystic Moun­ Bellacasa reconsiders the conventional under­ ­factor in ­inducing Asmr, but instead the “focus objects is happening. The hands are also sweep­ tain episode, the intimacy would not be (work) standings of care and touch, explores its ethical on the material the object is made from” was ing each other, and every now and then coming without Bob Ross in the video AND the specta­ and political signifcance and workings within “very important” or “moderately important” for ­extremely close to the lens so that the spectator tor. In other words, the objects by themselves the world, which is constituted of both human the majority of the participants (Barratt & Davis can ­imagine them almost to reach through the (as if they could exist independently), or the and nonhuman forms136. They refer to reality 2017, Table1). What could be the signifcance of screen, which reinforces the sensation of prox- hands by themselves (as if they could exist as a system of natureculture: their conception the attentive material engagements129 so often imity and ­intimacy. Indeed, the hands come so ­independently), or the hands by themselves (as of the world is a mesh of entangled agencies, proposed in Asmr videos, when thinking with close to the lens that they go over the frame. if they could exist independently), or the vid­ where technoscientifc practices, circulation of agential realism? This creates an effect of blurred vision on the eo by itself (as if it could exist independently) care, and involvement of actors demand a rad­ outskirts of sight like when someone would cannot produce intimacy, because it is about ical questioning of the human privilege. I fnd “Most of the videos feature people ­doing stand in front of you and put their hands on your relations­ : intra-­action, that is. Bellacasa’s approach to care and touch very incredibly mundane things like ­folding temples: the focus of the eyes cannot catch the The word ’intimacy’ is often ­mentioned inspirational when thinking of Asmr. Asmr is towels or tapping a light, but they rack hands sharply when they are so close as they in the context of Asmr. The online ­dictionary a ­phenomenon within which the other than up hundreds of thousands of views.” 130 exceed the edges of the feld of ­vision. These ­defnes intimacy as a state of being ­human participants play a fundamentally con- “frame crossings” are ­typical in Asmr videos. ­intimate;133“a close, familiar, and usually stitutive role (technology, materials, objects, The Intoxicating Sounds video131 is a When looking at the type2 videos, where ­affectionate or ­loving personal relationship­ ; sounds, the Internet) and where care and touch ­typical example of an object-based Asmr: the the orientation and nurturing is directed the quality of being comfortable, warm, or seem to be elemental. Bellacasa asserts that the scene in the video is ­dominated by a gray cloth ­towards objects and materials132, it seems that ­familiar; a close ­association with or detailed world seen through care emphasizes the sense which flls the most of the screen’s front. The the hands at work in the ­videos give the same ­knowledge or deep understanding of a place, of ­interdependency (intra-action, in Barad’s Asmr­ tist’s face is not visible in the video. In the attention to objects and materials that the subject, ­period of history etc.134” My friend terms) and involvement (2017, 17). ­beginning, the hands are alternately reaching to­ post-personal attention gives to the spectator. Jani ­describes a ­successful Asmr experience wards the camera and swiping a cloth in a fow­ Lets call it object-based attention. The framing like this:” — if you can feel the presence of “It is the work of Karen Barad, and others ing, gliding ­manner. The video proceeds so that and the sharpening orients the focus towards the Asmr actor through sounds like breath- named as “new materialists” or “material ­various objects (a wooden box with a ­selection contact and the relation between the hands ing, ­binaural sound and/or if the person is feminists” to ask how our intra-action with of teas inside, a plastic purse, a comb in plas­ and the things being touched; that is, materi­ ­explaining what they are doing with their other bodies (both human and nonhuman) tic, a sleeping mask flled with tiny pearls) are als and objects (and, when reaching close to hands and so on. – I get tingling ­sensations produce subjectivities and performative introduced to the camera and treated with dif­ the lens, the spectator’s position as an object on my scalp and neck, and a relaxed ­feeling enactments” (Jackson&Mazzei 2012, 111).

80 81 Intimacy Is a More- intimacy”, thus there is no physical proximal I state that the post-personal / object-based riority-within) and with the video when engag­ Than-Human Matter closeness (2015, 177-78). They end up at the no­ ­attention, in an Asmr context, is an intimate ing in online Asmr. To engage in is to remake tion that because the person whose post one is ­enactment as it is happening within the in­ the “other” and to remake oneself at the same, Now one might ask, aren’t intimacy, attention, reading is not aware of them reading it the in­ tra-action of the materials and hands, or be­ to become entangled. The state of vulnerabil­ and care just productions of human agency: timacy is not so real: “It is possible for people tween the ­performer (Asmrtist, Bob Ross) and ity, relaxation, and the potential Asmr tingles behaviors of human consciousness, orienting on the Internet to think they are close, but in the the spectator137. The intra-action through which are intimate, embodied reconfgurations of the its focus or care towards another, separately sober light of the next morning the closeness intimacy and post-personal attention are es­ body-in-production. Contemplating with agen­ ­existing object? Max van Manen (2015) writes was an illusion or perhaps a simulated intima­ tablished, within which the spectator and Bob tial realism, intimacy and care are not some about the relationship of intimacy and digital cy” (176-77). For Manen, even more disturbing Ross as an inseparable part of the video (re) abstract forces produced by autonomous hu­ in their book ’Pedagogical Tact – Knowing What seems to be the fact that digital intimacy is not confgure and become to be in their unset­ man minds, but examples of differentially ma­ To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do’. They personal, but “polygamous”, thus many others tled, ­material-discursive ways, are not de­ terializing ­intra-actions ­potentially involving phrase intimacy as might have, for example, read the same “per­ pendent upon a face-to-face encounter of “two both “human” and “other-­than-human” par­ sonal” post and like wise imagined one-to-one ­living human subjects”. Bob Ross on the Mys­ ticipants, and in some cases it is just either of “The occurrence of togetherness when closeness with the writer. Manen’s perspective tic ­Mountain episode is not the same as the one these, or “parts” of these, ­because the afore­ the interiority of secrets or inner intima- is phenomenological and thus they are very that “once lived”. This Bob Ross is one diffraction mentioned do not ­possess ontological,­ stable cies is exteriorized and brought into na- much attached to the idea that intimacy is an of the phenomenon called Bob Ross. This Bob boundaries139. ked contact with the interiority of a trust- event between two unquestioned human sub­ Ross does not “­belong to history138” nor are ed one. Relational tact means to touch or jects. Moreover, their account takes the digital they a “­representation” of the “original person”. “Matter itself is always already open be touched by the other. Contact is inti- arrangements “in ­between” the “people” to be ­According to Barad, originals do not pre-exist to, or rather entangled with the mate in-touchness, and intimacy is the mostly ­distancing and estranging, or in the best as such, and mimesis is not some “reproduc­ “­Other”” (Barad 2007, 392-93). relational ambience of exposing, dis- case ­somehow connecting, but not quite like a tion” of what was before because time itself closing, making known, revealing what good old-­fashioned live encounter can do: is ­produced in the dynamics of intra-actions, ’Caring’ translates in Finnish as ’välittämi­ is concealed. To be in intimate contact meaning that the past is not done and gone for nen’. ’Välittäminen’ has two meanings in the with the other is to touch the other’s se- “The point is that face-to-face con­ good, but “­remains open to material reconfgur­ Finnish language: it is both ’to take care’ / ’to cret: his or her uniqueness or singular- tact through social media does not ings” (2007, 383). look after’ / ’to mind’ and ’to mediate’ / ’to com­ ity” (Manen 2005, 178. Italics mine). let me experience looking the oth­ That is, during the making of an Asmr municate’ / ’to convey’. The double-meaning of er person straight into the black pu­ ­video, the Asmrtist is exposing themselves ’care’ in Finnish is apposite: it has to do with Interestingly, many words in this ­defnition pil of their eye” (Manen 2015,177). for the possibility of millions of “future gaz- both with responsibility and relations - the in­ are the same as those also in Baradian ­theory: es” while doing intimate stuff. The Asmrtist in herent boundedness to and with other beings interiority, exteriority, contact, ­relation, I state that the question of intimacy needs the video is part of the same phenomenon as (“animate” and “inanimate”), which in a Bara­ ­singularity. However, the perception of the to be presented differently. Take, for exam­ the “person” – they are not a “human” per se, dian sense is the ontological circumstance of workings of intimacy is radically different when ple, the workings of post-personal attention in because there is no such separately existing being. Inspired by Bellacasa and ­Barad, I state contemplated from a posthumanist perspective. the MysticMountain -apparatus: it is not that fxed entity, not online or offine. Same applies that care is a material practice that comes to Manen start their contemplations from geomet- Bob Ross is “in the other end” to focus their to the ­spectator, “who” is in an intimate in­ be in and through engagements, like those rical elaborations: digital intimacy is “distant attendance on the spectator, yet still it works. tra-active ­situation with themselves (the exte­ in Asmr. Caring involves causal enactments:

82 83 133. Being intimate is described with 138. History is not dead and gone, 140. Peltola & Heikkilä (2015, 711, words like close, personal, private, nor a production of culture, but ma­ following Haraway) sum up that “The to look after someone, to take care of some­ care. Bellacasa turns this notion around by sexual, familiar, friendly, cozy and terial markings on bodies, traces of notion of response-ability is based one, appears as an agential doing that has a saying that care is there anyway: “even in its warm. Retrieved 15 Mar 2018, from: intra-actions which intra-act with the on theorizing human–nonhuman ­subject (care ­taker) and an object (that which ­absence it is present” (2017, 1). http://www.dictionary.com/browse/ intra-actions that are, and those that relations as corporeal and material. – is cared or ­taken care of). These agential sub­ Perhaps “we” should not be so concerned intimate might or might be not. “The historic­ Response-ability can be defned as the jects and ­objects are not necessarily “human­ ” about the ways intimacy is “changing” in ity of phenomena is written in their capacity to respond across species in or even ­complete “­entities” (or rather, the ­digital environments compared to offine: that 134. Bolding mine. Retrieved 15 Mar materialization: phenomena are the en­ an anticipatory manner.” Barad uses 2018, from: http://www.dictionary.com/ folding of spacetimemattering, and the this term occasionally in their magnum ­temporal ­“entity” is produced along with the is a representationalist approach and a grasp browse/intimacy?s=t bodies in production hold the mem­ opus ’Meeting The Universe Halfway’, agential cut) - the agential subjects and ob­ for some “authentic” intimacy. Lets face it – ories of the traces from that iterative but it is not defned there precisely. jects can partly incorporate parts and bits of it ­simply IS different because intimacy is not 135. Bellacasa’s background is in process” (Barad 2007,160, 170, 383). “human-­bodies-in-production” as well as all “one thing” but a phenomenon (or more ac- ­science, technology and organization. Consider a moment of engaging with 141. “Humans” appear to have a sort sorts of other-than-­human partakers. Intima­ curately, multiplicity of phenomena). ­Rather, an old painting. The time is there, it is of a Narcissus syndrome; an obsession cy and care are not only matters that happen we should be concerned of how intimacy 136. Bellacasa uses the phrase material, but not frozen: your engage­ with images that mirror. “The self” is on human skins; ­rather, they are productive should be, or how it could be, what is exclud- “more-than-human” to cover both ment with the painting remakes you supposedly found from the refections: human and other than human actors. and it remakes the painting. The art “we” even evaluate the intelligence of practices that are about the making­ of ­borders, ed from the ­material-discursive practices of happens within the intra-action of you an “animal” based on whether they connections, commitments, inclusions and ­intimate ­caring, and how the other-than-human 137. In many cases the videos feature and the painting: you co-constitute recognize themself form the mirror or exclusions. In contrast to Manen’s delinea- ­confgurations are inseparable partakers in ex- attention directed both towards the each other, the traces of this encoun­ not*. Thinking with an agential realist tions, the technological arrangements are not A description covering all-­ spectator and towards the objects, and isting as intimate. ter will remain and matter in various posthumanism, which is critical toward thus they fall somewhere in between ­inanimate instruments or virtual spaces be- inclusively the matterings that are intimate (if volumes. The painting (not as an representationalism, anthropocen­ the two categories (type1 and type2) as tween “distant humans”, but material confgu- not just ­noting that they all are, in a way or an­ individual entity, but as a phenomenon trism, ontological individualism and delineated by Barratt & Davis (2015). in-production) is old indeed because of has a strong reliance on representa­ rations within which the “humans” become to other) is a bizarre (impossible) attempt. Howev­ the “memories” that are enfolded in its tions are obviously entangled. How did be as such, and within which the specifc work- er, to ­confgure some of its workings (amongst materialization - “old” is that which has “we” come to assume that “intelli­ ings of intimacy, as ­matterings and meanings, all the other possibilities, which are not possi­ reconfgured a lot; although “that” has gence” (and therefore moral value are ­reconfgured (2015). Following­ Bellacasa’s ble to be pronounced here) while thinking with as a “being”) is analogous to interest actually never been, but only seeming­ ­notion that “the ­reciprocity of care is rarely bi­ agential realism, I suggest that intimacy materi­ ly the same coherent individual object. towards representations? lateral” (2017, 20), I state that care and intima­ alizes in the following manners: *This classical test for animals 139. As explicated in chapters ’Not was developed by an American cy are rarely equal counterparts of “two human Intimacy with oneself is an intimacy of All The Bodies Produced Are Human ­psychologist Gordon Gallup in 1970, subjects”. “­Humans” take part of the matters of the exteriority-within: it is to touch the situated Bodies’ and ’Touching Matters Are and it has been vastly used in studies care, “­animals” take part of the matters of care, self-in-production. Intimacy is also to touch the Bodies-In-Production’. on animal self-recognition (Telkänranta “inanimate” ­materia takes part of the matters temporal other, or to be touched by them, as a 2015, 66). of care: care ­functions and materializes through part of existence, which is intra-action. In oth­ ­agential cuts that ­constitute these all in intra-ac­ er words: every engagement is also touching tions. Moreover, I claim that care is not an agen­ the other in intra-action, within which the “self” tial activity which would be evenly ­distributed and the “other” (not just a “human” other, but to all sorts of material ­becomings, but there any other) are co-constituted. Intimacy is not defnitely are phenomena which ­seriously lack in any way an exclusively human matter. The

84 footnotes 133–141 85 phrase “naked contact” would not even have a Let me reconfgure the event of meeting the oth­ who you are. Take Care And Be Careful meaning if there weren’t clothes that cover, and er eye-to-eye, thinking with agential realism: is not what you are doing. with which nakedness is material-­discursively The black pupils of the other’s eyes are in­ what you are doing Importantly, attention, intimacy, and care, ­constituted. It is not that materia is an inanimate deed an opening to dis-continuous eternity, they is ­working in intra-actions, are not free from substance “between” discrete human ­actors are the reality-in-making exposed: an exteriori­ being ­intentionality or causal structures. As a whose subjective minds desire an ­intimate ty-within. The self, which only is along with the someone else. ­matter of fact, causality within ­phenomena ­connection, but those “humans” are materia other, and the other which only is along with the is the ­making of agency, and agency is the too and the vulnerable liveliness of reality is all self, are both in this gaze-­on-gaze. The miniature – architecture ­materializing force of reality. Coole&Frost write, about intimate relationality, which is a call for image of the self looking back from the other’s that corporeality, which is emphasized in new ­responsibility along with the respons-ability140 eyes is not a refection as a representation, but Nayyirah Waheed (salt. 2013) materialisms, ­dislocates agency as of the “self”. a pattern of diffraction, a marking on the other’s The elements of caring, taking care and body, which is now remade. This ­co-­constitutive “the property of a discrete, self-know­ caressing are part of the Asmr ­phenomenon. gaze is an intra-­active ­phenomenon: making-of- ing subject inasmuch as the corpus is Caring and caressing manifest a) within the the-­other and making-­of-the-self. ­Vulnerability, now recognized as exhibiting capaci­ ­intimate intra-action of the Asmrtist / the hands the ­knowing that the self is confgured only with ties that have signifcant effects on so­ / the objects / the materials (object -based and through all ­others (not just human ­others), cial and political situations. Thus bodies ­attention) and b) within the intimate intra-­ is a ­condition of intrarelational existence. How communicate with other bodies through action of the video / technology / the spectator–­ could it be anything less than a ­thoroughly in­ their gestures and conduct to arouse experiencer (post-personal attention) c) with­ timate matter? The (meta)physical ­performance ­visceral responses and prompt forms of in the Asmr sensation, as a positive ­intimate of bodies-in-production congeals in the event judgement that do not necessarily pass ­experience with oneself (and with the all the of gazes – and it is an intense performance: it through conscious awareness” (2010, 20). others that constitute the self in intra-­action). is intimacy materializing. Perhaps this is why To be touched by care is to be cared for, it ­representations and mirrors are so ­appealing141: Agential realist perception about the ev­ is a ma(r)king on the body which makes a they are about the same co-constitutive hide and er-unsettled congealing of agency does not difference. seek, getting lost and being found, between the entail a dislocation of responsibility to some self and the other. I am is an ambivalent agential ­intangible forces in sense that the relata “Is touching not by its very nature process, an alternate ­attempt to position myself ­involved in intra-actions would be “innocent”. ­always already an involution, ­invitation, as the objective seeker, and in turn coming back To be involved, to be entangled, to intra-act, ­invisitation, wanted or unwanted, of to the ­realization that I am actually hiding along are always already ethical matters. Existing is the stranger within?” (Barad 2012, 1). with the ­others, as well as from myself. Thus an ­inherently ethical matter: “physical matters, there is no me without them, “I” needs “the matters of fact, matters of concern, matters The fact that intimacies are multiple and ­others” (not only “human” others). I have not of care, matters of justice, are not separable” differential in their materialization, does not existed anywhere out of time and matter, I am of ( ­Barad 2014 ,17). necessarily take out the signifcance of the time and matter, and this gaze, is me looking at Both Bellacasa (2017) and Barad (2007) “ ­traditional” intimacies of “human” encounters. me, as the other which I am of.142 follow Levinas’ idea that ethics precede ­being:

