#joshua fulkerson

[pgeville]

*TUESDAY // 02-27-18 /// 

- - PG CRAFT NIGHT (#6) // 7pm // free of charge // Plus: it's TACO TUESDAY

- - The Structuralist short films of Joshua Fulkerson // 8pm

https://www.facebook.com/events/2024861821118878/

[open  6pm - 10:30pm]

[evehurst]

Touch

The sense of touch, a crucial means of receiving information, is thought to be the first sense that humans develop. It is built up of several individual sensations communicated to the brain through specialised neurons in the skin. The sense of touch contains sensations including pressure, temperature, light touch, vibration, pain and others, which are attributed to different skin receptors.

Touch is both significant for interaction with environments and for human well-being, such as to convey compassion between humans. This can also influence human decision making.

Touch is often used as an umbrella term for the somatic senses, also sometimes referred to as somesthetic senses, because somesthesis includes the sense of touch, proprioception (sense of human position and movement), and (in certain situations) haptic perception. The somatosensory system is a part of the sensory nervous system, and is a complex system of sensory neurons and neural pathways responding to changes inside or outside the body. The axons of sensory neurons connect with, or respond to, various receptor cells, which are activated by different stimuli such as heat and nociception. These send signals along a sensory nerve to the spinal cord where they are relayed to the brain for further processing. There are sensory receptors all over the body including the skin, epithelial tissues, muscles, bones and joints, internal organs, and the cardiovascular system.

Texture and Scale

Touching something with a specific texture can influence human decisions. Texture can be associated with abstract concepts, such as moods. Joshua Ackerman, assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, states: “Those tactile sensations are not just changing general orientation or putting people in a good mood … They have a specific tie to certain abstract meanings.”

This photo shows tactile markings used by visually impaired people to identify walkways and stairs. While these people have impaired sight, it is widely observed that their other senses such as (in this case) touch are strengthened. Placing surfaces like these into public environments and spaces where they are needed can contribute to easing movement and raising quality of life for the visually impaired. I think it would be interesting to use this as inspiration in exploring ways of isolating and strengthening senses within spaces through blocking others. Modelling situations like this would also create interesting spatial experiences, especially for those who are not used to isolating and focusing on specific senses in this way.

“Our physical world is composed of different textures, yet we are often unaware of them. When we observe [environments], we respond to texture [through the] visual – what we see, and tactile, what we touch. Each of these modes of sensing provides us with a rich resource of feelings, whether we see or touch. Textures can be compared according to their “scale”, which refers to the relative size of the surface materials.”

From this research into the sense of touch in relation to texture and surface, I have become more aware of how these aspects of environments influence human actions, thought patterns and behaviours, linking to moods and signifying different meanings. I would like to use these findings to begin to create model environments which explore touch further via texture. It would also be interesting to see how this aspect of sensory experiences can be combined with others, such as colour and sound, which engage other human senses like sight and hearing.

Climate

“Two of the most important factors that influence our comfort are temperature and humidity. … Although temperature and humidity may differ throughout the world, comfort occurs at certain combinations of temperature and humidity. The comfortable range of temperatures is between 70 and 80 degrees F, and of relative humidity between 18 and 75 percent. As the outdoor temperatures vary from this range, we either rely on mechanical methods to maintain our comfort or become increasingly uncomfortable and ultimately unproductive.”

Researching this aspect of environmental conditions has enabled me to understand the human sense of touch on a deeper level, especially in the context of spaces. I would like to model spatial situations incorporating temperature, humidity and other conditions, in order to further explore the sense of touch.

Findings

As I begin to test and explore sensory experiences, I think it will be valuable to be able to refer back to this research and information about the human sense of touch, in order to explore many different environments looking at texture, climate and other spatial, experiential aspects which influence sense of touch. I would like to start modelling spaces where the sense of touch is manipulated in order to confuse and influence human experiences and evoke unexpected feelings.

https://www.livescience.com/60752-human-senses.html

https://www.livescience.com/8360-touch-influence-thoughts-decisions.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatosensory_system

Fulkerson, Matthew, "Touch", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2016 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.). Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University.

Sanoff, H., 1975. Seeing the Environment. Raleigh, N.C: Learning environments.

Plummer, H., 2016. The Experience of Architecture. London: Thames & Hudson.

[wutbju]

GRANGER, IN - Larry Lee Whiteford, 83, of Granger passed away suddenly on January 31, 2019 in his home. Larry was born on August 28, 1935 in Detroit, MI to the Late Naomi (Sprankle) Whiteford and David W. Whiteford, living in the South Bend area most of his life. On July 26, 1958 he married Bonnie L. Fettel. Surviving Larry are his three sons, Douglas Whiteford and Scott Whiteford both of Mishawaka, and Randy (Laura) Whiteford of Fishers, IN; five grandchildren, Holly (Ben) Musick of North Port, FL, Natosha Smith of Chicago, IL, and Beth Whiteford, Joshua Whiteford, and Andrew Whiteford all of Fishers, IN; two great-granddaughters, Lily and Laila Musick of North Port, FL; his brothers, Ron (Flo) Whiteford of Buchanan, MI, David (Sallie) Whiteford of Minneapolis, MN, and Dean (Anne) Whiteford of Miamisburg, OH; sister-in-law, Jeanne Clauser of South Bend; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. What a celebration it must have been when Larry was reunited with his wife Bonnie and their daughter, Judy L. Smith, who preceded him in death.

Larry graduated from Riley High School and Bob Jones University, Greenville SC, receiving his BA degree from the School of Religion. While at Bob Jones, during his senior year he served as the president of his fraternity, Chi Delta Theta and made the Dean's honor roll. He was named to the “Who's Who” among college students in 1958. After graduation in 1958, Larry became an associate pastor of the Grace Baptist Church in South Bend. He was ordained as a minister in May of 1959. In 1962, he was asked to lead a new church in the Fulkerson Park neighborhood in Niles, MI. He was the founding pastor of the Fulkerson Park Baptist Church. During his 25 years at Fulkerson Park, the church saw substantial growth, starting the Fulkerson Park Baptist School in 1979. During the growth of the church, they were able to purchase a youth ranch in Buchanan, MI. After running it as the Clear Lake Youth Ranch for several years, the Lord led Larry and the church to donate the property to Life Action Ministries which still operates it today.

Larry was a renowned tenor soloist and was known as the Singing Pastor. He recorded nine albums that have been enjoyed nationwide. After retiring from Fulkerson Park Baptist in 1987, he traveled with his wife performing concerts in churches throughout the Midwest. In between concerts he was a hearing aid consultant for 31 years at Acoustic Audio Service in South Bend, IN. Whether it was leading someone to Christ, singing, or helping someone hear again, Larry was a humble, inspiring servant of God. His kindness will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Funeral Services for Larry will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, February 7 in the Welsheimer Family Funeral North, 17033 Cleveland Rd. with Chaplain David Whiteford officiating. Committal services and burial will follow in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, Osceola. The family will receive friends in the funeral home from 4 until 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 6 and from 10:00 a.m. Thursday until the time of the service.

Memorial contributions may be made to National Alliance for Mental Health. Family and friends may leave email condolences at www.welsheimer.com. Published in South Bend Tribune on Feb. 4, 2019