The Haptic Space of Disaster

<jats:p> The overall aim of this article is to contribute to discussions on the spatialization of future events and, in particular, on enactment as the primary contemporary response to uncertain futures. Realistically simulated disasters is an emerging feature in contemporary public preparedness exercises. The purpose of such simulations is to foster public vigilance and initiative by way of immersive experiences of future disasters. This new mode of experiential learning calls for new analytical concepts that take into account the dynamic relationship between the materiality of experience and the experiencing subject. Therefore, in this article, I propose an analytical vocabulary derived from recent interjections in visual and cultural studies, human geography, and sociology. More specifically I make use of, and extend, the notions of “haptic space” and “haptic sense” as elaborated by Bruno (2014), Fisher (2012), and Marks (2015). I apply these concepts to make sense of my empirical encounter with public simulation centers in Japan and Turkey. Finally, I discuss some implications of the haptic perspective in this context. </jats:p>