SUBABIENNALE - DAK'ART OFF 2016
La Puissance du Toucher
A performance art piece by Stacey Okparavero
"La puissance du toucher" meaning the power of touch, is an interactive piece that transforms touch into a masterpiece. The participants are invited to draw with their own fingers, on the bare back of the artist, while the artist looks inwards and replicates what is been drawn, unto a canvas.
The power of touch is significant as one comes in contact with an external force in order to feel or experience a sensation. To delve deeper, some scientists believe touch is a more nuanced, sophisticated and precise way to communicate emotions, compared to body language and facial expressions. We as humans feel more connected to a person when they touch us, also when the pressure receptors in the skin are stimulated, the stress hormones are lowered.
The artist aims to explore the sense of 'touch and transfer' by feeling beyond the touch to interpret what is being communicated by the participants as well as producing a tangible and visual representation of the touch experience with various colors.