86 87 142. Importantly, Barad (2007) 144. Interestingly, this notion brings nothing, since there are no identical ­remarks that: “A humanist ethics won’t to mind the phrase “to bite the hand intra-actions); some entanglements ­responsibility is a condition of ­existence, Barad ­theorizes that “the-­­other-in-one’s-skin”, suffce when the “face” of the other that feeds you”. Resisting oppressive are more effcacious that others (Barad not the other way around. Barad draws does not cover just “human” ­others, but all oth- that is “looking” back at me is all material-discursive practices that also 2007, 210-11). Take climate change, for from ­Emmanuel Levinas’ thoughts about ers: a variety of ­possibilities of alterity. More- eyes, or has no eyes, or is otherwise take forms of caring are especially example, which is a fast and furious touch and ­responsibility, but takes their over, when the ­ethical relations ­concern also unrecognizable in human terms. What troublesome, thus such oppressive world-making phenomenon. The possi­ own ­contemplations even further towards a the other-than-­human, it would be a paradox to we need is posthumanist ethics, ethics dynamics seem to coproduce ambiv­ ble extinction of bees and polar bears ­post­humanist ­approach. Levinas rejects the ­understand embodiment only as a “human do- of worldling” (392). alent, yet understandable “Stockholm has most probably tremendous effects In the essay ’On Touching – The syndrome” type of positionings. on everything that is, cannot, or could ­metaphysics of self as a traditional starting ing” either. (Barad 2007, 391-93) Both ­Bellacasa’s ­Inhuman That Therefore I Am’ (2012, be, and it is evident how “human”-en­ point for ethics. For Levinas, subjectivity does and ­Barad’s projects insist, that along with v1.1) Barad uses the term “inhuman” 145. I want to continue, incorporating tangled practices have ­infuenced not mean individuality, but a relation of respon­ the re-evaluation of touch, care, causality and to replace the “other”. For Barad, agential realism, that basic income, for intensively on the impending dis­ sibility to the other, meaning that the ethical ­objectivity, the ontological and ethical ­issues inhuman is not the same as non­human instance, would not be exclusively a appearance of the aforementioned subject is not the disembodied rational subject cannot be separated from epistemologies. (which is co-constituted with the human-matter, thus “human doings” (amongst all the unmentioned others). of conventional ethics, but an embodied sen­ ­Conjointly, nor should science and politics be ­“human”), nor is the inhuman some are not isolated practices, happening “We humans” are already looking for sibility. This carnal ­sensibility responds to the concerned with some distinctive realms. On top “non-­compassionated other”, but and effecting only within the realm another planet to “conquer” – after a rather the impersonality of aliveness of “social” or within the “human denial of the responsibility for the one proximal relationship to the other through “a of fostering the understanding of ­knowledge that the touching always entails, communities”, like in “families” or that we are of. Unfortunately, “we” mode of ­wonderment that is antecedent to con­ and science as material-semiotic affairs which the infnite intimacy which is the “societies” or on “YouTube”, nor are need water, “we” need an atmosphere, sciousness” (Barad 2007, 391). The ­otherness are also political and ethical, ­Bellacasa reminds stranger “threaded through and lived they some external forces acting on “we” need the sun – “we” are of the of the Other is given in responsibility, and us that the decentered perception of human “nature’s creatures”, like on polar-bears through us” (2012, 10). The inhuman entanglements. This fact cannot be ­responsibility is the primary and fundamen­ agency “exposes relations with objects, things, within “human” and “nonhuman” or bees. It is not that the social enacts changed with the achievements of tal mode of subjectivity: ethics grounds “hu­ and ­other than human animals, organisms, and is what enables touching and being and the discursive projects over and science and technology: it just means touched, it is the possibility and call then autonomously awakens to life that technology is what we need in man” experience, not vice versa. Barad cites forms as political in their very ontology” (2017, for ­compassion, justice, responsibility, a blank biology or vacuous materia our endeavor to overcome the need feminist theorist Ewa ­Polonowska Ziarek, who 16). and respons-ability. (Barad 2012, 10, waiting to be marked with meanings. of those mentioned earlier. “We” can ­explains that for Levinas, ­embodiment is nei­ Bellacasa explicates that ­caring 14: n21.) Nor is “nature” some authentic, sepa­ never exist by “ourselves”. “We” are ther ­purely the result of the carvings of cul­ ­materializes as “a plane of “continuous rate realm to which “humans” should in an insane fight to escape “our” ture, nor does it entail only the biological body. ­experience””, involving a range of lived 143. E.g. feminist theories, political fnd their way back to. “Humans” are thorough entanglement just to fnd ­Embodiment is opposite to the transcendence ­material elements in decentered and multilat­ theory, disability studies, ethics of only existing within the natureculture out that it will not stop the amorphous animal rights, food politics, economics,­ which is the world in its becoming. limits of the Earth – it is the condition of the body in self-­refection; an embodied eral ­relationships, rather than as “a product of justice, politics of technoscience, to The distinction between matter and of the real and of being, “on the Earth”, self is ­rather oneself’s (fundamentally carnal), bounded subject” – “the affective potency of mention a few (Bellacasa 2017, 3). meaning, human and nonhuman, na­ as well as “outside” of it. prelogical ­condition that Levinas refers as “be­ care is ­radically embedded on the relationality”­ ture and culture is produced within the ing in one’s skin”. “Being in one’s skin” means (Stephenson & Papadopoulos 2006, as ­cited in entangled practices involving all the being ­responsible to begin with. “Being-in-one’s ­Bellacasa 2017, 166). This thought ­necessitates aforementioned - not as fxed, but in a skin” is followed by “having-the-other-in-one’s- that practices of care should thus neither repeated remaking. This is an intra-re­ lational dependency: polar-bears, bees skin”, and this is the ­responsibility, which is not be controlled by “individual subjects”, a and people are of the world and of a matter of choice, but a ­prior to every engage­ ­singular ­power supply, or one regulatory hub each other. Of course, everything does ment, it is always already ­involved. Taking a (­Bellacasa 2017, 166). In agential realism, power­ not matter in the same ways (actually posthumanist perspective to Levinas’ ideas, is the “­materializing ­potential” of a specifc

88 footnotes 134–145 89 146. That is, the constitutive bound­ wanted to write it down to put words 148. Barad (2007, 168-69) is critical aries are material-theoretical and to how I understand the process of towards a) the poststructuralist point ­phenomenon (Barad 2007, 230). That is, power from humans to other-than-humans (2017, 2). fuctuate in accordance with agential material-discursive iteration, through of view, which prefers the social over is not working only in or from the ­domain of the Bellacasa (2017) states that caring, as well as cuts within the entangled intra-actions. which the world reconfgures in terms material and focuses merely on the human and the realm of ­social. Barad under­ not caring, are ethico-political problems that I would like to understand Barad’s take of agential realism. production of human bodies, exclud­ stands discursive practices as a co-productive are multi-touching, asubjective and asymmetri- on the conventionally dichotomized ing the constitution of nonhuman force to the with material forces (2007). Power cal agential practices inherently entangled with concepts (e.g. light/dark, mind/body, 147. I might note here that the theory bodies (e.g. Foucault and Butler), b) operates through the enactment of naturalso- human and other-than-human materialities and male/female, nature/culture, science/ of agential realism, me writing this and Bohr’s tendency to take for granted the art) through a metaphor of ocean you reading it, are also phenomena prior existence of the human observer, cial forces, and thus the ­productive regulatory existences. Care in naturecultures is hardly ever waves hitting the shore. The actual that are part of the same material-dis­ while they are alertly considering the practices are to be understood in terms of caus- an innocent activity. Bellacasa makes an exam­ ending of a singular wave and the cursive production of reality. Having constitution nonhuman phenomena al intra-­actions. The materiality of regulatory ple of care practices that accommodate pasto­ actual beginning of the shore is im­ said that, important questions in terms c) Bohr’s critics who would cut out the apparatuses is fundamental - it is ­indissociable ral paternalism, which also, directly and indi­ possible to defne, because these two of agential realism are: who deter­ human observer from the whole pic­ and already included in the ­discursive dimen­ rectly, produces inequality and exploitation of are not separately existing. The sand mines what is what, how is that done ture, again paradoxically positioning sion. (Barad 2007, 210-11.) the human and nonhuman144. More over, they is foating loosely in the water, and and with the expense of whom? What them as a prerequisite for the objec­ add that care is sometimes conjoined with kill­ the water is infltrated in the sand. The is concerned as meaningful, and what tive knowledge and thus fostering movement of waves is never monoton­ is excluded from mattering? How does the ideology that humans would hold “Ethics is not a matter of applying moral ing: weeding a garden to nourish the growth ic, but diffractive. The wave negotiates the constitutive practice of materi­ an unique position among physical principles by a subject to a ­senselessness, of some plant is done at the expense of some its borders again and again, and the al-discursive differentiation work? systems. They write that “each of these and soulless, “material” universe: other (Bellacasa 2017, 164). Thinking careful­ beach is never the same, as the sand formulations presumes human-nonhu­ ­ethicality in making resides in messy ly, pain, in its multiplicity, like pleasure, care, is ceaselessly moving and mixed with man, nature-culture, social-scientifc ­muddled concrete situations in which an and intimacy, seems to be an inseparable part other type of soil. More over, each dichotomies” and “each stops short of obligation of care becomes at stake. Like­ of worldling: the event of birth is an extreme­ shoreline (in its ontic open-ended­ understanding the human and non-hu­ ness), materializes differentially in man in their mutual constitution, as wise, it makes it rather odd to think care ly violent act, for “humans” and supposedly for intra-action — there are no identical integral parts of the universe - not as as shaped by moral control over un­caring many other animals too – but on the other hand beach-meets-oceans. Yet still, a certain beings in the universe” (Barad 2007, ­subjectivities.” (Bellacasa 2017, 166). it is also one of the most iconic, intimate phe­ iteration occurs and that enables a cer­ 168-69). nomena where care materializes (not always, tain conceived distinction to be made: Bellacasa brings to the fore the ­ambivalences though). Care is multiple, care is dissimilar, care a certain difference between that which 149. Some prominent openings to the and predicaments of care which, in its is intrarelational, and a differentially mattering is more water and that which is more issues concerning what is good and sand. Beach-ocean is not a fxed pair, for whom in the ’more-than-human- ­entangled mattering, can take a range of forms phenomenon. What is needed is a careful analy­ but a living, reconfguring phenome­ worlds’ (as Bellacasa, 2017, frames and recognitions; it can do good, but it can also sis of how care matters, who / what it touches, non without any defnitive borderline it), are done in the theorizations of serve forms of oppression (Bellacasa 2017,1). and who / what is excluded from the ­practices or distinction a) between the consti­ intersectional feminisms, as well as Continuing the scheme of researchers from of caring, and what could be possible if the within new materialist and posthuman­ tutive elements within or b) to the a multiplicity of disciplines and domains143, world was actively reconfgured through and other materializations of the world. ist theories. ­Bellacasa problematizes the notions, principles, with care. This example is perhaps not the most apposite when thinking of hard-wired and practices of care, and goes far beyond the dichotomies, since beach and ocean old-fashioned assumptions of care as wom­ are not commonly understood as en’s work, care as a mere positive affection, and complementary opposites. However, I care as explicitly a matter between humans or

90 footnotes 146–149 91 You Don’t Get What You Give – entangled with these matters. The point is to the material-discursive reality and its situated ­world-in-making, taking care well seems to Or Maybe Later, And It pay attention, to be accountable for, and in ac­ specifcities), and every enactment takes part in be not just an obligation, but also a practice of Is Something Else cordance, change how we are a part of the in­ the making-of-reality, every enactment is both self-love. tra-actions that are matters of care. Therefore, a making-of the self, and the other, and every Bellacasa speculates that vulnerability is a the choice to care or not to care, as well as the enactment is also an exclusion of other possi­ [4:39>] “Right on the canvas, listen to me, ­constitutional feature of being when think- ways to care, are present all the time: like Bel­ bilities as well as the possible possibilities that that’s where it really becomes fun, that’s ing with relational ontologies, and touch lacasa remarks, care obliges the intrarelation­ would had been possible is choosing different­ when you can just literally create a painting­ and care are intimate examples of intra-ac- al existence (2017,120). Bellacasa proposes that ly. Every change is a change that matters, in- right on the canvas as you’re working on it tive reversibility­ (2017). They note that touch, to change the structural reproduction of ine­ tra-actions are intra-acting with other intra-ac- (incessant brushing mixes with the words as a blurring of boundaries of the self and the qualities, the promotion of ethics of communal tions: the reality-in-making is a topological that drop and fow in a dulcet manner, like ­other, has a potential to turn into invasion or reciprocity, through basic income, for example, process. As far as I am concerned, there is no someone was telling a bed-time story). ­appropriation. Bellacasa states that “it is pos­ could be a way to ensure better possibilities for such analogy that “small” is “insignifcant” and You look at what you’re doing and you’ll sible to touch without being touched. Appro­ care to circulate multilaterally: it is more likely “big” is “infuential”: matters matter in extraor­ see things. They will just sort of happen. priation abolishes signifcance” (2017,119-20). to be caring, if it is taken care of (2017, 121).145 dinary, unpredictable ways and volumes (just And you learn to take advantage of what­ That is, Bellacasa affrms that the “living web of think of quantum phenomena!). Nevertheless, ever happens and use it to make your care” is not reciprocal in a way that giving care “The topological dynamics of space, time being overwhelmed by this is not very wise ei­ painting special. And you can do that.” (Bob would ensure receiving it too: it can ­happen and matter are an agential matter and as ther, because justice is not any”ones” “per­ Ross on the Mystic Mountain episode1). that care given to other “beings” is not an­ such require an ethics of knowing and be­ sonal” onus, but rather “everybody-in-produc­ swered with care. Is this well-felt fact conficting ing: intra-actions have the potential to do tion’s” matter of concern: responsibility is both Attentive Touch and with the ontology of intra-activity? more than participate in the constitution inherently intimate and never a personal matter. Engagement with Objects It is not, since intra-action is not about of the geometries of power; they open up Being careful and caring does not always en­ sameness, uniformity, or reciprocity in a sense possibilities for changes in its topology sure an equivalent response. Indeed, every giv­ “Caring, or not caring, are ethico-politi­ that the ontologically co-constitutive parts and dynamics, and as such, interventions ing, receiving and responding is an unrivaled cal problems and agencies that we most­ ­involved in intra-action would be exchang­ in the manifold possibilities made avail­ mattering – there are no identical touchings or ly think as they pass from humans towards ing something. Rather, intra-action is the con­ able reconfgure both what will be and self-same materializations of care. However, others. But thinking care with things and dition of reality which is agential, entangled, what will be possible.” (Barad 2007, 246). every sincere enactment of care is a possible objects exposes that the thick relation­ asymmetric, diffracting, heterogeneous and opening for more care, and every sincere en­ al complexity of the intratouching circu­ discontinuous. I suggest that unevenness, un­ Thinking with agential realism, the chang­ actment of care is already a making-of a more lation of care might be even more in­ fairness, and the unequal sharing of caring ing of the intra-actions does not mean that caring reality. I propose that agential separa­ tense when we take into account that our are matters that can be changed by changing everything is possible at anytime: that “I” can bility is the very condition for respons-ability, worlds are more than human: the agencies the making-of-reality, by changing the intra-­ stop the destruction of the rainforests now, just ­responsibility and respect towards “the other” at stake multiply.” (Bellacasa 2017, 122). actions through which these matters get done. by wanting it to happen. Indeed, there is no (not just a human other), thus it is only through It should not be even presented like “we” need static “I” that would pre-exist its actions, but a agential cuts within the intra-actions that the I fnd Barad’s (2007) and Bellacasa’s to start a “project” to invest in matters of care, variety of possible actions (entanglements re­ other that the self (co-)constitute. As being a (2017) perspectives on co-constitutive exist­ thus we are already, and are always ­inherently stricted and construed in intra-action with(in) part of the co-constitutive intra-actions, the ence, where touching, knowing, wonderment,

