Touch

The first section I chose from the Touch chapter in Diane Ackerman's A Natural History of The Senses was Hair. The hair on the human body plays an important role in protecting us from outside elements, such as the hair on our heads protecting our brains from the heat and UV rays from the sun. Hair also serves as a way for people to express themselves, various styles, cuts, and colors tell people about us with a single glance. The way we wear our hair tells people things about our personality, and the types of things we enjoy, sometimes as much so as the people we surround ourselves with. For this I chose to do a photo shoot of a friends hair. Her hair is covered in personality traits written on paper to show how a persons appearance through something as simple as hair can show a personality.

For the second selection from the Touch chapter, I chose Tattoos. Tattoos hold a slight paradox behind them, going through pain for the sake of beauty. People get tattoos done, even with the knowledge of the pain that comes with them for a number of reasons. Some people get them done in memory of a loved one, or a passed pet, others get them done because they see their body as a canvas in need of art, while others yet, get them done for many other reasons that go unlisted. People will only purposefully go through the pain of a tattoo if they see it as being worth it, and a simple walk down the street can show a person how many people see this as worth it. I chose to do a photo shoot of drawn on "tattoo" to show the simplicity and meaning behind the works of art littering many peoples bodies.