A Natural History of the Senses - Touch Chapter Analysis - Work 1

Work 1: Surreal Portrait

Pages 94-96 - The Skin Has Eyes

graphite on charcoal paper, 9 x 14

  The idea of being covered in a body full of eyeballs may not sound appealing to some, but it is absolutely fascinating to me. The concept, while obviously surreal in a visual sense, is actually quite accurate when it comes to our sense of touch. The world around us is full of incredible experiences that can be accessed through feeling, tracing, poking, grabbing and countless other methods. 

  
  'The Skin Has Eyes' caught my attention because I had never considered this viewpoint before. Our memories, one of the most important aspects of our personal existence, is seemingly recorded by our bodies themselves. Obviously, not all of our stored thoughts are documented by touch alone, we have to consider all of our senses in relation to this concept. However, I thought this excerpt was interesting because it expanded on an idea that we seem to sweep under the rug. 

  Usually, we consider senses other than touch with our memories first, like eyesight and taste. A beautiful sunrise, or a delicious cake you baked for the first time. But what about when we feel the soft fur of our first pet dog, or let the laces of a brand new pair of shoes run through our fingers? Touch actually contributes much more to our memories than I had ever realized, and the idea of 'eyes' on our skin is truly captivating.

  These eyes are everywhere, not just where I had portrayed them on this piece. The cool and wet flow of water against your body etches an image of your first time learning to swim. The sensation of your first kiss, or wiggling sand at the beach between your toes, it is all painting mental images for yourself. These images become a part of your memory forever, and you created them through touch alone. 

  Really, a large part of who we are is formed by touch, and it helps us find our way when we aren't able to use our other senses. The portrait I created was done partly through feel alone. The initial skeleton of the drawing itself was born as a blind contour, sketched through the sensation of my fingers against my face. It was actually quite enlightening to mold something as simple as a portrait through touch. While the finished product is not perfect our completely accurate, I think this work was more of an experience for myself than anything.