92 93 150. For example: HUSin sairaaloissa 154. Uotinen, S. (2018, February 159. Spacetimemattering is an ei saa kätellä (2009, May 5). 14). Miten koulussa saa koskettaa? ­intriguing concept when recounting and care are coincident parts of material and ­materializations, constitutive exclusions and Retrieved 26 Mar 2018, from: https:// ­Tutkimus kertoo, että ­koskettaminen that the assumed “age” of the universe temporal becoming, extremely fascinating in differences that matter. Thinking with agen­ yle.f/uutiset/3-5247270 lisää luottamusta luokassa. is based on observations and calcula­ terms of Asmr. I already stated that Asmr takes tial realism, to use the terms that participate Retrieved 27 Mar 2018, from: tions, one of them being cosmic micro­ part in the practices of care and touch. But is in iterative recreation of distinctions is indeed History of drone warfare. (n.d.). 151. https://www.helsinki.f/f/uutiset/ wave radiation, which is, according to Asmr, as a phenomenon of human and non­ to participate in the material construction (or Retrieved 26 Mar 2018, from: https:// koulutus/miten-koulussa-saa-kosket­ the contemporary astrophysics, a trace human partakers and becomings, a good deconstruction) of these distinctions (indeed, www.thebureauinvestigates.com/ex­ taa-tutkimus-kertoo-etta-koskettamin­ of the Big Bang. That is, the theories plainers/history-of-drone-warfare en-lisaa-luottamusta-luokassa of how the universe came to be are way of caring, touching, being in touch and as far as I am concerned, the terms are not based on radiation that is “ancient” in ­taking contact to “human” and “nonhuman” pre-­existing, ready-to-use abstract beings, the 152. See for example: https:// 155. I suppose the expression a very astronomic scale: the radiation ­bodies-in-production? What is “to care right”, terms only exist within their use: the terms www.hs.f/paivanlehti/30112017/art- “messy” (Ballacasa 2017, 10) can be coming to us is almost 14 billion years and in whose terms? What type of ­touching come to be [materialize] in a multiplicity of 2000005469961.html ; https://www. juxtaposed with other feminist notions “old”. One way of understanding this or caring is ­ethically endorsed? How can non­ forms of writings, theories, thoughts, pictures, aamulehti.f/kotimaa/opettaja-ker­ that resist neat categories, and make is that the radiation is not “old”, but human and human productive practices and pronouncements, gestures, and so forth)147. toi-tehneensa-virkavirheita-nain-ni­ a wake-up-call from the dream of that the “process” ­(importantly not entangled ­matters be both examined ­critically That is, like Barad assures, there is no essential ista-sanoo-laki-23444388/ ; https:// clean and uncontaminated, distinct as evolving in time, but as materi­ www.helsinki.f/f/uutiset/koulutus/ ­objectivity in science making. alization that never sits still), which and appreciated righteously, and how can ontological separation­ between discourse and miten-koulussa-saa-koskettaa-tut­ the universe is, inhabits time within “­humans” make these decisions? How can materiality (2007, 151). Using the terms in ex­ kimus-kertoo-etta-koskettamin­ 156. Marsden, R. (2012, July 20). it (Barad’s ­notion that being and “we” know what the “other-than-humans” ceptional ways, or questioning them, for exam­ en-lisaa-luottamusta-luokassa ‘Maria spends 20 minutes folding becoming are the same makes perfect ­approve as ethical to begin with? ­Unfortunately, ple with quotations (like done here) is already towels’: Why millions are mesmerised sense now). Thinking this way, the Big for the delimitations and focus of this ­thesis, an exception (not an exceptional exception, 153. In terms of agential realism, by ASMR videos. Bang is not an event that was, but it I cannot accommodate all of these urgent but an exception from the material-discursive knowing is to become entangled Retrieved 26 Mar 2018, from: https:// is a phenomenon that is still going on (Barad 2007). Thinking this way, it www.independent.co.uk/life-style/ (like everything else), thus an absolute ­cogitations, but I will very briefy, yet gently norm), along with the other exceptions done is obvious that there are differential gadgets-and-tech/features/maria- ending and beginning are only matters touch on some of the these topics. elsewhere and in other ways: differential rup- ways in which knowing takes form. spends-20-minutes-folding-towels- of drawing borders. One more clock A justifed remark here is that the tures that materialize instead of those ma- It is not only “cognitive” knowledge why-millions-are-mesmerised-by-asmr- starts ticking when a child is born: the ­important task of pointing out the production terializations that stabilize the reconfguring or a logical thesis about a trueness of videos-7956866.html birth marks “a moment “ when they of human–nonhuman / subject–object binary­ distinctions. an argument that matters, but other are considered a living “person”, the without taking a perspective of an indi­ vidual Barad’s (2007) posthumanist­ ­perception148 types of knowings too. One can know 157. Strassler, Matt (2012): Mass and reproductive organs are the conceived everything about swimming in theory, Energy. border, a gate “between the mother’s (ending up strengthening the assumption highlights the signifcance of other-than-­ but still not know how to swim. In Retrieved 15 Mar 2018 from: body and the “outer world””, and the of an independent human subject) or with­ humans in naturalcultural practices, including­ many ways, this applies to touch as https://profmattstrassler.com/arti­ crossing that border is the event after out using­ these categorizations to study how daily social and scientifc practices, and well. cles-and-posts/particle-physics-basics/ which this person’s time starts. Seems they produce,­ seems like a paradox. Barad’s ­practices that do not involve humans (2007, mass-energy-matter-etc/mass-and-en­ legit? account on the human/nonhuman division 32). Agential realism is a theory with which ergy/ is to point out that these categories need to it is possible to account for phenomena 158. See the chapter Causality in be understood as inherently unstable (2007). ­producing human and nonhuman becomings­ ASMR. That does not mean that such categoriza­ without being stuck in an anthropomorphic tions are completely­ arbitrary­ 146 - indeed­ the worldview. Respons-ability is not delimited world is all about iterati­ ve ­enactments that are to human­ -human encounters. Indeed, there

94 footnotes 150–159 95 is no such “thing” as a fxed human entity: it you to be frustrated by the encounter of another the contact of the playfully examining fngers is the ongoing constitution­ of the “human” are way of touching/­knowing” (2017, 119-20. Bold­ and ­objects to the intra-action of the object- along with the “­others” that “we” must ac­ my favorite kind. ing mine). How can the response and reaction hand-touch and air, which then takes touch­ knowledge (Barad 2007, 392). Like Barad puts nothing be understood in the terms of Asmr? Sure­ ing to another dimension as the sounds are it: “agential­ separability is not individuation” that i can ly, it would be anthropomorphic to assume touching the ear and the spectator’s body-in-­ (2007, 393). To repeat, ethics and caring are ma­ name. the tea box, for ­instance, would demonstrate production is reconfgured with the workings of terial-discursive matters that do not start from whether or not they like the way they are be­ care, and so forth. The dynamics of touching, or end with “humans”­ . Asmr is an apt exam- Nayyirah Waheed (salt. 2013) ing touched on the ­Intoxicating Sounds Asmr caring, reconfguring, and responding in intra-­ ple of caring which is obviously not symmetri- video (indeed, the tea-box ­cannot be under­ actions are complex and manifold, and the real- cal or r­eciprocal in a ­conventionally ­understood It is hard for me to see obvious ­examples stood as an ontologically ­discrete, ­inanimate ity in-making is remade in uncountable ways all human-to-human­ manner, but a phenomenon in which Asmr videos or the phenomenon entity). First of all, I suggest that ­respect mate­ the time (more precisely, time is that remaking). within which the other-than-­ ­human mat­ eria would directly do harm to anyone or ­anything. rializes in ­tolerance, which is to account for a Whose good it is then, that needs to be and “inanimate” objects are of a fundamental­ From the “human” perspective, there is a vast and ­iteratively ­reconfguring multiplicity accounted for when thinking of respectful importance. F­ ascinatingly, the online Asmr ­rather small possibility for online Asmr to of the differential bodies-­­in-production: similar care and touch? It seems like “good” must be phenomenon is also a multilat­ eral materializa- be oppressive or intrusive since the engage­ ­responses to care and ­caressing touch cannot ­problematized before moving on. ­However, tion of car­ ing (from the “human” ­perspective), ment in Asmr is voluntary (of course I cannot be ­expected from the tea-box-in-production and I think it is not effcient to take the project of thus one video might reach hundr­ eds of say it is impossible­ that someone would be from the spectator-in-­production. More over, defnitions in such an exhausting extreme that thousands of spectators. Emphatically­ , all of forced to engage with Asmr videos, ­although Asmr, as a ­specifc phenomenon which involves would, at the end, cause one to become para­ the mentioned­ elements (materia, objects, I see that being quite unlikely). The situa­ ­caring, also involves performative positionings lyzed in front of the issue149. Here, unfortu­ ­spectators, video) become to be within their tion can be stopped, and thus the intimacy of in a sense that there are temporal, causal agen­ nately, I have no chance to extensively address intra-­actions as part of the Asmr phenomenon: the immediate ­engagement is also chosen. tial workings that mark the parties involved as these elementary questions. The issues of what ­Moreover, the way of handling objects and a caregiver (agential subject) and care-receiv­ is good and whose good is what are complex “differentiating, a practice in intra-­ materia (“non­human” and “human”) is more ers (agential objects). Interesting here are the matters, not least because, from an agential re­ action where matter and meaning is ­likely to be ­gentle, attuned, respectful and pos­ dynamics, shifting of these ­positions and the alist perspective there are no individual enti­ produced through agential cuts, is not itively curious, than violating, aggressive, ob­ defning of the partakers, that I have already ties existing ontologically separately from an­ about absolute exteriorities, other­ trusive or damaging, at least in an intuitive mooted in earlier chapters. The materialization ything else: there is no absolute “who”. Barad ing, or separating for good, but ­rather understanding. of care does not exclusively belong to any of uses an example of a physicist Freeman Dyson, ­entanglements that are “about ­making Bellacasa says that what is needed to the partakers, nor is it situated in-­between like who (some irony here), following the haunt­ connections and ­commitments” ­foster care in more-than-human-worlds is some transcendental force propagating through ing questions of the poet S.T. Eliot, asks a (very ­(Barad 2007, 392-93, bolding mine). a politics­ of care: “”intra-active” touch de- the air. Instead, care is only possible within in­ rhetorical) question: “Do I dare disturb the uni­ mands attentiveness to the response, or re- tra-action: the spectator watching and listen­ verse?” (2007, 394-96). The summed answer is: action, of the touched. It demands to ques- ing (­experiencing) the objects being handled you shall, and will, no matter what, thus you are tion when and how we shall avoid touch, to with curious, careful touch, the iteratively re-­ of the universe, not outside of it (Barad 2007, remain open for our haptic speculations to confgured agential separation of the subjects 394 -96). ­Perhaps it would be more practical to be cut short by the resistance of an “other,” and the objects as sensing agency shifts from propose the ­question of good as concerning

96 97 phenomena.­ What type of phenomena involve ­entanglements, are always unique intra-actings: tion? What are the rights of the teacher when of the ­researchers, professor Liisa Tainio from good care? How can these phenomena be ex- “In every context, care responds to a situated it is the student who is touching, especially if University of Helsinki, says that the previous tended and entangled with other phenomena, relationship” (Bellacasa 2017, 163). it is done in an unacceptable or violent way? studies have shown that when a teacher touch­ so that the ­differential confgurations of caring “Human-human” touching seems to be There was a heated conversation around this is­ es a student so that the touch is perceived as can take new forms? a downward trend in some material-discur­ sue in ­Finland some years ago, and the fear of encouraging, comforting and positive, the stu­ sive practices that have traditionally involved touching wrong has undoubtedly caused many dent is more likely calm, more actively engaged Learning of Caring human-human touch. For example, in many teachers to avoid touching completely. Moot­ in learning and can even succeed better in their health care facilities in Finland, the doctors ing Bellacasa’s idea that attentive, respectful studies.154 Thinking with agential realism, there Bellacasa speculates with an example of are ­instructed to avoid handshakes in order to and caring touch between humans, as well as is no reason to stop here. techno­haptic robotic skin, that learning how prevent the spread of infections.150 Surgeons between humans and nonhumans, could and How can we learn to touch others right (as to touch precisely and carefully could serve have always used instruments, but with new should be learned, is an interesting idea from well as strangers)? And not just “human” oth­ as “a skillful recognition of vulnerability” so ­technologies the conceived, relational distance the ­perspective of (art) education (2017). The ers, but all others? Could the future art / (visual) that “implementing touching technologies between the patient and the doctor is growing, matter is not simple, because touch can em­ culture education (along with the acknowledg­ could ­foster awareness that learning (to) touch so that the future’s “telesurgeon” can be “phys­ body very contradictory ­becomings, and the ment that students are not disembodied minds, is a ­process” (Bellacasa 2017, 113). Bellacasa ically absent” from the situation of “accessing historicity of bodies-in-­production demands nor is art merely a doing of hands, and nor are states that to know how to touch right is not distant fesh and bodies” (Bellacasa 2017, 108). extraordinary attentiveness to the marks-on-­ hands cut off from the rest of the bodies-in-pro­ ­immanent and given (2017, 113). Reframing this Another example of the “tele-touching” is its bodies, and scars-on-bodies (as more or less duction, nor is a human an isolated system), ­notion with Baradian terms, one could say that materialization in drone warfare, which makes serious neglections of care) which are not past, promote this type of being-with, and literal­ the body-in-production learns the right ways of “distant” operations possible by using pilotless but always affecting, timely. Inspiringly, in 2017 ly practice touching; its formulations, matter­ touching in intra-action. Moreover, ­specifcity of technology: “These satellite controlled hunt­ a three-year research project started to in- ings and meanings that concern both humans contact, according to Bellacasa, is what ­indeed er-killer drones allow pilots to control their air­ vestigate the possibilities of attentive touch and nonhumans in-making? Could Asmr me­ produces diversity, the multiplying effects of craft from half a world away and it allows gen­ in schools. “Koskettava koulu” (translates as dia serve as an example of a more empathic, touch “extending the range of experiences rath­ erals, spies and politicians to watch the war “Touching School”) project aims to delineate permissive, tolerant, sensitive and ­respectful er than extending one mode of ­experience” they are waging on the other side of the world, ­meanings, matterings, and guidelines for touch­ way of encountering/engaging/being in touch (2017, 113). As Elo puts it, touching is not one live on TV from anywhere in the world.”151 I ing in schools and for touching as a pedagog­ with (that is, intra-acting with) oneself and oth­ type of doing or experiencing, but rather we will further examine the intriguing questions of ical tool. ­Delightfully, the researchers realized ers, both human and nonhuman? Could some should acknowledge the multiple senses of ­distance and proximity in the next chapter. that touch is best to be studied by methods that specifc type of Asmr media be developed so touch (2012a). Elo also summarizes that touch Recent discourses in Finland (and else­ also involve touching153, and thus there are art­ that it could be a used as a tool in restless is a matter of meaningful depth: “­something where) have contemplated the role of touch ists and art-based researchers working in the classrooms? can be so touching that a human being or an in classrooms, and the topic has come up in project too. I think that this is a brave opening animal is thoroughly moved. In regard to this context of principally negative incidents relat­ to investigate how to touch better, instead of depth, touch is inevitably ambivalent, since ed to sexual harassment or events of misus­ avoiding the actual matter by no-touch policies: exactly the same kind of physical contact can ing ­power.152 What is the right kind of situa­ leaving ­complicated things untouched is not strike one in different ways depending on the tion, if any, when a teacher can touch a student? to ­eliminate the issue, but to neglect the multi­ ­context” (2012a, 3). Touchings, as agential What is the right kind of touch in that situa­ plicity of possibilities of care to begin with. One

98 99 Strange Matters the context of digital media and technologies “This bizarre, burgeoning subculture may get ­entangled from any “human” who fancies (2012a). Elo takes a perspective on how digital not be the greatest testament to the pow­ to understand the world through geometri­ Distance and Proximity media ­transforms the sense of time and space, er of the internet – I’d probably agree that cal relations (Barad 2007,140). Agential realism in Online ASMR distance and proximity, and thus shakes up the there’s something appalling about the idea moves beyond geometries and opens up to a conceived borders of the body: of millions of people, myself included, sit­ more spacious dimension of a dynamic­ topolo- “– it is possible for entangled ­relationalities ting in an almost trance-like state, frittering gy in an ongoing fux: concerning scale through to make ­connections between ­entities “It would seem that digital ­media away hours of our time watching incredibly topology, which is about boundaries and con- that do not appear to be proximate in ­technology brings diverse media ­contents soporifc video content on laptops. But hey, nectivity, would grant that the varying “scales” space and time” (Barad 2007, 76). right to our fngertips: from day to day, – at least we have smiles on our faces.”156 of bodies, homes, regions, ­communities, na- we ­fnger various media ­devices, and tions and the globe are intra-­actively repro- By means of agential realism, space, time and small movements of the fnger have According to Barad proximity, ­location, duced through one another (Barad 2007, 76,176- matter are one but not singular ­phenomena. as good as ­limitless ­possibilities of distance and scale are too complex, 77). As topological dynamics, these matters This statement primes the analysis of this chap­ ­creating a ­multitude of things – even ­heterogeneous, multidimensional matters to are “agential enfoldings that reconfgure the ter. My project in this thesis was to inquire how “in real time,” that is, from a distance be considered through geometrical ­analysis, ­connectivity of the ­spacetimematter manifold” shifting agency and intra-active ­entanglements ­beyond the bodily horizon without any which is interested in sizes and shapes (2007). (Barad 2007, 245). Perhaps I should ask: How of human and nonhuman partakers mani­ ­signifcant delay. These taps, pushes and Geometrical consideration assumes, for ex­ does distance work? Distance ­between whom? fest in the Asmr phenomenon. At the same sweeps challenge the ­familiar concretia­ ample, that scale would entail such a ­nesting And what is it to be present, then? Presence I want to problematize my own preconcep­ of the world; virtually nothing seems ­relationship as local

