TRACING MY TOUCH

VISUAL RESEARCH, 2023
3 PARTS

Observing my hands creating something by the act of touch, compelled me to reflect on the role of human hands and how they touch upon material. I contemplate how the pressure exerted by my hands shapes the material, how the material does not reciprocate warmth to my hands, how I experience a physical closeness with the material, and yet it remains distinct from the other, unable to express itself. I am the one wanting to establish a connection with the otherness, yet I receive no tangible response in return.

During my research of Fleshy Bug, 2023, this train of thought resulted in two videos that I call “Tracing My Touch”. Here I try to visualize the traces my human hands left on the plants and trees within two forests, the one from my childhood and the Mastbos forest. Despite the powder being biodegradable and thus not harmful to the forest, my touch poses potential harm. Even though my touch was potentially harmful for the plants, the intention behind touch and its consequential impact is not permanently visible after the act of touch.