Touch Assignment

“And people who aren’t touched much as children don’t touch much as adults, so the cycle continues.” 

Pg 1344- First Touches

Title: Touch Cell

Dimensions: 6x5

Medium: Paper and ink

This passage rang true especially for me, a person who grew up in a household with very little affection. Both of my parents were unfortunately raised by unloving parents which ultimately led them to finding each other. Like the passage says, “the cycle does continue”, and neither of them were very good at being the classic, loving parents that you see in the movies. I do not blame them for the way they are, but because of the way I was raised, I now have issues with affection. This is why I created a rough, dark hand that is trapped in a cell, because every time I want to touch someone I care about, the gesture feels locked up, and my body doesn’t allow me to do what I want. I have always been envious of the way people touch, cuddle, or push each other around, because I always watch from the side, wishing I could allow myself to participate instead of feeling locked away. 

“Each of us has an exaggerated mental picture of our body, with a big head, hands, mouth, and genitals, and a small trunk.” 

Pg 1688- The skin has Eyes

Title: The Vitruvian Grace

Dimensions: * ½ x 11

Medium: Paper, Ink, Pics-art App

Body image, like most people on the planet, has been something I have always struggled with. This passage was very relatable, as I know I view my body in an over exaggerated, ugly way. I decided to be inspired by Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, as he was a perfectionist when it came to the human body; perfect features, height, weight, and muscle tone were all very important to him. These are all perfect features that I lack, which is why my version shows how ruthless I am to my own appearance. I wanted it to look messy and dark to show the way I view myself; very negatively. I wrote comments on the side including but not limited to: Horse face, long nose, giraffe legs, Sasquatch feet, muffin tops etc.