100 101 160. There are some channels that 164. A random example of the topo­ 165. This is citation from a story of a 157 make live stream ASMR, like this one logical workings of material-discursive curious columnist, who tried doing an at the same speed.” ­Barad remarks that both and “spatial separateness,” that is, distance. for example: ’[ASMR Live Stream] “co-causality” could be international ASMR video themself. It is notewor­ the special and the general theory of ­relativity The everyday perception of presence draws Whispered Relaxing Chat’ : conficts and the entanglements of thy to mention that according to their by Einstein, belonging to ­classical physics, fail ­heavily upon the human experience. ­Something https://www.youtube.com/ “domestic” and “global” politics, story, they do not recognize to having to challenge the ­Newtonian understanding of or someone is considered to be physically watch?v=twKc_FkWYSc geopolitics, production, and the trade experienced the actual ASMR tingles. “matter as substances made up of discrete ­present when they are noticeable to our senses: of weapons, power relations, hegem­ O’Connell, M. (2013, February 12). entities with inherent properties” (2007, 438). ­visible, hearable, touchable etc (cf. citation from 161. I think that the dominant ethos of onic masculinity, money, and human Why Has This Hourlong Video of Some­ “manmade” objects being “artifcial” rights. Helsingin Sanomat wrote on the one Pretending To Get a Haircut Been Thinking ­momentum with agential realism, it is Elo 2012a above, where they use the telling in contrast to the “natural” beings, 21st of January in 2018 about Finnish Viewed Nearly 1,000,000 Times? ought to be understood as a phenomenon of phrase “bodily horizon”). The ­sensory ­horizon really crystalizes how deep-rooted weapons trade to countries which are Retrieved 27 Mar 2018, from: http:// reality (reality ­without an absolute exteriority of a ­human is very limited: when standing in the distinction between “culture” and involved in war in Yemen as well as to www.slate.com/articles/life/culture­ or ­ontologically distinct “objects”). That is, mo­ a small, soundproof room, one’s ­perception “nature” is indeed. countries which are known to violate box/2013/02/asmr_videos_autono­ mentum is not an absolute property of an indi­ covers very little. The discovery of bacteria, human rights. The article has a picture mous_sensory_meridian_response_ vidual object, because the object simply does ­atoms, quantum particles and so forth, has 162. According to Barad (2007, 134), of a light brown tank with the name of and_whispering_videos_on.html not have momentum outside of the relation to shown that humans are only able to sense and metaphysical individualism, rep­ a Finnish-owned company on the side resentationalism and humanist orbits of it. The cover of the magazine says: 166. Guest on an Internet conver­ something else. “An object” is understood to be ­perceive fragments of reality (and ­assumably are tied together, and still today these “Finnish Patria has sold troop carriers sation thread on ASMR, when the moving, because the reality “around it” is un­ in a very different manner to some other forms ideas become lived reality – the reality to Arab Emirates. In December one of sensation was still unnamed: WEIRD derstood to be still (which is actually not true ei­ of life); reality, which is ­actually “­present” in of anthropocentrism. them was seen in the War in Yemen”. SENSATION FEELS GOOD. (n.d.). ther, since the earth is spinning around its axis: all “scales” all the time(s). When talking on Retrieved 28 Mar 2018, from: https:// An agential realist perspective to it is in ­constant motion in relation to space). the phone with someone, are they present, or 163. To repeat, “humans” are phe­ study the entanglements involving this www.steadyhealth.com/topics/weird- Momentum is a phenomenon which exists only not? What is it to be “physically present”? That nomenal; they do not end or begin particular tank might be a illuminative sensation-feels-good from their skin, nor are they isolated way to understand the topological in a relational sense. There is temporal agential of which is understood to not be ­physically systems but constituted material-dis­ makings-of-reality as material-discur­ 167. The “well-being phenomena” separability produced by an agential cut with­ ­present “here”, can still be understood to be cursively in intra-action with the oth­ sive practices. in the West seem to host an ulterior in the intra-action of the “space” and “object in physically present somewhere. That is, the er-than-humans (the exteriority-within motive of “effcacious rest” ­ensuring motion”, and that is what produces the notion ­distinction seems to be made based on the is also a matter of fact biologically). more effcacious performance at of an ­individual, moving entity, like a ball fying ­assumed ­geographical distance between two or See for example: Barad 2007, 149-150. work, which returns, ironically, to the idea of success being analogous with across the air. However, the ­participants entan­ more things located in space. Barad notes that productivity. gled in a certain phenomenon do not ­preexist as separate from each ­other - their positions “‘Distinct’ agencies are only ­distinct materialize as such exactly because of intra-­ in a relational, not an absolute sense, action. For ­example, a ­phenomenon of “a ball that is, agencies are only distinct in fying in the air” is impossible without both ­relation to their mutual entanglement; temporarily separate agential attendants: the they don’t exist as individual elements. ball and the air. ­Importantly, intra-action ­constitutes Let’s get back to the issue of ­spatiality a radical reworking of the ­traditional in online Asmr. Presence, thought with ­notion of causality”158 (2014, 30: n4). ­geometrical analysis, is an antonym of absence

102 footnotes 160–167 103 According to agential realism, ­phenomena ­accessibility here and now” (2012a, 5, bolding imagined, are ­barking up the wrong tree be­ case ­“successfully creating a sense of immedi­ are not located in time (now or then) and space mine). Elo writes that the innovations and de­ cause they a) do not account for the posthu­ ateness”. The “­delay” after “one” touches their (here or there), but are material ­entanglements velopments in technological media phenome­ manist ­understanding of the phenomenal, mobile screen and waits for reaction is a func­ that reach across different times and ­spaces. na (web 2.0, touch screens, the omnipresence material-­discursive constitution of “human”163, tional ­confguration, a material doing entangled Indeed, material-discursive phenomena of media on mobile etc.) are once again chang­ and b) they misconceive the topological na­ with the ­device that “one” is intra-acting with. make time and space: reality is spacetime­ ing the hierarchies of sensorium, and, in an ture of ­being when mooted from the ­Baradian The material-­discursively producing under­ mattering159(Barad 2007, 383). Intimacy, like unseen way, bringing together diverse sensa­ ­ontological perspective. The apprehensions of standing of time as linear is what gives this ma­ post -­personal attention, works in online Asmr tions and faculties of sensing (2012a, 1-2). After “illusory ­intimacy”, and “simulating a real en- terialization a meaning of “delay”. It is not that no matter that in the situation there is no noting that such shifts have happened before, counter” on the Internet become irrelevant (and while “one” is waiting for their tap to perform ­traditionally conceived “shared timing”160 Elo inquires whether new media just transform techno­phobic): taking a Baradian posthumanist a miracle and get them on ­YouTube, time starts ­between two conventional “human subjects”. In sensorial experiences, or if they profoundly re- perspective, I state that there simply is noth- acting like an irksome video in slow motion. In­ Barad’s terms, apparatuses (like Asmr+ ­Mystic confgure it (2012a, 1-2). Thinking with agen- ing illusory or unnatural in the materialization stead, the “delay” is a ­material ­phenomenon, Mountain) do not take place in the world as if tial realism, “new media” are not some man- of intimacy in the online Asmr phenomenon in it is a materialization of time - ­materiality which it was a container, nor do they evolve in time made aliens that have come to reside in reality itself. There is nothing fake, fctitious or coun­ is time, time which is material. Barad utters that (2007, 170). Rather, apparatuses “are of the and change the sensorial experiences of human terfeit in the situation of engagement and Asmr: “one of matter’s most intimate doings” is the world, assiduously ­confguring and reconfg­ subjects.161 Sensorial experiences are entan­ this “encounter” is a particular example of in­ “­materialization of time” (2014, 16). Juhani Pal­ uring spatiality and temporality” (2007, 170). gled matters; pencils, hands, sunlight, sounds, tra-action. Another interesting matter then, en­ lasmaa, beautifully ­describes the materiality Similarly, bodies-in-production are not situated tastes, pains, pleasures, mobile phones, VR tangled with online Asmr is the ­performative, of time with an example of holding a stone in or located in specifc environments, but rath­ glasses, cold waters and smell of smoke are of material-discursive practice through which ones’ hand: er “environments” and “bodies” are intra-ac­ each other. There has never been, and will not the “offine” becomes as more “immediate” tively co-constituted in dynamic reality (Barad be a static, similar, normative type or parame­ or “real” than the “digital”: the very produc­ “A pebble polished by waves is ­pleasurable 2007,170). All materializations matter in peculiar ter of sensorial experiences experienced by a tion of this juxtaposition is what mattes here. to the hand, not only because of its ways: Asmr tingles can be experienced in mul­ discrete human subject outside of enfolding re­ That is, the intra-active confgurations of bod­ ­soothing shape, but because it expresses tiple situations and encounters that do not in­ ality, to which we could “now” compare these ies (not only human bodies) in online Asmr the slow process of its formation; a perfect volve ­YouTube, nonetheless Asmr is a vastly on­ “contemporary” experiences. Where (or when are simply differential becomings, where the pebble on the palm materializes duration, line-entangled phenomenon. Elo explains that in time) can a line be drawn between “new ex­ ­topological phenomena entangled online and it is time turned into shape” (2005, 30). “the prefx “tele-” in telescope, telephone, tel­ periences” and the “good old ones”? The ex- offine are both-and rather than either-or – none­ evision, etc. implies that distance is conceived periences are themselves reconfgurations theless parts, but not a singular reality. There Cstau ali y In Asmr of as an obstacle that these media aim at elim­ of the bodies-in-production co-constituting in are no separate realities of “online” and that inating”, but adds that what is happening is not intra-actions.162 which is “outside of Internet” - these are not “– dynamics of the spacetime manifold that the new technologies would “eliminate” Thinking with agential realism, Asmr is places, but enfoldings of spacetimemattering. are ­iteratively ­reworked through the inex­ distance, but they rather displace the limits of also a material, time-making and space-mak- Nor are there separate timelines that would haustible liveliness of the ­manifold’s ma­ experience “by ­enabling live transmission” ing phenomenon. This means that the ques­ be distributed to these offine and online real- terial confguration, that is, the ­ongoing and “digital media tend to go a step further tions of whether the “presence” of an ities, as if the ­offine was “live” now, and the dance of agency immanent in its ­material by enabling real time ­computation to yield Asmr­ tist is placebo, or whether intimacy is online was always “catching up”, or in the best confguration” (Barad 2007, 246).

104 105 In this thesis is wanted to question the pre- ­framework? It seems that I have to review my what can not be (the constitutive exclusions) are the spectator+expectation liminary assumptions that Asmr would be a) chain of reasoning­ - but frst, it is ­necessary reconfgured in intra-actions: intra-­action is the (that is: agential subject with merely a product of human culture b) a mere to summariz­ e what Barad has written about agential, never settling reconfguring of “both traces of exteriority-within) ­sensory-emotional sensation of a human the matter. Barad states, that it is a common­ the real and the possible” (Barad 2007, 177). ­subject. In Baradian terms, the shifting ­agency ­mistake to mix the issues of determinacy ­Exclusions are important: they ­foreclose the the Asmr video<>the makes one part of the world intelligible to and determinism (2008). In terms of quantum­ possibility of determinism. In other words, the ­technology<>spectator (that is: all ­another part of the world in a unique ­manner, ­physics (non-­deterministic ­theorizations), indeterminacy (complementarity / ­uncertainty) ­co-­constituted in intra-action: <>) and this all does not “take place” in time and the matters of determinism and determinacy­ is what keeps the so called future pending, as space, but is the making of the spacetime per are connected, but not the same per se. well as the so called past (Barad 2007, 177). the Asmr video+triggers+the se ­(Barad 2007, 140). Believe it or not, causali- ­Determinism is the belief that events happen­ This does not mean that everything is possible ­technology (cause, agential subject) ty is an ­important issue here, because it touch- in a linear, unbroken causal chain in time, at every given ­moment: not ­simply ­whatever es both the production of (nature-)culture (and which is a succession of moments (this is ­measurement leading to whatever result (235). <>/>the spectator+tingles (effect, ­agential it also touches the “production” itself, as it is ­incorporated­ in Newtonian physics). Determi- Drawing from the ­phenomenon of quantum object) (that is: intra-action+agential cut+- understood to be a causal enactment) and the nacy (and indet­ erminacy), in turn, is an onto­ ­discontinuity, ­Barad asserts that “– the past and causal structure, signifed as: <>/>) sensorial experience (as it is understood to be logical issue (principle of complementarity), the future are enfolded ­participants in matter’s a reaction­ to an ­internal or external ­stimuli). and in some interpretations­ it is an epistemo­ iterative ­becoming” (2007, 234). ­Moreover, the { signifes that the total production of the ­causal ­Causality (also an issue of determinism/free logical issue (according to the uncertainty prin- causes are not ­singular (Barad 2007, 394). Each intra-action is not evolving in time, but is part will) is often thought to be a relation with ciple): it has to do with the defnition of the cause is a cause in intra-­action, and each ef­ of the iterative (re)constitution of material ­certain ­orientation, ­happening between distinct basic units of reality (whether or not they are fect is an effect in intra-­action. Causality­ is not ­reality: the material-discursive (re)confguring ­objects ­(entities), where one (cause) modifes or objects with inherent boundaries and proper­ a pool game where balls just hit each other of Asmr phenomenon leaves a mark on the other (effect) (Barad 2007, ties) and with their relationship to the act of be­ and the causes and effects escalate: the balls 175-76). I pre­liminary supposed that an obvious ing measured.­ (Barad­ 2007, 180; 2008,174-75: do not exist as such, only ­momentarily can As far as I understand, causality, in causal ­structure in Asmr phenomenon could n3.) Barad explains­ that “there is no determi­ they be agentially ­separate, yet ­inseparably ­Baradian terms, is not ontologically a ­one-way work like this example: nate fact of the matter about the values of both part of the game. Every hit makes a ­difference, action, because it happens in intra-action. the position and the momentum of an object every intra-action is sedimented into the This does not mean that everything/ every­ the Asmr video is the starting point at the same moment of time” (2008, 174-75: ­becomings: intra-actions intra-acting with one ­involved is accountable in exactly the (triggers are the cause), the ­Internet n3). This means, that the future (of an object) is ­possible ­possibilities. Reality is both causal and same ways, but that causality is about involv­ ( ­YouTube) and the technology (­computer, not evolving in a deterministic manner in time indeterminate. ing and ­involvement, and that fact indeed just screen, headphones) are the media- ( Barad­ 2008, 175: n3). So let’s get back to the question of ­deepens the datum that existence always en­ tors, and the spectator (­experiencer) Intra-actions are not causally ­deterministic ­causality in Asmr. With all the aforementioned tails an ethical concern.164 Reality is a perfor­ is the destination (Asmr tingles (Barad 2007, 211). Agency is produced ­within in mind, I frst note that the causal structure I mance of causal structures and indetermina­ ­being the most notable effect). phenomena through causal structures, ­agential will ­exemplify is just one out of the multiple cy within phenomena that are of humans and cuts, that enable a temporal agential ­object and others that can be thought to be working in the nonhumans, material and discursive – phe­ How does causality look in terms of a temporal agential subject to emerge ­within Asmr phenomenon. More over, it is extremely nomena within which these differentiations Asmr if I am informed by an agential realist­ the intra-action. What is, what can be, as well as ­simplifed and, without rupture: are produced. This is intriguing also in terms

106 107 168. It feels a bit tragic that the tangled, for example, with the confg­ Example formed around informa­ ultimate “well-being” in the West is uration of gender roles in Tupperware tion retrieved from: of Barad’s thesis of constitutive exclusions: the ­unwrapped and rewrapped for an hour, it starts grounded on a vicious circle of time parties domesticating female work and Williams, L. S., & Bemiller, M. reconfguring reality is an ongoing play be­ to appear slightly weird. Even more bizarre is being mostly about working in order linking a female career with home­ (2011). Women at Work : Tupperware, tween ­favoring and neglecting, thus every be­ that the person conducting such futile activity to “make money”, followed by “leisure making, while the actual proft was Passion Parties, and Beyond. Boulder: coming also excludes something else from be­ ­assumes that someone has an interest or time time”, which is not working and is ma­ collected by men; social marketing, Lynne Rienner Publishers. Accessed ing or ­becoming possible (2007, 246). In other to engage in spectating it! What is the ­purpose terial-discursively arranged so that the drilling for oil and its ecological, social 3 Apr 2018 from: https://helka.fnna.f/ words, the matters of inclusion and exclusion of this “time-waisting” action? It leads to money made will be consumed. This and cultural effects, and its shaping of Record/helka.3113764 ; goes on in a loop like a broken record, the labor during the Texas oil boom in Tupperware. (2018, February 24). material-­discursively co-constitute each other ­nothing! There are hundreds of ­videos ­depicting which we all know too well. A huge the 50’s; post-World War II politics in Retrieved 3 Apr 2018, from: https:// within their intra-­action: exclusion can never hours of unwrapping presents, tapping a number of deprived people in Third America profling through conformity en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupper­ mean an ­absolute externalization or extermi- ­miscellaneous selection of items, ­displaying World countries work around the clock and conservative, materialistic values; ware#Product_lines ; nation (like “­vanishing” or “deleting” complete­ a collection of soaps and whispering with an for multinational companies which differential cultural/material/social Wogan, D. (2013, September 26). ly from ­existence, thus reality does not forget), ­accent. One of my main cogitations in this support and reconfgure this circle by aspects of serving and preparing food; Throwback Thursday: Drilling for oil in but what it can mean is a closure of possible ­thesis concerns the signifcance of the ­attentive mass producing stuff in sweatshops the reconfgurations of family-life and 1950s Texas. Retrieved 3 Apr 2018, from ­possibilities that might have been. material ­engagements proposed in Asmr where the working conditions violate friendships; the production of “female” https://blogs.scientifcamerican.com/ basic human rights. The stuff is, for bodies in terms of the clothing codes plugged-in/throwback-thursday-drill­ ­videos, especially in type2 videos. It is fair to example, oil-based items and ecologi­ in Tupperware parties, as well as in ing-for-oil-in-1950s-texas/ Waste of Time, Leisure Pleasure, say that it seems unusual for someone to tap, cally unsustainable throwaway clothes terms of the material co-constitution or Time Well Spent? stroke, and caress household items for an hour (ironically, vast amounts of plastic end of the female-bodies-in-production 169. David L, “Affordance Theory (Gib­ on ­purpose, and then share documentation of it son),” in Learning Theories, 24 Jul 2014. up in the oceans and the clothes made with(in) homes and kitchens; popular­ “There is obviously something about do­ on YouTube. Spontaneously, it feels strange to in cheap labor countries are sold in izing plastic as an industrial material, Retrieved 2 Apr 2018 from: https:// ing things quietly, slowly, and gently that use time in the making of such videos, as well West and then returned to those coun­ especially in the manufacturing of www.learning-theories.com/affor­ tries through supposedly good-doing everyday items, etc. The co-constitu­ dance-theory-gibson.html. is inherently calming and relaxing. I don’t as to use time in engaging with them. clothes donations, fnally ending up tive, material-­discursive nature of ma­ want to compare my eating a ­packet of to the ever-expanding landflls of the teria and time is fascinating, what ever fame-grilled-steak-favored snacks to, say, “For me the person must be acting “care­ poorest countries). Then again, people the example introduced. What matters a Buddhist monk raking swirling patterns fully”, with precision. The most ­unusual in the West and in the developing are the material-discursive becom­ in the pebbles of a Zen garden, or to the time I felt the ­sensation was when ­playing countries work to be able to buy more ings of the intra-actions. Of course, formal protocol of a ­Japanese tea cere­ a 3D billiards game over the ­internet. I of that cheap disposable stuff. Any the workings of apparatuses, like that detail in this complex system would be involving Tupperware ­containers, are mony. But the combination of slow, de­ could watch the virtual cue as he lined extremely fascinating to be analyzed complicated; everything but mere liberate physical movement and close up each shot, and as he made ­smaller with agential realism. For instance, the chain-reactions, as Barad (2007) attention to a mundane activity is one and smaller movements to line up his production of plastic items, one iconic ­remarks: “matter is a dynamic intra-­ I probably don’t encounter ­frequently shot, the ­sensation went crazy.”166 example being the American Tupper­ active becoming that never sits still–an enough. Who’s to say eating salty po­ ware Brands Corporation, which, as a ongoing reconfguring that exceeds tato-based snacks can’t be an ­occasion The modern paradigm associates time with complex apparatus is entangled with any linear conception of dynamics 165 a multiplicity of other material-discur­ in which effect follows cause end- for transcendental experience?” an idea of progress: the “progressivist” time­ sive apparatuses. After the Tupperware on-end, and in which the global is a lines sees the “advance” as an “ethico-political brand was presented to the public in ­straightforward emanation outward of There is nothing uncanny in wrapping ­presents, imperative” (Bellacasa 2017, 174; Sharder 2012 1948 the plastic containers became en­ the local” (170). but when a single present is wrapped, and Savransky 2012 as cited in Bellacasa 2017,

