INSTALLATION, “DEEP TOUCH PRESSURE“

„Deep Touch Pressure“ consists of 3 participatory sculptures and one activatable object, which invite the viewer to actively touch and participate.

3 „There is nobody other then me“, Coated steel, upholstered leather, foam / H:1.70m

2 „Time“, Coated steel, oiled steel globes, glass beeds, leather, foam / 2,4x1,1x1,1 m

4 „How does it feel“ (in the back) Oiled steel, upholstered leather, lead / 1,5x0,6x0,6 m

1„Mother‘s Home“, Coated steel, oiled steel globes, raffia / 2,36x1,13x1,4 m

The group „Deep Touch Pressure“ emerged from a personal crisis, an experienced human loss, and it describes my inner state and processes at that specific time. „Mothers Home“ is the shelter, the cocoon, the embrace. „Time“ describes the search for an isolated space, the need for time to stand still, an empty zone in which inner investigations can take place. „There is nobody other then me“, seeks the confrontation with the self. Reflecting oneself, out of an inner necessity, giving oneself a counterpart when there is no one else. „How does it feel“ concludes this cycle. What remains is the body‘s own experience. It is an end, but also describes a new beginning, as it can also be linked and combined with the other „zones“. The objects can be viewed individually or walked along in a similar way to a parcour, as in the sequence described above. Each object builds on the previous one and together they form a complete cycle. At the time of the mentioned crisis, I became increasingly involved with neurological processes, specifically with the connection between sensory impressions and the psyche. During my research, I came across the work of the scientist, autist and activist Temple Grandin, who developed the so-called „Squeezemachine“ in the 1960s. This machine, as well as weighted blankets and wests, exert a deep touch pressure on the body. This specific type of stimulation of the nerves in the skin, has a direct influence on the central and endocrine nervous system of the body (both in animals and humans), which has the effect of calming, relieving anxiety, balancing and in 80% of cases (referring to results with test persons from the last decades) reducing stress. Since the overriding themes in my work are connection, touch and communication, and they do also have a physicality, the object that can be touched, and the inclusion of the sense of touch in general, was a logical conclusion for me in the further development of my work. 1) The central piece is entitled „Mother‘s Home“. The sculpture measures 2.36 m in height and offers the possibility of entering an open space, I call „the zone“. The materials are limited to painted and brushed steel and raffia. The spheres represent points of contact that can be touched and connected by the viewer with hands or body parts. „Mother‘s Home“ also has a freely movable central element, an „organ“, which can be touched or played with. If the organ is struck like a triangle, a tone occurs. When the globes are touched, the object resonates with the body of the viewer. 2) „Time“, is an object that covers the viewer like a shell as soon as they are under the blanket. The materials here are steel, leather and a weighted blanket filled with glass beads, which weighs about 12 kg and distributes an even and soft pressure on the body. If the visitors decide to enter the object, they are invited to stay in this zone as long as they choose to. 3) „There is nobody other then me“ is an object made of steel and upholstered leather, at a height of 1.70 m. The soft upholstered zone provides the central point of contact between the viewer‘s body and the object. In contrast to „Mother‘s Home“ and „Time“, it is not possible to enter the inner space of the object, but a dialogue with a fictional counterpart is created. 4) „How it feels“, is a wearable object made of lead, foam and leather and has a weight of about 8kg, which is evenly transferred to the body. The object brings the focus back to the body of the person who is wearing the vest, it initiates an inward look. Here the sculpture on the outside has already disappeared, what remains is the sensory experience initiated by the activatable piece. The body itself becomes the central object of contemplation. The vest can be experienced alone or combined with the other works. It thus not only represents an end to this cycle, but is at the same time a unifying element.