A Natural History of Sense

A Natural History of Sense by Diane Ackerman

Kissing-

"Kissing, we share one breath, open the sealed fortress of our bodies to our lover. We shelter under a warm net of kisses. We drink from the well of each other's mouths. Setting out on a kiss caravan of the other's body, we map the new terrain with our fingertips and lips, pausing at the oasis of the nipple, the hillock of a thigh, the backbone's meandering riverbed. It is a kind of pilgrimage of touch, which leads us to the temple of our desire."- Kissing, from A Natural History of Senses.


     Kissing is one of the first sensual experiences we have with another- a moment of intimacy that can be expressed in pubic, as well as behind closed doors. Kissing opens ourselves up and allows us to become vulnerable, utilizing the lack of words to free us from the barriers that words can only express so well. I chose this perspective for it illustrates a moment where the "sealed fortress" of each other has been opened, and is the initiation of intimacy.




Adventures in the Touch Dome-

"Through a trifle arcane, this is a fitting gift for a trip to San Francisco's Touch Dome, at the door of which I arrived a few hours later. At the end of the Exploratorium, an extraordinary hands-on science museum, stands a three-dimensional maze through which one walks, climbs, crawls, and slithers into marmoreal darkness." Adventures in the Touch Dome, from A Natural History of Senses.

     I wanted to take a different approach with this one. The previous piece was a more literal representing of a sensual experience, however I wanted to explore a more indirect, more abstract representation of the chapter. The image is a hand overlaid with the bus routes of San Francisco. Since the portion of the chapter was based in San Francisco and not only focuses on sensual experiences, but uses imagery of physical hands. So, in turn, I merged the two together, to tie the setting, color scheme, but also the physicality of a hand, and how touch can lead to so many new experiences and take you new places.