108 footnotes 168–169 109 174). This perception of time as a ­chronological, The (trendy) prefx “post-” (also used in the ­happen if we decentered the reifying ­orientation Where as affordance-based orientation as­ linear orientation of development is also at­ thesis) all of a sudden appears as a constitutive and perception to objects and ­materia (2017, sumes that the material reality is there readi­ tuned to history as a drag: it is gone, outdated partaker in the making of material-discursive 211). The common discourse draws from the ly waiting to be taken and used, in Asmr phe­ and left behind. The technoscientifc ­timescape reality, which is marked by a fear of regression felds of technology development and ­design, nomenon the objects and materials (human of futurity is exhausted with impatience and dis­ and an anxiety to “already belong in the ­future”. where the purpose of objects is in their and nonhuman) are treated with curious explo­ tressed speculations of future ­fnancial values When something is post- (posthumanism, “ ­usability”, “affordances”, and “functionality”. ration and sensitive touchings that are tuned (Ballacasa 2017, 173-74). The innovation-­driven, post-Internet, post-digital), it is newer, more-­ Jackson makes a pass by asking if it could it be for the embodied specifcities entangled with political economies are of techno­scientifc recent, subsequent to something else that is possible to establish the “other”: to the textures, sounds, materials, future­ anticipation, a sort of anxiety in which understood as preceding. The prefx post- thus feels. These specifcities are already forms of the present is pending and counting on the un­ also holds on to a chronological understanding “new and different forms of ­solidarity with responding, they are a constitutive part of the sure future to come: a utopia or dystopia, de­ of time: events and phenomena progressing objects (and they with us)? And what if, materialization of a particular meeting, which, pending on the speed of reactions; an ­ability to in time. On the other hand, as a prefx, it also ­beneath the nose of scholarship, this is as intra-action, materializes differentially by predict and avoid ecological, economical and incorporates a notable trace of material histo­ what we do everyday?” also depending on how these specifcities are political crises and disasters, which seem to be ricity of the phenomenon it talks about (of the (2014, 232, as cited in Bellacasa 2017, 211). appreciated­ . I suggest that responsiveness is ­inexorably lurking around the corner. The habit­ phenomenon which it takes part to), and thus the phenomenal, immanent ability of world­ ual, lived experience of time is that of urgency, it does not try to resign the entanglements in a J. J. Gibson’s Affordance Theory has ing; it is a part of, but not restricted, to the con­ hype and restlessness, followed by an ­exigency sense that the distinction between, lets say hu­ ­greatly infuenced how (human) perception and stitution of “humans”. In other words, respon- to manage, calculate and ­control time167 manism and posthumanism, would be about situational actions are understood. Affordance siveness, ­respons-ability, is not an ability of (­Ballacasa 2017, 173-74 in conversation with an absolute separation, but rather the pre­ ­theory is based on an idea that the environment an individual human (e.g. Asmrtist’s as “a dis- multiple theorists). Indeed, the “tracking” of fx enables a very meaningful ­reconfguration. guides actions, so that affordances, clues and crete subject”), nor some prominent “reactive- time was one of the central projects in ­classical Thought in terms of agential ­realism, the possibilities that objects serve for action are ness” of any “separate entity”. The “inanimate” physics. Barad mocks Newton’s theory of time, “ ­human” relation with time and materia (or “immediately” perceived (with vision) before objects and materials” are by the same token which is based on an idea of a universal calcu­ rather, the human becoming as of time and ma­ other type of sensorial processing. For exam­ fundamental elements in phenomena that are lus ­defned by determinism, continuity and god­ teria)168 is an iterative, reconstructing process, ple, buttons are accounted for pushing, handles “­respons-able” – “human” and “nonhuman” to ly anthropocentrism: that never reaches a standstill. As noted earli­ for pulling, chairs for seating, etc.169 Despite co-re-confgure and co-re-constitute as phenom­ er, “this era” materializes as such that innova­ that this theory has continued to be reconfg­ ena within the same reality, within their intra-ac­ “Prediction, retrodiction. Time rever­ tions, productivism and ­consumerism are nota­ ured, the purpose-oriented attitude seems to tion. Respons-ability should be described as en­ sal, time universal. Man’s for the asking. ble phenomena. While ­sustainability is trending, still vastly describe the contemporary relation actments that happen in these co-­constitutive – ­Determinism rules. Nature is a clock­ the practice of repair and ­maintenance is not with the material world and objects. Now, you intra-actions. ­Sensitized respons-ability, then, work, a machine, a windup toy the Omnis­ very sexy, especially when it comes to technolo­ might wonder, isn’t Asmr just that? Harness­ would be a radically sensible “becoming-­within- cient One started up at time t = 0 and the gy: what is new is already old tomorrow and to ing and utilizing objects and materials in order contact”; specifc politeness towards the “­other” even He lost interest in and abandoned, keep up with the swim you have to have what to get pleasure! I think the matter is not quite that is materially co-constituted with the “self” or perhaps ­remembers every now and is coming next or you will be left behind. Bel­ that ­simple. I state that Asmr phenomenon have within their very encounter. I state that instead again and drops in to do a little tuning up. lacasa, citing Steve ­Jackson, whose point of a different orientation to the materiality of the of “using” the objects, Asmr is about getting The universe is a tidy affair.” (2014, 20) interest is in ­technoscience, asks what would world. in contact with and being sensibly responsive

110 111 170. See: GentleWhispering. (2016, 173. Marsden, R. (2012, July 20). interpretation of this is that they are 173 June 16). .•. Intoxicating Sounds ‘Maria spends 20 minutes folding a phenomenon, instead of indi­ with the objects. Asmr is not about usability in where barely an­ ything happens.” .•. ASMR. Retrieved 28 Mar 2018, ­towels’: Why millions are mesmerised vidual, separate entities “instantly a traditional sense: the objects are not used in Interestingly, the concerns of ”how from: https://www.youtube.com/ by ASMR videos. For the link, see ­communicating from a distance” (note “a proper way”, in contrast, their convention- to spend time”, as well as the concerns of watch?v=WY0JWpKsdWQ footnote 170. See Barad 2007, 105 for how the co-constitution of discursive al usability potential is oftentimes complete- “ ­human” relations with objects and ­materia, Marsden, R. (2012, July 20). ‘Maria ­iIllustrations of the two-slit devices. and material, also in science, is evident ly dismissed. A tea box is not used for stor- are closely bonded from an agential realist spends 20 minutes folding towels’: in this example). Quantum entangle­ ing tea bags, a beauty bag is not taken out for ­prospect. The phrases “to use time”, “to waste Why millions are mesmerised by 174. Which-slit apparatus detects the ments are not just correlations, but ASMR videos. Retrieved 26 Mar 2018, photon that the atom emits during its ­superpositions. Superpositions, then, the sake of putting make-up on, nor is a comb time” and “to spend time” imply that time is 170 from: https://www.independent.co.uk/ passage through the slit(s). are fundamental features of quantum ­introduced for a hairdo. This indeed must be something consumable: a valuable resource life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/ phenomena, which contradict the one of the reasons why Asmr seems irration- in an unsettling limbo-like state of constantly maria-spends-20-minutes-folding-tow­ 175. Traditionally, waves and particles classical metaphysical understanding al and absurd for someone who is not familiar running out, but never really ending. As ­noted are understood as mutually exclusive els-why-millions-are-mesmerised-by- of reality. Interference patterns (diffrac­ with the phenomenon (and who embodies the earlier, Barad takes a signifcantly different asmr-videos-7956866.html Stafford, kinds in their ontology: “waves are tion patterns) are always markings of ethos of usability). ­perspective to the nature of time. Barad states T. (2013, May 07). Future - The people extended disturbances that can over­ superpositions (not all superpositions BBC Future made a little article about that space and time, as phenomenal, are intra-­ who fnd pleasure in being bored. Re­ lap and move through one another; manifest as interference patterns), trieved 26 Mar 2018, from: http://www. particles are localized entities that which are typical for wave behavior Asmr and the title­ of the story says a lot: ’The actively reconfgured in materialization: bbc.com/future/story/20130507-does- singly occupy a given position in one (Barad 2007, 266-73). That is, unlike ­people who fnd pleasure in being bored’. boredom-give-you-pleasure moment at a time”. Classical physics, particles, waves can superimpose one The author says that they frst heard of Asmr “There is no conspiracy at work among owning this perspective, insisted that each other (note that waves are distur­ from the British­ journalist Rhodri Marsden, individual particles separated in space 171. Marsden, R. (2012, July 20). light cannot be both; it cannot be bances, not ­entities). “when two ocean who wrote a rather personal article about it or ­individual events separated in time. – ‘Maria spends 20 minutes folding “extended and localized, disturbance waves overlap the aptitude of the in the Independent­ 171. BBC’s story describes ­Neither space nor time exist as determinate towels’: Why millions are mesmerised and substance, a thing and a doing” resultant wave is the combined am­ by ASMR videos. (Barad 2014, 21.) Importantly, waves plitudes of the component waves: the that “he [Mar­ sden] had become mesmerised ­givens, as universals, outside of matter. For the link, see footnote 170. can produce interference patterns amplitude of one wave is added to the by intentionally boring videos­ he found on Matter does not reside in space and move (diffraction patterns), whereas particles amplitude of the other wave and the ­YouTube, things like people explaining how through time. Space and time are matter’s 172. Stafford, T. (2013, May 07). Future form mixtures (Barad 2007, 269). result is a wave with their combined to fold towels, running hair dryers or role-­ ­agential performances” (Barad 2014, 28). - The people who fnd pleasure in amplitude” (Barad 2007, 255). Kal­ playing interactions­ with dentists. Millions of being bored. 176. The quantum entanglement lio-Tamminen sums up that ­quantum people were watching the videos, reported­ Spacetime Queerness and For the link, see footnote 170. was frst contemplated by Einstein, waves are interpreted as vibration of Podolsky, and Rosen, and thus its possibilities (2008, 103). ly for the pleasurable sensations they gen­ Absurdity of ASMR classical formation is called the EPR erated.”172 Marsden, from their own behalf, paradox. The EPR paradox took up an 177. Unfortunately, we still have to writes that “This might all seem like just anoth­ Barad grounds their understanding of ­reality experiment where the measurement tune-up our superposition for this to er preposterously­ niche activity begat by the as a ­fuctuating, indeterminate, time-­making of another particle’s undefned spin happen. ­internet, but the preeminent creators of Asmr-­ materialization called “spacetime­mattering” in (up or down) simultaneously defnes the other’s as opposite to that of the related videos rack up millions upon millions­ of ­quantum experiments. I will briefy go through one measured (up if the measured channel views. In an online world c­ haracterised the most constitutive experiments and their particle’s spin was down, and vice by immediacy, ubiquity, multitasking­ and inter ­pretations so that the agential ­realist versa). That is, the particle pair is in everything turned up to 11, enormous numbers ­concept of space­timemattering is not left an entangled state. The ­contemporary of people are fnding intense pleasure in videos ­hanging in the air.

112 footnotes 170–177 113 At the heart of “quantum queerness” is having been anywhere in between” (Barad both slits simultaneously).176 In turn, when the is, “unlike the “original,” the new diffraction quantum dis-­continuity, a state of being, which 2014, 20). More over, a photon of a particular which-slit detector is at work the atom behaves pattern is not plainly evident without explicit­ is not “fully discontinuous with continuity, nor jump-size-correlating-color is emitted during like a particle and a scatter pattern appears (the ly tracking the (extant) entanglements” (Barad even fully continuous with discontinuity, and this leap – and this is the weird part: how can particle has gone through only one of the two 2014, 28). The trace of all measurements (en­ in any case, surely not one with itself” ­(Barad something happen while it does not happen? slits). That is, the nature of identity is indeed tanglements) remains: materialization cannot 2014, 18, bolding mine). The nature of quan­ That is, the photon’s color is defned by the en­ performative: it is not an inherent feature of be undone in a way that this experiment should tum phenomena troubles both the notion of ergy difference between the starting point and separately existing entities (like being either a be interpreted as changing the “past”, thus the time as ­continuous, and time as linear. An at­ arrival – the photon which is not emitted before wave or a particle), but performed differentially ­nature of “history” (and time in total) is exactly om’s ­structure has been a central issue in phys­ leaving, during the leap, when arriving, or after under different circumstances. The two-slit ex­ what this meta/physical experiment ­troubles. ics ever since ­Democritus. Barad explains that that: it is “emitted at no determinate time at all periment has even more to it to make one’s hair Indeed, what is at stake is that the “past”, as the planetary model of the atom was reasoned – during the leap that is outside of time” (Barad stand on end. When the information of which- well as “future”, is fuctuating, ­reconfguring to be ­dysfunctional, thus if the electrons were 2014, 20). The most queer feature of this notion slit the atom passed is erased, a diffraction pat­ and enfolding in intra-actions: “There is no ­orbiting the atom’s nucleus like planets orbit is that it is impossible to determine where and tern (indicating wavelike behavior) is shown ­determinate relationship between past and fu­ the sun the electron would constantly give off when these leaps happen. Quantum discontinu­ again. As insane as it sounds, even if the infor­ ture” (Barad 2014, 28). The “recovery” of the its energy and radiate light before spiraling into ity is not so infnitesimal an issue as one might mation is eliminated after the atom has already diffraction pattern is not about going back in the nucleus: the atoms would unstable (2014, think (geometrically), because it simply impels gone through the entire apparatus as a particle “time” to erase a memory. Rather, according to 19). Bohr came up with an idea that instead or one to recall the assumptions of “space, time, or a wave, and made markings on the screen, agential realism, memory is a “pattern of sed­ orbiting the nucleus, each electron “resides­ in matter, causality and agency, and epistemology, the whole trip and identity of the atom recon­ imented enfoldings of iterative intra-activity” one of a fnite set of discrete/ quantized ­energy ontology, and ethics” (Barad 2007, 182). fgures when the information of which-slit it – the world is of the traces that are memories, levels, and atoms only emit photons when their travelled is erased. What this means is that not “the world is its memory (its enfolded materiali­ electrons “jump” or “leap” from one ­level to “Quantum dis/continuity troubles the very only has the “past behavior” of an entity been zation”) (­Barad 2014, 29). another. In ­particular, when an electron “jumps” notion of dichotomy – the cutting into two– changed, but its very nature has been changed According to Barad, the so called quan­ from a ­higher energy state to a ­lower one it itself. All this ­quantum weirdness is actual­ “in the past”. (Barad 2007, 266-267; 2014, 26- tum eraser experiment confrms Bohr’s central emits a photon whose color/­frequency is deter­ ly “quantum queerness,” and I don’t mean 29.) Barad sums up that what this queer (quan- thesis that the objects and agencies of obser­ mined by the size of the jump, i.e., the change simply strange. Q is for queer–the un/do­ tum) identity work means, it is that “any enti- vation are inseparable parts of the same phe- in energy” (Barad 2014, 19). Thinking with this ing of identity. Quantum dis/continuity is ty’s past identity, its ontology, is never fxed, it nomenon. The results of the quantum eraser ex­ model, the atom seems stable, the problem at the crux of this im/possible, im/passi­ is ­always open to the future reworkings!” (2014, periment is sometimes mistakenly interpreted of continuous outward radiation of energy is ble, trans/formation.” (Barad 2014, 21). 27, bolding mine). from the classical physics’ perspective, which avoided, and the electron is not in a ­constant “Erased” is a misleading but commonly is grounded on the ontology of separately ex­ state of emitting light. But what type of jump Quantum discontinuity is at stake in the used term in the context of this specifc experi­ isting entities. This interpretation would place is the quantum “leap”? (Barad 2014, 19). The two-slit experiment174, which has shown that ment. According to Barad, the matter is not that the human at the center of the universe by sug­ quantum leap is not a typical jump, thus it in the absence of which-slit detector175 (“agen­ all traces of the two-slit event are complete­ gesting that the observer can change the past is discontinuous: the electron swaps the en­ cies of observation”) the atom’s identity (“object ly “erased” when the which-slit information is by changing the experimental arrangements in ergy level without actually going to ­another of observation”) is a wave (a diffraction pattern exterminated, and then the “original” pattern the­ ­quantum eraser experiment. However, this level– it is frst there and then here “­without appears on the screen as the wave has passed would return or “recover” (2014, 26-29). That notion shoots itself in the foot, because it also

