TITLE:

"Touch Me" [ C43H66N12O12S2 ]

YEAR:

[ work in progress ]

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Touch me is a sculptural [by its unintentional instantcy as a “readymade” artistic device] visual representation of the Covid-19 pandemic in the form of Oxytocin [in molecular form], otherwise known as the “love drug” or “love hormone”. It is a poignant reflection of the periods of “lockdowns” we endured during the height of the pandemic, where our natural interactions were severely restricted. Collectively we all felt a sense of loss, grief and isolation, especially in terms of affection and physicality, including the actuality of presence that became unobtainable. The emotional toll was palpable which enabled feelings of heightened anxiety and inaccessible relief from suffering, even in those that were previously unaffected or seemingly immune to such a reaction.

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“The experience of freedom arises not from acquiring our preferred lifestyle and our preferred state of mind but from a willingness to stay with ourselves — to be completely committed to experiencing our lives — regardless of circumstance.” – Bruce Tift

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As human beings [and as in all other mammals], we feel an exigency and yearning for touch and affection. It bonds us to each other in its manifestation of physicality, whilst creating trust, belonging and love. Without touch we became withdrawn and bereft, suffering feelings of isolation, loneliness and an immeasurable sense of entrapment and the sensation of imprisonment. A noticeable feeling of dissociation, solemnity and formidable uncertainty was almost normalised, and its effects have outlasted the periods of restriction.

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Touch is intrinsic to humanity and plays a role in various behaviours, including orgasm, social recognition, pair bonding, as an antagonist against anxiety, in-group bias, situational lack of honesty, autism, and maternal behaviours. Oxytocin also plays a significant role in social learning and is a significant indicator for a sense of bonding and trust in future relationships. Oxytocin may help to decrease noise in the brain's auditory system, increase perception of social cues and support more targeted social behaviour. However, its effects may also be influenced by context, such as the presence of familiar or unfamiliar individuals.

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“Oxytocin is a hormone that's produced in the hypothalamus and released into the bloodstream by the pituitary gland. Its main function is to facilitate childbirth, which is one of the reasons it is called the "love drug" or "love hormone."

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The “piece” or structure will be placed within an airtight Perspex box and will sit on a plinth to demonstrate its context as its proposed artistic conceptual depiction. It will be lit from below as a representation of its significance. Around it will be a two-metre exclusion zone [something that was normalised and all too familiar during the periods of “lockdowns”), making the Oxytocin unobtainable, but visible. Thus, it creates a sense of elusiveness and discomfort, and as a marked reminder of the need for attachment and belonging we had been denied for lengthy periods of time.