Studium Generale is proud to co-host Lean In, new one-day experimental installation by Els Spanjers, a TU Delft student of the Master Design for Interaction. This article by Els lets you imaginatively step into the installation experience before the event on the 11th of June.

I’m walking around campus with a friend – the usual wandering around during our coffee breaks, nothing special. We are chatting about something light, maybe complaining about deadlines. We pass by the strange hallway bridge to the aula and see this curious-looking installation in there: a soft, semi-transparent curtain enclosing something inside. It’s quiet but inviting. A small sign said it was meant for two people — two friends. We look at each other and, without really thinking too much, decide to try it.

As I walk into the semi-transparent curtain, I feel like I’m stepping into a different space — a quiet, soft bubble in the middle of campus. My friend is with me, and we both put on our headphones. The ambient sounds in the background make everything around me fade slightly, like I’ve pressed pause on the rest of the world. A calm voice begins to guide us.

We stand on opposite sides of a coloured curtain. It feels firm, padded — there’s resistance, like it holds something back. We are invited to slide our arms through the sleeves and meet in a hug. We embrace through the fabric. The audio guide gently asks us what we feel. Can I sense their heartbeat? Their breathing? The voice asks us to close our eyes. Can we feel it better now? I close my eyes. It’s strange — but tender.

Then we move on to the second curtain. This one is softer, more flexible and lighter. When I reach through, it feels like we’re closer. There’s a warmth in the fabric and in the gesture. Again, we’re invited to notice. To slow down. Same questions, same calm pace. I start to feel a quiet presence — not just of my friend, but of myself in relation to them.

Finally, we step to the last stage. There’s no fabric between us now. We embrace directly as we are invited to do. Still the guide asks us gently: What does this feel like? Is it any different? Again we close our eyes and try and sense their heartbeat and breathing pattern.

The hug lasts longer than usual. I don’t think about whether it is strange or how long we’d been standing there. . . I just listen. And feel.

When the sound slowly fades, I am not thinking of our deadlines anymore. I know the experience is ending — but I also feel like something small, and meaningful, has shifted.

We let go slowly and take a breath before pulling our headphones off. Then we step out of the semi-transparent curtain, and with that, out of our bubble and back into the strange hallway. In the faculty some people walk by, life carries on like before. But we look at each other a bit differently. As if we’d shared something small, but meaningful. Something that didn’t need many words.

Feeling curious? Grab a friend (literally) to experience this exploration of platonic physical intimacy on the 11th of June.