114 115 ­conficts with the classical physics’ thesis of ob­ What if the matter is thought from an agential situation of “­spectating the past”. The recorded “attentiveness” are. Bellacasa brings forward jectivity, which places the observer in an exter­ realist perspective, which does not profess en­ video is not a window to that which has already that according to critical sociohistorical stud­ nal position in relation to the observed (Bar­ tities, but phenomena as the constitutive units happened, nor is it a representation of history - ies of temporality, different societies have fos­ ad 2008, 175: n4). The contemporary quantum of reality? Quantum entanglement should be “the present” and “history” are not separable tered different paradigms and experiences of physics has proven such a wish for an uncon­ acknowledged as a phenomenon, of which the or “progressing”, but enfolded through one an­ time (2017, 175). They introduce, along with a taminated external position to be senseless. two far apart particles are constitutive partici­ other. The video is not outside of the material­ critique to linear and human-centric tempo­ Rather, pants: the particles are not separate actants, but izations that happen, for example, in the mak­ ralities, an idea of different timescales (micro entangled - their existence is one. Barad, notes ing-of, editing, uploading and engaging with it: and macro) and a “diversity of eco-temporali­ “The existence of quantum ­discontinuity that entanglements are highly specifc confg­ it is a phenomenon of spacetimemattering, and ties” that differ from the time-frames of “human means that the past is never left behind, urations, and building an apparatus that could it is reconfgured with other phenomena (hu­ lifespan and history”: the speed of processes never fnished once and for all, and the study them is a very complicated task since the man/nonhuman/temporal/material/social/on­ and cycles is differential in many multispecies future is not what will come to be in an entanglements change accordingly with each line/offine) through entanglements and agen­ and more than human scales (Bellacasa 2017, unfolding of the present moment; rath­ intra-action (2007, 76). Or, more precisely, they tial cuts. Bellacasa explicates (in conversation 176). This is an interesting notion also from the er the past and the future are enfolded do not just change in time and space, but rath- with multiple others), that the lived experience technoscientifc aspect: what might the tempo­ participants in matter’s iterative becom­ er, time, space and matter do not pre-exist the of time and temporality is not some abstract at­ rality of a quantum computer be? What if this ing. Becoming is not an unfolding in time, intra-actions that reconstitute the entangle- mosphere, nor a given that “we have or not”, quantum computer is not an entity, but a phe­ but an inexhaustible dynamism of the ments (Barad 2007, 76). but rather, we make time “through sociotechni­ nomenon? ­Taking an agential realist perspec­ ­enfolding of mattering” (Barad, 2007, 234). After all this, I dare to say that when the cal arrangements and everyday practices” (2017, tive, I state that time, as material reality, is not A­ smrtist ­pushes the record button of their 175). Again, taking an ­agential realist, posthu- to be ­conceived even through a metaphor of cy- That is, the results of the quantum exper- ­camera and starts ­wrapping pr­ esents179 in a manist perspective, I specify that “we” do not cles: neat ­circulations of carbon based life from iments are not “ghostly” in themselves, but spectacularly attentive and ­durational man- make time as segregated from ­anything else, the beginning to the end, no matter what their their interpretations are. To ­understand how ner, they do not “spend” time: time is not a but “we” are of time; time, that reconfgures “timescale”, is not enough of an inclusive no- two particles far apart can be simultaneous­ disposable matter. Rather, the Asmrtist as a “us” along with everything else in agential ma- tion. Thus a circle is a line with its ends united, ly aware of each others doings177, it is neces­ “ ­person”, the “presents” wrapped, as well as terializations of material-discursive arrange- it has no depth, dis/jointed ruptures, dimen- sary to change the way this fnding is explained. the “event of wrapping presents” are all ma­ ments and practices that are of humans and sions, dynamics, nor topology. Barad comments The interpretations of quantum entanglement, terially entangled and co-constitutive of each nonhumans. that there are no beginnings, thus the begin­ which is often described as a “spooky action other within their intra-action - they make “the ning has already started, and it will never arrive: at a distance” (frst announced by Albert Ein­ moment”, which is not a separable fragment “Any meaningful act in the world of “past, present, and future, not in a relation of stein), or as an instantaneous communication in time, but a materialization of reality with no ­promissory capitalism involves taking risks linear unfolding, but threaded though one an­ between far-away particles, arises from the in­ absolute­ end, nor ­beginning (this is not at var­ and acting fast” (Bellacasa 2017, 174). other in a non-linear enfolding of spacetimemat­ correct belief in metaphysical individualism iance with agential cuts that are local causal tering, a topology that defes any suggestion (Barad 2007, 315). Why exactly does the quan­ structures within phenomena: they are like­ “Speediness”, “hurry”, “impatience” and of a smooth continuous manifold” (2014, 18). tum “­communication from a distance” sound as wise ­material enactments). More over, the situ­ “cutting corners” are material, embodying What about the prolonged duration180 of the freaky as me saying that I have had a ­telepathic ation of ­engaging with this exemplary present-­ (body-confguring) matters and gestures, just Asmr present-wrapping, when “barely any­ ­conversation with my far-away twin sister?178 wrapping Asmr ­video on YouTube is not a like “slowness”, “carefulness”, “repetition” and thing happens”? Simply time passing slow­

116 117 ly? No, but more a matter of reconfguring in ­absurdity is therefore at the center of the CONCLUSIONS ­Barad’s agential realism. That is, I am assured manners that are ­contradicting the embodied ­production and pleasure of Asmr: If ­someone AND ­EXCLUSIONS that the ­lengthiness of the thorough explana­ ­comprehension of a “normal pace” assigned to can spend so much time and care so much tions concerning the patterns of thought be­ “similar” ­material actions (wrapping a present, about something so unimportant then, at In this thesis, I looked into Asmr as a hind applied concepts has been necessary to in this case): the assumed quantity (how can least for those 25 minutes and 45 seconds, ­material-discursive ­phenomenon ­producing ­genuinely grasp what they are about. In addi­ such calculation be made?) of “happenings” in there can’t be all the much to worry about in a multiplicity of intra-actions. I applied tion, I think that accessibility (which I do not see a meticulously ­restricted “timeframe” is less ­after all. And therein lies the rush of re- ­Karen ­Barad’s agential realism, and ­included as the same as popularizing), as much as it is than the ­contemporary ethos would ­approve lief.” I am not convinced that the conceived ­polyphonic sources that are entangled with possible to be executed (without overriding the of. Duration­ is about manners of ­materializing ­absurdity would be some kinky prerequisite Asmr phenomenon. I wanted to become curi­ required expertise of the reader), should be tak­ (ways of behaving): the notion that there for the Asmr ­experience, but that the ­seeming ous with my theory and by my topic: to chal­ en as a default in theoretical writing. seems to be abnormally little ­happening on ­absurdity181 of Asmr is embedded in the con- lenge and defamiliarize the obvious and fore­ A few words should be said about the Asmr videos is linked to the notion that the way fict between the ­hectic “spirit of the age” most comprehension that Asmr is a (mere) ­constitutive exclusions. There are many paths of the things happen ­(materialize) is “­weirdly” and in the ­materialization of Asmr sensations, “ ­human” experience or just a fragment of thought that I would had liked to write about in slow, repetitive, sensible, and attentive. which are about extended “duration”, repeti- visual “­human” subculture on YouTube. As I greater lengths. Indeed, I feel that almost every tion, ­touchings, sounds, becoming-with­ (habitu- analyzed Asmr with and through agential real­ single subtitle could comprise a thesis topic in ally expressed as “spending” time with) objects ism, new ­knowledge came out of that engage­ itself (at least when the thesis is assigned to be and ­materials in an atypically intimat­ e, pro- ment – not only did I understand Asmr as a worth work that corresponds with as little as 30 longed and ­engaged way, which goes against living, multifaceted, shape-shifting, time- and Finnish ECTS credits). My attempt was to think the ­contemporary dominant ethos. At the space-making, material-­discursive phenomenon differently and diffractingly, and for that I took same, if ­given a chance, I suggest that Asmr taking part in iterative negotiations of “­human” as many perspectives to the Asmr phenomenon phenomenon, in its ­assumed absurdity, ­carries and “non­human”, but I also apprehended as I could accommodate while trying to stick a ­potential to question the rationale of that ­agential realism in unpredictable ways in the primarily with agential realism. If I had more ethos. ­context of Asmr. I ­wanted to make the theory pages to fll, I would have liked to involve more work through ­intra-action with my insights in­ diffractive analysis with the contributions of re­ “As odd as it is, there is a deeply human stead of using it to justify my pre­suppositions lated readings that I could not incorporate in quality to this strange convergence of tech­ or ­opinions about Asmr. I think that the theory this project. Some chapters got more attention ­Agential ­realism is about the responsibility of nology, alienation, and intimacy. The frst and the data really ­started working as an appa­ than others. For example, the chapters touching the entangled ­practices of which we are a part. instinctive reaction to Asmr is one of com­ ratus: they co-constituted each other in the anal­ on posthumanist ethics, touchings and caress­ The attentive and gentle conduction of a task ic bemusement; but if you watch enough ysis. This thesis is based on my ­comprehension ing in terms of Asmr are just the frst letters of or activity, the engagement with objects and it, or if you think about it long enough, it of agential realism, and of Asmr, and someone sentences in possible writings which I had no materials through various ways of touching, is eventually gives way to a kind of baffed else getting entangled with these two would chance to start here. connecting and ­committing, it is what Asmr is reverence. It’s only weird, in other words, have ended up writing an entirely different Another thing to mention is the format about. because we humans are weird, and be­ ­story. All that has been stated in this thesis has of this text. I truly believe that it makes a dif­ One thesis (Maslen&Roache 2013) on the cause the reasons for our comforts and been greatly informed and ­infuenced by the ference whether a text is read as columns of a ­absurdity of Asmr suggests that “­Perhaps pleasures are so often obscure to us.”182 entangled theories, of course most notably by PDF on a computer screen, arranged in (as) a

118 119 178. See for example this video: 181. O’Connell, M. (2013, February 184. A transdisciplinary study project ’ASMR Wrapping Christmas Presents 12). Why Has This Hourlong Video of for future art education, might be, for book, or if it is composed in some other form, ­theorization from a feld of ­phenomenology, - No speaking (Binaural - 3D Sound)’: Someone Pretending To Get a Haircut example, such phenomenon as the like a mind map, for example. The overlapping instead of agential realism, for instance? This https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb­ Been Viewed Nearly 1,000,000 Times? “visual” capitalist culture material­ patterns of thought, diffracting entanglements thesis would had been different if any of the wJFGGrHPU Retrieved 27 Mar 2018, from: http:// izing in the hyper located interactive of the theory and the data, do not seem to es­ ­mentioned cases were different - for better or www.slate.com/articles/life/culture­ outdoor advertisements. The outdoor teem the limitations of any presentable format. for worse, there is no answer. 179. Duration: 1. “the length of time box/2013/02/asmr_videos_autono­ advertisement is speculated to sooner My frustration about this has caused the multi­ Also, while applying agential realism something continues or exists”. 2. mous_sensory_meridian_response_ or later be extensively based on a “continuance in time”. Retrieved: 2 Mar and_whispering_videos_on.html Cambridge Analytica type of collected plicity of exhortations in the footnotes and pa­ (as a very extensive theory covering not less 4 2018 from: http://www.dictionary. and personalized data, meaning, that renthesis within the text for you to see some than the Universe) for the frst time here, I com/browse/duration 182. Durrani, H. A. (2015, September not only the advertisements on mobile other chapter in order to get more a multifac­ am ­conscious that I could not position m­ yself 21). Review: Karen Barad’s “Meeting devices, but on the streets too, will eted ­rendering of the matter. If there was to be critically ­towards it. Some critique has been 180. Absurdity: “utterly or obviously the Universe Halfway”. Retrieved 10 literally “look back at you”. Thinking a possibility to present a thought process in ­presented towards the logic of the relationship senseless, illogical, or untrue; contrary Apr 2018, from https://engspurdis­ with intra-action, the advertisements a (3D) ­environment where one could wander between the ethics and ontology, for ­example, to all reason or common sense; laugh­ habic.wordpress.com/2015/09/20/ are not only perceived by “individuals”, around instead of needing to scroll back and as well as towards the self-­repeated language ably foolish or false”. Retrieved: 2 Mar 4 review-karen-barads-meeting-the-uni­ but the “individuals” and the adver­ 2018 from: http://www.dictionary.com/ verse-halfway/ tisements co-constitute one another: forth or jump from page to another, that might which might obscure the statement in ­agential 183 browse/absurd the advertisement reconfgures as be ­something. Or maybe this thesis should had realism . Certainly, it would be interesting Maslen&Roache (2013), citing 183. Assumably is here to signify remarkably private and intimate been conducted in a format of an Asmr video? to inspect agential realism with more criti­ Feinberg (1980) on different defnitions that my aim is not to gender label the within public space thus its content is Indeed, one excluded practice is me ­trying cal eyes, and ­perhaps cross-read it with the­ of “absurd”, write that “an absurd ASMRtists, but to note that the phe­ highly specifed, whereas the targeted to make Asmr videos as a part of the ­research. ses by ­other author­ s who have written about element can fall within fve categories, nomenon might accommodate sexist body-in-production embodies by prin­ This would had been a fascinating option; an­ the inter­sections / entanglement of quantum none of which inspire hope for fnding suppositions, for example such that ciple as a “consumer” within this in­ positive value: “It can be pointless, practices of caring (which I state that tra-action. Art fnds imaginary ways to other type of ­engagement and making­ -of. physics and ­philosophy (also in Finnish, for trivial (instrumentally disproportion­ the ASMR phenomenon takes part to) respond: take for example Jill Magid’s ­Indeed, in the beginning, this was my ­intention. example, ­Paavo Pylkkänen (2007) and Tarja ate), futile, unrealistically pretentious, are “maternal” and thus they ought to ‘Evidence Locker’ which takes up the However, due to the already mentioned Kallio -­Tamminen (2008)). ­Nevertheless, I also or otherwise incongruous or a ‘poor be mainly established by the “female materialization of a body-in-production ­restrictions on the length of the thesis, it soon fnd it justifed to “try” the theory frst (that is ft’, like actions that presuppose false gender”. as a part of a system (“society”) based became clear that I needed to drop that part. An­ what I attempted to do here) before ­being in or logically inconsistent beliefs”. on constant surveillance. I am assured other factor that could be read as an ­exclusion, a ­persuasive enough position to take a ­critical Retrieved 3 Apr 2018 from: http:// that art education has an important blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2015/07/ role in remarking, questioning, and is that I do not ­recognize ­experiencing Asmr tin­ prospect towards it (especially if it is not the asmr-and-absurdity/ if necessary, resisting these types of gles (nonetheless, I do fnd most Asmr videos most routinely ­applied theory ­within one’s constitutive confgurations. soothing and very relaxing). Perhaps, if did rec­ feld). While a fawless (meta)physical “theory of ognize the tingles I would have recounted my everything” is still awaited, I think that Barad’s own Asmr experiences instead of asking my two project is defnitely worth acknowledging. friends to ­describe theirs. Would experiencing These are constitutive exclusions, amongst the tingles have ­given me more credibility? Or all the ­others that I have no resources or wits would it have caused me to be so attached to to even mention here: ­exclusions that are the sensation that I would have ­chosen a whole ­excluded also from noting them as exclusions. different method, or decided to apply some

120 footnotes 178–185 121 FURTHER ADAPTATIONS & SPECUL ATIONS ­arrangements of power and forms of oppres­ the ­camera), I’m gonna wish you ­happy I think that Asmr is an interesting phenomenon tion of Asmr media could be employed as a sion. Art / visual culture education could open painting, and God bless, my friend (Bob in terms of “our” profound entanglement and ­pedagogical tool in (restless) classrooms. Could up possibilities for critical­ creative thinking ­smiling and ­doing a funny gesture to- intra-active dependency of and with other (“hu­ ­particularly developed Asmr media – for its and experimenting which have a potential to wards the viewer with ­fngers wiggling man”,”nonhuman”, “animate” and “inanimate”) ­potential to relax, sooth and uplift mood – help question, and if needed, to resist, the materi­ in the air), I’ll see you next show.” (Cut (re)confgurations of the world. Could Asmr students to ­concentrate? Could Asmr serve as al-discursive dynamisms of practices that are to the canvas, camera running from top phenomenon enhance posthumanist percep­ a complementary solution, or as a recognized entangled with the ways of materializing as a to down, ­instrumental music playing tion of reality, and thus stretch the responsive alternative for medication for the ­increasing “human” within and as of the ­nature­culture and and credits ­rolling on the screen.) (Mys­ senses towards greater, and more constitutional group of students with ­diagnosed ADHD, for its manifold diffractions: subcultures, ­societies, tic Mountain, end of the Episode1). understandings of intra-relational responsibili­ ­example? These cogitations are obviously only genders, and so forth. ty? Could Asmr phenomenon be an opening for ­hypothetical for now, thus many profound I suggest that Barad’s agential realism, as a more permissive, tolerant, empathic, sensitive ­studies on Asmr are needed. relational ethico-onto-epistem-ology (account­ and respectful ways of encountering/ engaging/ Kallio-Tavin (2016) delineates that con­ ing the intra-relation of ethics and knowing in connecting/ touching/ being-with oneself and temporary Finnish art education, along with the being), is an intriguing reading for those (art) with others (all others)? Of course many other schooling system in total, seems to be trans­ educators who seek reasoning or inspiration perspectives that are interesting in contempo­ forming towards phenomenon-based learn­ for the reconfguration of the “subject-based” rary art education could be taken to study Asmr ing. Phenomenon-based learning grounds it­ studies to “things-within-­phenomena-based” phenomenon. For example, one critical obser­ self in the idea that the system of separately studies. Phenomenon-based learning has a po­ vation being that Asmr seems to be a gendered taught school subjects fails to account for the tential to involve students as active participants phenomenon: the majority of makers of the ­complexity of the world that these ­separated in knowledge practices instead of ­positioning most subscribed Asmr channels are assumably subjects ought to understand (Kallio-Tavin them as “passive receivers” or ­discrete (white) Western women184. 2016, 41). Obviously, art and visual culture are ­knowers. Thinking informed by agential ­realism The frst research on Asmr (by Barratt & ­thoroughly entangled with and inherently of almost obliges (art) education to be open for Davis in 2015) indicated similarities between the same world as the subject matters of phys­ transdisciplinary engagements, in order be the Asmr experience and the fow state, which ics, biology, physical education, and history. tuned and accountable for the topological, is “thought to be helpful in domains such as ­Creative thinking and experimenting are not ­material-discursive processes within which the sports or education” (Barratt & Davis 2017, properties of “creative felds” like arts, mu­ “human” and “nonhuman”, as well as “culture” ­Discussion). In their second study Barratt & Da­ sic or design (or merely “human” doings), but and “­nature,” are ­iteratively reconfgured185. vis (2017) propose that the results of their re­ all ­testing, theorizing, and fnding ways that search on Asmr would be “used to create lab deviate from the familiar path, are creative: [27:03>] “Shoot, I think we have a fn­ and media content that is effective for the wid­ take coding, for example. Kallio-Tavin (2016, ished ­painting (cut to the medium shot, a est possible audience” (Discussion). I would 41) elaborates that school should accommo­ white frame ­appearing on top of the fn- like to speculate that some accurate applica­ date social justice and critical thinking toward ished paining). With that (Bob ­turning to

