Encounterism is a joyous immersion into the everyday pleasure and shared humanity we stand to lose in an increasingly digital world. Andy Field explores both different kinds of and different venues for human encounters: from the hairdresser’s to the cinema, from nightclubs to eateries, shops staffed by people and free-form urban parks; these are the everyday yet invaluable spaces that allow for human encounters that enrich our lives.

Field writes with tenderness and wit born out of twenty years as a performance artist creating scenarios in which people are encouraged to see and interact with each other afresh. In Encounterism he not only examines how we physically encounter both strangers and friends – in all our human grace and awkwardness – but builds to a manifesto for the importance of real-world interaction.

A rousing reminder that our cities, our residential streets and workplaces, must still allow for the possibility of spontaneity and shared, in-person joy.