Animal Interiority: Sentience and Spatial Perception

Journal Article

Interiority

Raymund Konigk

rkonigk@lincoln.ac.uk

Research aim:

This research aimed to challenge the human-centred view of interiority in design by exploring how nonhuman animals, specifically teleost fishes, experience and inhabit space. Using Jakob von Uexküll’s biosemiotic framework, it investigated the sensory, cognitive, and behavioural dimensions of Betta splendens to show that interiority is a universal, physiological capacity. The study sought to expand interior design theory to include ecosystemic and nonhuman perspectives, promoting environments that respect the autonomy, welfare, and lived experiences of all sentient beings to encourage more ethical and inclusive design practices.

Background:

Interior design has traditionally focused on human needs, often ignoring the spatial and sensory worlds of other species. This anthropocentric bias limits our ability to design environments that respect nonhuman life. Scientific evidence shows that fishes are sentient, with complex perceptions, emotions, and behaviours. By applying Jakob von Uexküll’s biosemiotic framework, this research examines Betta splendens to explore how animals experience interiority, a sense of inner life, through interactions of body, mind, and environment. Understanding these perspectives can help designers create spaces that enhance welfare, autonomy, and ecological coexistence for both human and nonhuman inhabitants.

Approach:

The study applied a biosemiotic framework, based on Jakob von Uexküll’s concepts of 'umwelt', 'innenwelt', and 'bauplan', to investigate how Betta splendens perceive and inhabit their environments. Using critical anthropomorphism and ethological observation, it examined the fishes’ sensory systems, spatial behaviours, and environmental interactions. A case study of the common practice of 'jarring' juvenile males in commercial breeding contrasted barren enclosures with enriched habitats to reveal the impact on welfare and agency. This interdisciplinary approach combined design theory, animal cognition, and environmental ethics to propose a model where interiority is a universal, physiological capacity shared by all living organisms.

Key finding:

This research shows that interiority, the sense of having an inner life, is not unique to humans but shared by all living beings, including fishes. By studying the behaviour and sensory worlds of Betta splendens, it reveals how animals perceive, inhabit, and shape their environments. The findings challenge human-centred design and call for spaces that support the well-being and autonomy of nonhuman species. Recognising fishes as sentient beings with rich spatial awareness offers a more ethical and ecosystemic approach to design, one that values the lived experiences of all creatures, not just our own.

Industry or policy relevance:

The findings support the UK Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 by providing evidence that fishes possess spatial awareness, agency, and emotional complexity. This challenges outdated assumptions in aquaculture, the pet trade, and habitat design, by calling for approaches which prioritise enriched, species-appropriate environments. For designers, it highlights the need to move beyond human-centred thinking, integrating nonhuman perspectives into spatial planning. For policymakers and industry leaders, it offers a framework to align the scientific understanding of sentience with design theory to promote practices that respect the autonomy and well-being of all sentient beings in captivity and in managed habitats.

Route for practical application:

The research can inform design guidelines for aquaculture, public aquaria, and companion animal housing that move beyond minimal welfare standards to actively support species-specific behaviours and sensory needs. By applying the biosemiotic model of interiority, designers and animal care professionals can create environments that foster agency, support positive affective states, reduce stress, and encourage natural behaviours. This approach can also shape policy frameworks, welfare audits, and certification schemes, ensuring alignment with scientific evidence on sentience. Beyond animal care, the model offers a transferable method for integrating ecological and nonhuman perspectives into broader spatial design, promoting more ethical and inclusive environments.

Confidence in findings and next steps towards realising impact:

This research is based on biosemiotics, animal cognition, and design theory. It aligns behavioural observations with established studies on fish sentience, spatial perception, and welfare. The interiority model can guide the design of commercial recirculating aquaculture systems and companion animal housing, translating theory into species-specific sensory, cognitive, and social benefits. Recommended enrichments include other animals, varied foods, opportunities for natural behaviours, visual barriers, vegetation, diverse substrates, controlled lighting, and sensory cues such as water flow, sounds, and temperature changes—measures that foster agency, reduce stress, support positive affective states, and enhance welfare and performance.

Innovate UK

Königk, R. (2025). Animal Interiority: Sentience and Spatial Perception. Interiority, 8 (2), 153-178. https://doi.org/10.7454/in.v8i2.1116

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