122 123 REFERENCES

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124 125 blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2015/07/ 8851. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/1 weird-sensation-feels-good. copyright owners of the screenshot images asmr-and-absurdity/. 0.1080/17470919.2016.1188851 used in this thesis. “Why Is Bob Ross Such a Common Asmr Pallasmaa, Juhani. The Eyes of the Skin: “Sound Is a Pressure Wave.” The Physics ­Trigger? Bob Ross Videos For Asmr.” Asmr Mentioned Other Sources ­Architecture and the Senses. 1st ed. ­Classroom. (n.d.). Accessed April 17, 2018. LAB (blog), (n.d.). Accessed April 17, 2018. ­Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-­ http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/ http://www.asmrlab.com/asmr-videos/ Ashley Collman for Dailymail.com. “Chris­ Academy, 2005. Accessed April 17, 2018. sound/Lesson-1/Sound-is-a-Pressure-Wave. bob-ross-videos/. sy ­Teigen, Donald Trump and the Man be­ http://arts.berkeley.edu/wp-content/up­ hind Pepe the Frog Top List of the 25 Most loads/2016/01/Pallasmaa_The-Eyes-of-the- Strafford, T. “The ‘unnamed Feeling’ Named Williams, L. Susan, and Michelle Bemill­ ­Infuential People on the Internet.” Daily Mail Skin.pdf. Asmr.” Mind Hacks – Neuro­science and er. Women at Work : Tupperware, ­Passion Online. June 26, 2017. Accessed April 17, Psychology News and Views (blog), Parties, and Beyond. Boulder, CO: Lynne 2018. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti­ Pylkkänen, Paavo. Mind, Matter and the May 13, 2013. Accessed April 17, 2018. ­Rienner Publishers, 2011. Accessed April cle-4641188/Time-s-25-infuential-people-in­ ­Implicate Order. 1st ed. Berlin: Springer-Ver­ https://mindhacks.com/2013/05/13/ 17, 2018. https://helka.fnna.f/Record/ ternet.html. lag Berlin Heidelberg, 2007. the-unnamed-feeling-named-asmr/. helka.3113764. Bearne, Suzanne. “How Your Digital Self Could Shotter, John. “Refections on Sociomaterial­ Telkänranta, Helena. Millaista on Olla Eläin? Wogan, D. “Throwback Thursday: Drilling for ‘live’ on after You Die.” BBC News. August ity and Dialogicality in Organization Stud­ Vol. 3. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Oil in 1950s Texas.” Scientifc American 22, 2017. Accessed April 17, 2018. http://www. ies: From “Inter-” to “Intra-Thinking”… in Seura, 2015. (blog), September 26, 2013. Accessed April bbc.com/news/business-40935790. Performing Practices.” In How Matter Mat- 17, 2018. https://blogs.scientifcamerican. ters: Objects, Artifacts, and Materiality in Tihanyi, B. T., E. Ferentzi, F. Beissner, and F. com/plugged-in/throwback-thursday-drilling- D. “A Real Life Haptic Glove (Ready Player One ­Organization Studies, 32-57. Oxford: Oxford Köteles. “The Neuropsychophysiology of for-oil-in-1950s-texas/. Technology Today) - Smarter Every Day Univ. Press, 2013. Tingling.” Consciousness and Cognition, 190”. YouTube. March 01, 2018. Accessed 58 (February 2018): 97-110. Accessed April DATA April 17, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/ Smelik, Anneke, and Nina Lykke. Bits of Life. 17, 2018. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ watch?v=OK2y4Z5IkZ0&feature=youtu.be. Feminism at the Intersections of ­Media, pubmed/29096941. BobRossInc. (2015, April 20). Bob Ross - Mystic Bioscience, and Technology. Seattle: Mountain (Season 20 Episode 1). Accessed Hosie, Rachel. “Asmr: What Is This Curious New ­University of Washington Press, 2008. “Tupperware.” Wikipedia. February 24, 2018. April 17, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/ Relaxation Phenomenon?” The Independent. ­Accessed April 17, 2018. https://en.wikipedia. watch?v=VlucWfTUo1A. August 11, 2017. Accessed April 17, 2018. Smith, Stephen D., Beverley Katherine org/wiki/Tupperware#Product_lines. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/ Fredborg, and Jennifer Kornelsen. “An GentleWhispering. (2016, June 16). .•. In­ asmr-what-is-it-autonomous-sensory-me­ ­Examination of the Default Mode Network Waheed, Nayyirah. Salt. 2013. toxicating Sounds .•. Asmr. Accessed ridian-response-ikea-advert-relaxation-vid­ in Individuals with Autonomous Sensory April 17, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/ eo-a7887881.html. ­Meridian Response (Asmr).” Social Neuro- “WEIRD SENSATION FEELS GOOD.“ watch?v=VlucWfTUo1A. science 12, no. 4 (2016): 361-65. Accessed ­SteadyHealth.com. (n.d.). Accessed April 17, Kobayashi, Juri. Musically Induced Asmr : An April 17, 2018. doi:10.1080/17470919.2016.118 2018. https://www.steadyhealth.com/topics/ The above mentioned channels are also the Amalgamated Experience. Master’s thesis,

126 127 Department of Music: University of Jyväsky­ Asmr Rooms. “Harry Potter Asmr - Hogwarts Button Collection ~ Southern Accent Whis­ and-tech/features/maria-spends-20-minutes- lä, 2015. Accessed April 17, 2018. http://urn.f/ Library - HD Ambient Sound White Noise - per.” YouTube. March 19, 2016. Accessed folding-towels-why-millions-are-mesmer­ URN:NBN:f:jyu-201512174098. Cinemagraphs.” YouTube. June 14, 2015. Ac­ April 17, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/ ised-by-asmr-videos-7956866.html. cessed April 17, 2018. https://www.youtube. watch?v=YzGopHWPauU. Novella, Steven. “Asmr.” NeuroLogica Blog » com/watch?v=20XE6GM7xWo. Rossi, Venla, and Lehtola, Katri. “Matilda Koivis­ Asmr (blog), March 12, 2012. Accessed April The Velvet Whisperer Asmr. “Asmr | Don­ to kuiskailee tuottaakseen ihmisille ympäri 17, 2018. https://theness.com/neurologica­ Asmrrequests. “Asmr | Don’t Forget, It’s Okay to ald Trump’s Therapist | Role Play.” You­ maailmaa aivo-orgasmeja – tältä se kuulo­ blog/index.php/asmr/. Remember! Memory Restoration Roleplay Tube. December 19, 2016. Accessed staa videolla.” Helsingin Sanomat. Septem­ for Sleep.” YouTube. August 01, 2017. Ac­ April 17, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/ ber 06, 2015. Accessed April 17, 2018. http:// Syrjälä, Hanna. “Roni Back on lasten rakasta­ cessed April 17, 2018. https://www.youtube. watch?v=h9ke_ZFkpMU. www.hs.f/sunnuntai/a1441341794490. ma superjulkkis, josta aikuiset eivät tiedä com/watch?v=Pd6Bf5C-smw. mitään.” Helsingin Sanomat. January 21, WhispersRedAsmr. “Dreamy Creamy Spa ­Facial Tomchak, Anne-Marie, and Benjamin Zand. 2018. Accessed April 17, 2018. https://www. GentleWhispering. “TAPS for YOUR NAPZzz ºoO Relaxation | Asmr | Face ­Massage.” “#BBCtrending: Asmr - the ‘condition’ That hs.f/sunnuntai/art-2000005531116.html. Asmr.” YouTube. February 19, 2018. Accessed YouTube. August 13, 2015. Accessed Makes You Tingle.” BBC News. February 21, April 17, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/ April 17, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/ 2014. Accessed April 17, 2018. http://www. Yle Areena: “Tiedeykkönen: Kvanttiteknologia watch?v=y1ucBSGR2Do. watch?v=ZFlBKsYK1wA. bbc.com/news/av/magazine-26278429/bbc­ ja luontoa jäljittelevät aineet ovat tulevai­ trending-asmr-the-condition-that-makes- suuttamme.” Interview, Toimittaja: Sisko Loi­ GentleWhispering. “Whispering in English Mentioned Online News you-tingle. kkanen. Yle Areena (audio blog). Accessed and Russian and Flipping through a Mag­ Articles (Footnote 27) April 17, 2018. https://open.spotify.com/ep­ azine.” YouTube. June 03, 2011. Accessed Von Clemens, Setz. „High Durch Sich Räus­ isode/46m7vJg3Hfe51nRhuWhe7x?si=lk­ April 17, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/ Gibson, Caitlin. “A Whisper, Then Tingles, Then pernde Menschen.“ Süddeutsche.de. April TiR5eATHGGvVaH2rcOZA. watch?v=VAxyAxXiOoc. 87 Million YouTube Views: Meet the Star of 6, 2015. Accessed April 17, 2018. http:// Asmr.” The Washington Post. December 15, www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/gastbeit­ Mentioned ASMR Videos Gentle Whispering Asmr. “~•/•/•~Relaxing Nap­ 2014. Accessed April 17, 2018. https://www. rag-das-namenlose-gefuehl-1.2423469. kins Folding Tutorial~•/•/•~.” YouTube. March washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/a-whis­ A Random Guy Asmr. “Asmr - Trigger Words in 29, 2012. Accessed April 17, 2018. https:// per-then-tingles-then-87-million-youtube- Waddington, Jonna. “Kokeile, saatko sinä tästä English, German, French, Spanish & Italian www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpuZ4eDenWI. views-meet-the-star-of-asmr/2014/12/12/0c­ “aivo-­orgasmin” – Asmr-videoilla on ne­ - Male Whispering.” YouTube. February 28, 85d54a-7b33-11e4-b821-503cc7efed9e_story. tissä miljoonayleisö.” Ilta-Sanomat. April 2017. Accessed April 17, 2018. https://www. MadeInFranceAsmr. “[Asmr] Page Turning : html. 09, 2018. Accessed April 17, 2018. https:// youtube.com/watch?v=EeLrhFIZFCA. Old Book, Comic Book & Magazine - NO www.is.f/hyvaolo/art-2000005635132.htm­ TALKING.” YouTube. September 14, 2014. Ac­ Marsden, Rhodri. “’Maria Spends 20 Minutes l?utm_campaign=tf-IS&utm_term=10&utm_ AsmrSurge. “Asmr Tasty Triggers.” You­ cessed April 17, 2018. https://www.youtube. Folding Towels’: Why Millions Are Mesmer­ source=tf-other. Tube. February 25, 2017. Accessed April com/watch?v=6nbrPJu-q6w. ised by Asmr Videos.” The Independent. 17, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/ July 20, 2012. Accessed April 17, 2018. http:// watch?v=z3IO2FNV1BY. SouthernAsmr Sounds. “Asmr Show & Tell www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-

128 129 TRANSCRIPTIONS

Both of the transcripts are following this ­logic: black background. A white frame appears and even coat (cut back to the medium shot) just little one-inch brush and just, I’m making tiny the comments of an Asmrtist and Bob Ross disappears on the screen on top of the can- enough to make the canvas wet and with that little circles, just tiny little circles (still brushing, are written without formatting. My emphasis/­ vas as Bob introduces themself:) Hello I’m Bob we’ll just take off and we’ll have a super time whoosh whoosh whooshh)..there we are..okay, notions are in ­italics, and when in the middle of Ross (sightly amused, as if the spectator would start today, I’ll use a little one-inch brush and maybe I’ll add a little color right in here too the text, also in parentheses (like this). for sure know them already) and I’d like to we’ll go into a very very (close-up on brush (moving to the right edge of the canvas) just so ­welcome you to the 20th Joy of Painting paint­ stroking some deep blues on palette) small that there would be a little color at the base of An “Unintentional” Video ing series (pleasant, informal, warm, deep, soft amount of the phthalo blue just a little bit, don’t this cloud, there (whispering with deep voice). #ASMR #Bobross tone). Son of a gun it’s hard for me to believe want much (narration fows constantly, brush this is the 20th series, but it, it is, and I’d like to strokes softly and repeatedly on palette) and [2:26>] Now, then (cut to the medium shot). BobRossInc. (2015, April 20). thank you very much for inviting me back for let’s make some (cut back to the medium shot), Let’s take our little brush (picking another Bob Ross - ­Mystic Mountain (Season another series of painting shows. If this is your let’s make some happy little clouds in our world, brush), this is a two-inch brush (sight to the 20 ­Episode 1, from the ­series The Joy frst time with us (gentle, melodious voice, let’s come right up here and..(reaching towards camera), and go right up in here (reaching to of ­Painting). Duration: 27:40 mins. 4,24 shrugging shoulders at the same time), let me the right corner of the canvas) ..and we just the top of the canvas) and very gently I’m using million views (retrieved 9 Apr 2018). extend a personal invitation for you to drag take this brush, we just bounce in some, some just the corner of the brush (whoosh whoosh), ­Originally aired on April 4th in 1990. out your brushes (raising their brush), paints nice shapes (close-up of the corner of the can- we’ll make little, round circle patterns here (cut (pointing to their palette) and, and paint along vas and a hand applying blue color, whooshing to canvas), just sort of why end it up, just blend Retrieved 9 Apr 2018 from: https://www. with us each show, I think you’ll enjoy it (all sound). Now when we’re doing this, we’re in­ it together. Allow it to blend (close-up of mov- youtube.com/watch?v=VlucWfTUo1A. the time positioned towards the camera, as if terested in the white area (pointing with fnger) ing hand, circulating brush and canvas) where every word was said directly to the spectator). not the dark, so don’t worry about the dark area, the white is already on the canvas. And that’s Intro: The video starts with a very 90’s Tell you what, let’s starts out for today and have we’re going to blend that aaalll out (continu- the joy of this wet-on-wet painting technique, ­stylish opening where Bob Ross is ­effortlessly run all the colors across the screen (yellow text ous brushing horizontally across the canvas, the fact that it’s wet allows you to blend color, ­painting a wall-sized landscape with a mas­ appearing on bottom of the screen: TITANIUM whooshing), all we’re doing is putting in some right on the canvas, right on the canvas, yeah sive brush, then leaving the scene with a bow. WHITE), that you need to paint along with me, color for the shadows over our clouds and this (with higher, gentle tone while hand makes A text ­appears and disappears on the screen: and I think we’ll just do a happy little picture to­ is one of the nicest, easiest ways of making larger gestures and blends the blue to the “The Joy of Painting with BOB ROSS xx”. The day (more colors running on the screen) so let very effective, great big old clouds (deeper tone white on canvas). Now it’s begging to make lit­ scene is accompanied by a simple instrumental me tell you what I’ve gotten done up here (turn- of voice), there (whispering). See (quickly), if tle sense. See how those darker areas end up theme tune. The take is obviously shot on a blue ing to the canvas). we’re interested in this white area once again being the nice shadows and the white areas will screen, making the use of the time’s ­flming (pointing the canvas), maybe there’s anoth­ end up being our clouds (painting non-stop). techniques. [1:00>] We have our standard old 18 by 24 inch er little cloud that lives in our world, right it on This is a great way to make clouds for seascape canvas (close-up of canvas) but you use what­ there..wherever (emphasis on this word) you paintings. These great big, fuffy clouds works [0:29>] (A cut to the studio. The framing is ever size you want and we have it covered with think they should be then that’s exactly (empha- very nice..(whooshh whooshhh)..there we are tight medium shot of Bob and next to them on a little bit of liquid white (hand gesture mim- sis again) where they should be. Just wherev­ (speaking calmly, almost whispering). Yeah, the right a plank canvas on an easel against a icking application on the canvas), just to thin, er (light and carefree tone). You just use the old now that we have this old brush dirty, tell you

