The Trail of Touch ( 2017-2024)

An artistic and photographic pratice and reaserch on the concept of Tactile Nostalgia

CUENCOS

These bowls are made of porcelain, the finest and most durable ceramic, and the only one with a delicate translucence. Just like hands, these bowls are made to receive, to gather, to hold, to cherish. Both hands and bowls are vessels of welcome. The sense of touch rests on an undeniable truth: contact is the absence of distance. For touch to exist, there must be contact, where one receives and another is received, though sometimes it is impossible to tell which is which.

Buscando entre el caos, rescatando memorias tactiles, Cierra los ojos!! y rescata esa sensación de entre los recuerdos más profundos y plasmalos en la piel. La piel se encresta y decide transportarte a esos espacios llenos de sentimientos difícilmente controlables. ¿Para qué controlarlos? ………. Ay! Esos recuerdos tan impregnados en los sentidos, el olor, el tacto, ….. ¡Sigue con los ojos cerrados! y déjate llevar por la electricidad que recorre tu cuerpo y deja que tu piel se encienda.

In the midst of the mayhem, pulling out tactile memories, Lower your gaze! and resurrect that feeling from the recesses of one's mind before imprinting it onto one's skin. The skin curls up and decides to transport you to those spaces full of hardly controllable feelings. Why control them? .......... Oh, those memories so impregnated in the senses, the smell, the touch, ...... Keep your eyes closed and let yourself be carried away by the electricity that runs through your body and let your skin light up.

Project artistic Statement:

Using the liquid emulsion process, I create photographic tactile sculptures to explore the concept of tactile nostalgia. Coating a variety of natural and porous materials with the claim of an expectation for touch.

My research and practice looks on how our sense of touch affects our interpersonal relationships and biological development. Considering touch as the most crucial sense in human growth. Since 2017, I've been conducting deep research in science and philosophy in order to develop an open perspective. And it will end in 2024.

La mano que recibe. The hand that receives.

CUSHIONs, part of The Trail of Touch project, is a tactile piece merging photography and fabric. By printing images on fabric using darkroom techniques and sewing them into huggable forms, I aim to evoke emotional memories through touch. The work explores the power of physical sensations, asking why we try to control deeply ingrained memories. It encourages a reconnection with the body’s sensory memory, emphasizing touch as a primal and intimate sense. The piece is a response to how touch shapes our emotions, relationships, and personal growth, highlighting its deep-rooted significance in our lives.

The Trail of Touch is a limited edition of 20 handmade books, of which only 5 remain. Several of them are housed in prominent libraries and universities, such as the Victoria & Albert Museum Library in London, the Gabriela Cendoya collection at the San Telmo Museum in Donostia, Baylor University in Texas, and the London College of Communication, UAL. It is also in the hands of private collectors who are deeply passionate about analogue photography and the book format.

This book was not printed in a traditional print shop. Every page consists of analogue photographs printed on different materials using the liquid emulsion technique. Each copy is unique, as chance, error, and repetition were key elements in the creative process. No two copies are alike, intentionally. Both the unpredictability of error and the randomness of the process make analogue photography a beautiful, unpredictable art form.

This book encapsulates research on the sense of touch and nostalgia: Tactile Nostalgia. It evokes the sensation of discovering the world through touch—a feeling we long for from childhood and seek out again as adults. The significance of this sense lies in its ability to ground us in reality, connecting us to our deepest and most intimate sensations. Touch makes us human.

This book advocates for the importance of touch as a way to grow emotionally and physically. TOUCH TOUCH TOUCH—close your eyes and touch!

The Tactile nostalgia is the Haptic reminiscense. Repeat:

Homesick of being touched. Missing touch. Lack of personal contact.

The need for touch evoked by haptic nostalgia. The need for touch that haptic nostalgia evokes. The need to touch that haptic nostalgia brings up.

A want for physical contact brought on by remembering pleasant experiences of the past. A desire for physical touch induced on by recalling positive prior encounters. A desire for physical touch that comes from remembering good times in the past. Evokes a need for physical contact due to positive recollections of the past. Triggers a want for physical touch because of fond memories of the past.

Brings back good memories that make you want to touch someone. Arouses a desire for a physical contact as a result of pleasant recollections associated with the past. Brings up happy memories and makes you desire to be in physical contact with someone.

A hug, a gentle caress on the back, or simply holding hands all exemplify the universal language of touch. Across various cultures, tactile gestures serve as expressions of affection and support, especially in situations where words fall short or fail to capture our sentiments. Touch, as a form of communication, requires no formal learning but demands practice and refinement.

In our Western, capitalist, and individualistic society, the importance of touch has been diminished and overlooked.

Given the inherently ambiguous nature of touch, its neglect in our society leaves us feeling disoriented in our interpersonal interactions.

Undoubtedly, touch is closely linked to our skin and our identity as sexual beings, blurring boundaries at times. The fear of others transgressing our boundaries without consent immobilizes us. Here, the touch training becomes imperative to establish and respect these boundaries. It is essential to acknowledge and externalize the fact that skin has the capacity to evoke unexpected emotions, which can be challenging to process. Dialogue is necessary to navigate and share these experiences, whether to forge meaningful connections or resolve conflicts.

"The Trail of Touch" originated in 2017 as a photographic project that explores the emotional concepts of touch and nostalgia through academic and practical research. The project embraces the ideas of error, chance, and repetition as integral parts of its process.

Touch serves as a silent means of mutual support, fostering emotional bonds and solidarity networks that offer comfort and reinforcement. Tactile nostalgia reflects humanity's innate desire for connection and belonging, essential for our emotional well-being and survival.

The project asserts the significance of touch for societal survival and human connection, advocating for healthy relationships and emotional growth.

Skin retains memories, often associated with pain rather than pleasure, such as wounds and scars. Despite its propensity to remember pain, skin forgets pleasure, perpetually seeking for connection. Photography serves as a medium to document our emotional narratives and identity.

Embracing mistakes as a positive aspect of the creative process, "The Trail of Touch" liberates photography from conventional constraints. Error, chance, and repetition are celebrated as opportunities for growth and uniqueness, shaping each artwork's distinct character.

In the darkroom, meticulous attention is given to crafting images that evoke haptic sensations, juxtaposing touch and sight. Liquid emulsion is chosen for its ability to create tactile photographic objects, inviting interaction with materials that are both fragile and resistant.

The exhibition of cotton curtains and large Japanese paper prints revealed a reluctance to touch the artwork. Consequently, a book was conceived to preserve the textures, showcasing cotton, cork, Japanese papers, Indian cotton paper, wood veneer, and bioplastic-coated cloth in an accessible format.

The limited edition handmade books have garnered acclaim from private and public collections, including prestigious institutions like the V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum) and Baylor University.

Touch transcends language, conveying empathy and support through silent gestures. "The Trail of Touch" endeavors to explore and learn from these universal human connections through tactile photographic art.