The "Warm Space" Approach

The greeting is the very first connection we use to communicate with others. In this document the author – who fears saying hello to people – will go on a journey to explore the elements that make up the act of saying hello, what this interaction needs to look like, and how this simple, subtle action can evolve into more meaningful social interactions. Greetings are a rehearsed human behavior. Universally, individuals have been trained from an early age to perform this. When analyzed, greeting interactions have three basic phases involved: recognition, intention, and engagement. Until the COVID-19 pandemic, these three components were taken for granted due to the open access people had in greeting one another relatively freely in our North American greeting system. An open greeting system allows the greeter to give their receiver respect and establish trust. The author terms these moments “warm spaces” because they provide a safe, intimate, and respectful space for personal interaction. However, “warm spaces” have now been disrupted due to the unprecedented pandemic of 2020. A recent necessary accessory, the face mask, has changed the dynamic of greetings as it covers the dominant indicator of respect and safety; the smile. The mask wearer’s voice is also stifled, as the individual has to force amplification when talking. Masks now play an important role in our everyday interactions, and learning how to communicate and greet with masks is now critical to society. However, because there is a sense of interpersonal mistrust because of masks like social distancing and fear, greeting styles are drastically changing. Despite this, people are still yearning for social connections and “warm spaces”. Changing our mindset of how greetings take place during a pandemic is the focus of this thesis. Through a review of current academic literature, a review of the research methodology, and a series of design outcomes, these recommendations will provide a blueprint through practice-led research for enhancing social connection and creating “warm spaces” during this critical historical moment. In order to inform this thesis, the author relied on research in the areas of psychology, human behavior, and theories of political protest and racial identity. Most sources in this document were dated prior to 2019. Once she understood their arguments, she attempted to integrate the ideas to help interpret her research. The method of auto-ethnography is a significant approach to the author’s investigation to the personal quality of the greeting action and its three scene components. In exploratory developments, the author shifted from projects that were participatory into auto-ethnographic work. The visual narrative inquiry approach allows the author to understand the core of her investigation by putting her own personal story into her remaining set of projects. The first few studio projects allowed the author to understand the essence of what components made up a “warm space”, like vulnerability and spontaneity. When the pandemic struck, the author realized she wanted to evoke the same elements of intentional vulnerability. Because of masks and social distancing, the author created new dynamics to the exchange of sharing personal narratives, through the medium of painting on masks. In the development of her research, she found it critical to create spaces for the participants to feel respected and trusted enough to be vulnerable. Therefore she created a series of design outcomes that foster respect, trust, and vulnerability. These included a physical construction activity: video exercises, observational paintings, and creating custom masks that show narratives and create questions and dialogue to break down barriers. Each of these studio projects highlight the value of intentionality, creating a “warm space”, and giving clues as to how to create one. It is critical to form ways of building “warm spaces” during this period of social alienation. This will be an ongoing exploration as the author expands her current design project. If we can adapt and innovate the ways we greet one another, we may be able to overcome the social isolation many people are experiencing. It starts with “Hello”.