130 131 what, let’s do, let’s go back into a little more that outta them (enunciating in a ­laughing manner). you’ll practice this a little bit, very soon you can (Gentle, light strokes from down to up) There phthalo blue (cut to the medium shot, ­brushing This is where you take out all your frustrations enjoy the freedom creating a painting right on (whispering). See there? And then, very lightly, more color from palette), phthalo blue is a and hostilities and just (turning to the camera the canvas. Right on the canvas, listen to me, two hairs and some air, you just gently, gently, very nice color, it’s very warm blue (extreme with a new brush) have a good time. that’s where it really becomes fun, that’s when gently blend the entire sky (brushing horizontal­ close-up on the blue paint and brush stroking you can just literally create a painting right ly, hardly touching the canvas, high, sweeping it), I like that. Juuust a little color on the brush [4:39>] Let’s go into a little titanium white on the canvas as you’re working on it (inces- sounds). And with that, dude, we have a pretty (stroking fast and gently), okay let’s go back up (close-up of the white paint), you use your old sant brushing mixes with the words that drop nice ­looking little sky. And there wasn’t anything here, let’s have some water in this painting (cut fan brush, you make some little clouds (strok- and fow in a dulcet manner, like someone to it. to the medium shot). ing the paint). I’ll be right back (removing the was ­telling a bed-time story). You look at what brush), let me grab at least little touch of the you’re doing and you’ll see things. The’ll just [7:29>] Now then, let’s get crazy (medium shot, [3:33>] If you painted with me before, you know bright red (brush coming back with some red) sort of happen. And you learn to take advantage Bob holding a palette and grabbing a pal- I’m a fanatic for water (with very tender voice, juuust enough, a little bit more, there (getting of whatever happens and use it to make your ette knife). Leeet’s take, we’ll use some mid­ close up of the hand applying fast and soft more red, fast, mellow strokes mixing colors painting special. And you can do that. night black, little Prussian blue (close-up of horizontal strokes at the bottom of the canvas), on palette), just enough to put a little pinkish the paints). Now, Prussian blue is much dark­ I love water (long sweeps from left to right) glow into our little clouds, they won’t much, [6:05>] Okay, let’s go back (bangs brush on ea- er than phthalo blue, it’s strooong, whew (low, and it’s one of the nicest and easiest things to don’t know much, okay let’s go up here, now sel) get our old two-inch brush, and I just wanna resonating voice, knife ceaselessly mixing the paint in this technique. And today maybe this (cut to the medium shot) we got to make big now, blend all that together. Juuust blend it to­ two blues), very strong color, we’ll put some will be still water, so we want these lines to be decisions (reaching towards the top of the can- gether (circulating motion with a larger brush). Van Dyke brown, and a little Alizarin crimson basically straight across here, because as you vas). We’ll just use this brush and decide where And I’m careful not to touch these top edges yet in there too. But we’re looking for a very dark know, still water is always fat, always level, our little clouds live (pointy brushing sounds, (pointing the cloudy shapes), I’m just blending color, it should look black. Pull as fat as you can there (sigh). Now, this very lightly, go all the white paint applies on top of the blue) aaand the blue and the white down here together, very get it, and go straight down with the knife, and way across (sweep sweep) and sort of bring it we just come along here and sort of drop ’em gently, still using little circular strokes. There we we’ll just cut of a little roll of paint (demonstrat- together and that light area here (pointing the in (brush rubbing the canvas). This also works go. Just sort of let that mix together. I’m get­ ing with the knife). There it is. It’s right out at canvas), it’ll remain in there, there (sigh), umm, very with the little one-inch brush, very well. ting very close to the top, but I’m trying not to the edge of the knife. Let’s go up here (cut to a okay. Now (little smirking in their voice) the Either way that you wanna do it, eeeither way touch it at this point (whoosh, whoosh). Very medium shot). most fun part of this whole is washing the brush (talking gently, cut to the medium shot). If you close, but nooot touching. There. A little bit up (cut to the medium shot, sight to the camera), haven’t painted with us before (soft voice of in here. See? Just sorta blend it together. Mix [8:00>] Now, I want to make some tiny little so let’s do that (close-up of the brush stand and brushing, framing back to the close-up, heads it up, just like you are making a cake or some­ mountains up in here, that are far away. I don’t the hand tipping the brush to the thinner ba- of cloudlike shapes appear on the canvas), one thing, just mix it up. A little bit in here, right want these to be very big (cut to an extreme sin) we’re washing our brushes with odorless of the things that we try to do here, we try not there. Hmm, okay (sigh, hum). Good. But this close-up of a tip of the knife leaving a dark thinner, shake off the excess (hitting the brush to teach you just to copy, all we’re trying to do is a beautiful way (bangs the brush). I just beat mark on the canvas), because we wanna create very fast frst against the basin’s edge, the is teach you a technique and turn you loose on the brush like that to knock off the excess paint. the illusion of distance here (sharp, scratching against something outside of the frame, and the world, we use no patterns, no tracings, all It’s a beautiful way to create a very effective, sound of the knife moving against the canvas). fnally against the easel - sounds remain the we do is just sort of have an idea in our mind big, fuffy clouds. Now we’re just sorta lifting it Using a very frm pressure, just literally push whisks hitting drums). And just beat the devil and we just sort of let it, let it happen, and if up. This will blend it all together, smooth it out. this right into the fabric (scratch, scratch). And

132 133 I don’t want, I don’t want a lot of mountains to­ and white (whisking the palette with the knife), [11:18>] Now, then (medium shot, ­painting And then, very lightly, just lift it upwards a lit­ day, that’s about all we need. With a two-inch and just the indication of some shadows; don’t knife back in), maybe we’ll have some little tle bit. (Light sound of wiping while the brush brush, I’m gonna to grab this and pull it. Juuust even want a lot of shadow back here. Too much ­foothills back here. I like to do little foothills. sweeps the canvas) There (utterance made pull it (light and gentle voice, carefully but detail will ruin that illusion of distance (sharp And we’ll take some of that same ­mountain with deep, accepting tone). ­purposively patting and spreading the paint strokes). Just enough, just enough to give the color (cut to close-up of the palette and paints), with the head of the brush). It does two things, feeling that there’s a nice mountain living back add at least a little touch of sap green to it. [13:45>] (Painting two more layers of foothills removes excess paint, and it blends all this to­ in there. Now, with clean, dry brush (bang- ­Little sap green, there we are (mixing sounds with pointy treetops, and repeating the same gether. There we go. Now, when we’re painting ing the brush dry), following the angles, aaal­ on palette). But it’s ­predominantly blue. The steps and brush work as earlier. Everything is mountains, as you know, you always want the ways following the angles, we’re gonna very one that’s farthest away here, we’ll make carried out with a fow of ­narration.) But each top of the mountain to be more distinct than the gently, very gently tap it, and then lift it up­ ­predominantly blue. Okay, let me wipe my knife layer, each layer needs to get darker in value. bottom of the mountain (pointing with fnger). ward. And that will help also create that illu­ off. And let’s use, we’ll use a one-inch brush, To keep that feeling of distance in the painting. I Because at the bottom, we have mist (sweep- sion of mist at the base of the mountain. Shoot, what the heck. You could use your fan brush, or know I repeat that over and over, but it’s so im­ ing with the brush) and now we have wonder­ lets get crazy. Find another one-inch brush. Or ­two-inch brush, it doesn’t matter. Load a little portant. So important. (Brushing sounds.) ful pollution, and we have all these things that you could use your fan brush, whatever. Take color in there (close-up of the back and forth break up and diffuse light, and it creates this a little bit more of the titanium white. Maybe ­wiping brush, and the paint). And let’s go right [15:43>] (Close up of mixing colors on ­palette, softness at the base of the mountain (medium in our world, maybe this old cloud right here.. up in here. Now, we have to make a big de­ then moving back to the canvas with a palette cut, Bob explaining to the camera). Let’s go into it sort of drift right down in front of the moun­ cision (back to the medium shot, Bob ­facing knife. Painting the waterline where the hori- a little titanium white, what the heck (working tain. So just a little white. Little circles, tiny lit­ the ­canvas and hand seeking a suitable spot zon unites the shore and its refection.) Now if the paint with the knife). Very small amount. tle circles (brushing). Shoot, maybe there’s on canvas), where does our little foothills live. you get one (waterline) that’s maybe a little too Get a very, very small amount of paint on the one right here, I don’t know. I don’t know (with Maybe we’ll have one coming right over here. strong or a little too bright, just go back and rub knife (close-up of a knife and white paint). singsongy tone of voice, whoosh whoosh from We’ll start this one out back here, just using it (rubbing the canvas with the sharp edge of the brush on canvas). Just sorta look at your the corner of the brush, and pulling straight the palette knife). — And if you’ve painted with [9:05>] Now, then (deep whisper, turning back painting and make a decision. Maybe it just down, gently. Maybe a little foothill comes right me before, you know, that we don’t make mis­ to the canvas), barely touch it, no pressure sorta wraps this old mountain up. We’ll take a over here, like that (short, tapping strokes). takes here. We just have happy accidents (with (murmuring, fast whisper). No pressure (knife two-inch brush and just blend it together. This ­Wherever. Once again, this is a very individual chuckling voice). swishing white paint on top of dark strokes). is a super way of making mountains, that look thing, painting is. So; just sorta a look at it and And I don’t want this to be very distinct. I want like they’re juts laying out here in the mist. I make up your mind how you want your paint­ [16:54>] (Back to palette, mixing a decent this to be very quiet, subdued, far-away, gen­ lived in Alaska for many, many years, and you ing to be. amount of very dark color. ­Close-up of the tle, soft..think about those types of words and see some of the most beautiful scenery there knife and the sticky color paste blending to- stuff, when you’re painting, and it’ll help, help (brush sweeping back and forth across the [12:19>] (Demonstrating and narrating how to gether in a satisfying manner, accompanied your hand go much more gentle (hypnotiz- painting). God was having a good day when he paint the foothills) So take the brush, two-inch with elastic sound and convivial ­commentary.) ing narration, knife moving in front of canvas made Alaska. Uh, beautiful! Beautiful. There, brush (soft but very resolute sound of stip- Lets take a fan brush and go right into that and applying more white; ridges of the moun- see that old mountain just lays up there in the pling), and just tap the base of it. And you can color. (Loading a fan brush with the color by tains appear). But very soft. I don’t want a lot mist now, and foats around, has a good time tap quite frmly (tapping frmly). You can prob­ wiping its both sides back and forth on it.) See, of detail in this. And we’ll take a little bit of blue all day. ably hear how hard I’m hitting the canvas here. the bristles are, there’s a lot of paint in there.

134 135 (Close-up of the brush twiddling around to for example. Bob goes back to the canvas and way across, then do it. Do it (deep whisper). An Object–Based ASMR Video show the amount of paint.) paints some bright highlights on the trees and Alright. ground.) If you put too much highlights on here, GentleWhispering. (2016, June 16). [17:44>] And we just use the corner of the brush too many highlights, then it loses it’s effective­ [24:34>] Okay, let’s go right up here (­mixing .•. ­Intoxicating Sounds .•. Asmr. Du­ (painting an “evergreen” tree with the fan ness. We want these to be quite dark. Look at more light green on the palette, brushing it ration 31:08 mins. 7, 51 million brush, tender tapping). Just the corner, and there (whisper). — And we’ll just put in a lit­ gently, then jumping back to canvas). Now then views (retrieved 9 Apr 2018) as you go down the tree, add more and more tle waterline. (When ­painting the waterline, the (hearty, deep whisper), think about all your lit­ pressure so the bristles bend downward much, palette knife zigzags and a rustling sound oc- tle leaves and stuff here, that would just shine, Retrieved 9 Apr 2018 from: https://www. much more. Look at there (fast, deep ­whisper). curs. Bob’s shirt swishes when their hand is up and (close-up of the brush adding highlights youtube.com/watch?v=WY0JWpKsdWQ. — Let’s give him a friend. You know me. I think on the painting.) on the trees) oh, they would sparkle out here in everybody, everybody should have a friend. the sun under this big mountain (swoosh, glu- Directory: [by the Asmrtist] Friends are so important. There. Alright. — You [21:37>] Ready to have some fun? If you paint­ tinous tap, tap, tap). And when you’re painting, 0-02:25 - intro, gliding hands can do ANYTHING here. On this canvas, you ed with me before (laughs, sight to the cam- make up little stories. Think about the scene that 02:27-07:43 - tea box and tea packets tapping have total and absolute power (Bob turning to era), you know that I love to make big trees you’re painting, become part of it. Make friends 07:44-15:12 - orange bag tapping the viewer). Unlimited power here. (Laughs) (close-up of the palette: wide, fexible brush with a tree (glutinous tap, tap, tap). Shoot, you 15:13-20:20 - comb in plastic... mmmmm... When I go home, the only thing I can do is to sweeping dark color). So lets do that. — A lot can just drop all this stuff in. And let it go (with 20:21-25:35 - mask bubbles shifting, sticky take the garbage out. But here (pointing the of paint. Wiggle. Wiggle, wiggle. (Brush mak- carefree tone). Darker, darker, darker as you sounds canvas) I can do anything I wanna do. — Let’s ing quick waives on the color) Then sharpen it, work down toward the base of the tree though, 25:37-end - swishing sounds.. waves like sounds put a little indication here and there of a lit­ just like you would a knife (long strokes on the darker, darker. (Painting the rest of the bushes tle tree trunks that lives in these (painting the paint from top to down), look how sharp this same way, narrating gently at the same.) The video scene is a narrowly framed picture tree trunks with the sharp edge of the ­palette brush is (turning the brush sideways to show dominated by gray cloth which flls the most knife). There. Don’t want a great deal. Don’t how the color-loaded bristles form a crisp tip). [27:03>] Shoot, I think we have a fnished paint­ prominent part of the screen’s front. The cloth’s want a great deal. Just enough to, just enough There you can see. It’s very sharp. (Cut to the ing (cut to the medium shot, a white frame ap- material looks soft and velvety, and brings to to ­indicate there’s something there. And you can canvas, Bob is painting more trees on the both pearing on top of the fnished ­paining). With mind typical couch upholstery textile. The cloth just take the point of the knife, and just scrape edges of the frame. This brush makes muffed, that (Bob turning to the ­camera), I’m gon­ cuts horizontally on the upper part of the screen through and make little lines and sticks and all mellow sounds when it meets the canvas and na wish you happy painting, and God bless, and showing only the Asmrtist bust and arms. those little things (soft narration repeating the when it goes back to palette to get more paint.) my friend (Bob smiling and doing a funny Their face is not visible. The camera stays still same message multiple times, knife scratching Let’s just push in some, push in some nice leaf ­gesture towards the viewer with fngers wig- throughout the video. In the beginning of the the surface of the painting). and branch shapes (adding large markings on gling in the air), I’ll see you next show. (Cut to video the arms and hands are alternately reach­ the canvas). Look at there (whispering). — Tell the canvas, camera running from top to down, ing towards the camera, swiping the cloth in a [20:03>] (Close-up of a yellow color on palette. you what, lets get crazy. Maybe. Maybe it just ­instrumental music playing and credits rolling fowing, gliding manner. Hands are also sweep­ The fan brush adds in a hint of green and a lit- goes all the way across (tapping a lot of paint on the screen.) ing each other and occasionally coming very tle yellow ochre while Bob is explaining what’s at the bottom of the canvas). In your world, close to the screen - so close that the specta­ going on. The narration is fast but calm, a little you can do anything you want. If you want this tor can imagine them almost to touch. The vid­ bit of mouth sounds can be heard, a swallow, shrubbery and bushes and trees to come all the eo proceeds so that various objects (a wood­

136 137 en box with wrapped selection of teas inside, [2:52 >] (Introducing the tea box by sliding The comb is frst brought close to the left ear and the humming sound that occurs, indeed a plastic purse, a comb in plastic, a sleeping it towards the camera on the velvety cloth:) and then to the right [that is, alternately close ­notably call to mind the rolling waves on an mask flled with tiny pearls) are brought in front Many having to it..the part..of this tea box [not to the two recorders of the 3D microphone]. ocean shore). of the ­camera and treated with different types sure if I caught correctly the beginning of the When ­moving the comb across the scene, the of touch: tapping, swiping, stroking, squeez­ ­sentence]…and the prepackaged teas..and it ­crinkly sound sincerely seems to appear in- ing, ­dabbing. The materiality of the cloth is es­ is my favorite as well…(Haptic ­examination: side my own head: the sound is not located sential in the production of the desired sounds opening the tea box, tapping around the in the earphones but in me. When the comb when the ­objects are moved around on the fab­ ­edges with tips of the nails and fngering the touches the fabric, a wind-like rasping hum is ric surface. The video also starts and ends with a tea packages in glossy wrappings. The box produced). scene of the hands caressing the cloth by mas­ is ­occasionally brought closer to the left and saging and smoothing it out. right sides of the binaural microphone, and the [19:20>] That’s a very pleasant sound…(ductile, sounds are heard stronger in other ear). resilient sounds of patting and dabbing)…it’s Intro: [0:15>] Good evening…This video is a sounds polished, and heavy..and smooth”(her combination of sounds…(breaths) ­especially [8:16 >] (Bringing in front an orange, plastic voice sounds almost drowsy and very sleepy) sounds that are very ­often requested, but beauty bag. The way the video maker speaks seem to not have enough time in the videos. (whispers) about the material they ­handle [20:48>] (A pearl flled pink sleeping mask These sounds to me are quite ­intoxicating - I is interesting: they sometimes extend the with transparent plastic front is introduced.) think I could listen to them forever..(breath).. ­endings of the words, for example:) this bag This sleeping mask…(glutinous pressing, sticky and the reason for this video is.. that when­ makesssss… the most… delicious sound ever. squeezing and tapping sounds) is both relaxing ever I’m stressed out or nervous, I have no­ visually and auditorially [sic]…if that is a word” ticed that I tend to start tapping and crinkling [8:36 >] And this is so relaxing..(leaning for- (fast whisper). things (­simultaneously tapping the fabric with ward closer to the camera) thank you so fngertips and then demonstrating the hand much…for keeping me company and for doing [26:00>] (Playing with the gray cloth:) Going to ­movement of scrunching or twiddling some- this right now with me. This is so relaxing. stretch and smooth…stretch and smooth (while thing) and it tends to relax me immensely stroking and smoothing down the velvety fab- (­soothing the fabric with both hands). So today [10:07] I’m glad you cannot see my face right ric in front of the camera). I’d like to do a relaxing sounds video …(swoosh now because I am half-way drooling (with soft - stroking the fabric slowly)..to help us be more and slightly amused tone). [27:00>] (Massaging the canvas with both present; focused not on the words but on the hands, gestures are very ­similar to those sounds… so there will be very little speech. And [15:12] (A pink plastic comb wrapped in see- when giving a back rub. It makes me weirdly we all need some relaxation time. So I hope that through plastic flm is introduced.) sympathizing/­imagining the feeling of my own this would be (leaning closer to the right ear back being touched.) edge of the binaural ­microphone) relaxing for [15:42>] This sound is…great, hypnotic…so you. (­Breathing) Let’s start… relaxing (hands moving around a pink plas- [28:15>] And ocean waves (the ­repeated tic comb wrapped in see-through plastic flm. ­circulating hand movement across the canvas,

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