About

Audio description (AD) is a growing field of study, but there are still significant gaps in our understanding of it as a subject discipline. For instance, there is little cognitively-orientated research in AD (Holsanova, 2022), as well as little AD research specific to the garden context, or that tests specific uses of sensory language.

As botanic, horticultural or historic (BHH) gardens are inherently multisensory spaces, this setting provides an ideal opportunity to test the impact of multisensory AD. Referred to as multimodal audio description, Fryer (2016) proposed this idea as an approach that may have greater impact because language based on multiple senses could help people to develop richer mental imagery. This is supported by research in both cognitive science and cognitive linguistics, as there is a growing body of evidence that cognition (including language comprehension) is grounded in sensory/perceptual mental simulations, situated action, and bodily states (Barsalou, 2008).

The project is comprised of four studies: study one is a mixed methods survey of sensory experience at BHH gardens, with 350+ respondents across Chelsea Physic Garden (CPG) and Edinburgh Botanic Garden (EBG). Study two uses the walking interview methodology, to explore the sensory experience and AD preferences of ten blind or partially sighted (BPS) people at CPG. The third study is an online linguistic experiment, aiming to test different approaches to sensory language in AD. Study 4 aims to apply and evaluate what has been learned in studies 1-3, exploring how this can be applied to AD.

This research makes several significant contributions to knowledge: in its innovative mixed methods design for developing and testing AD; its novel cognitive linguistic approach, which has the ability to contribute to our understanding of AD, and provide new ways of testing and exploring theories of embodied cognition; and lastly, in developing our understanding of how AD can be used as a form of inclusive design.