Brain Food #507
Touch tells the truth
Thoughts of the day
Good morning. Though a common symptom of Covid-19 may be the temporary loss of two particular senses, those of smell and taste, a ‘side effect’ has been the loss of touch, demonised by the implications of contagion.
Touch, though, remains an important sense, perhaps more than we ever imagined it to be, especially considering the complacency with which we have replaced a large proportion of our physical relationships with digital ones. Margaret Atwood wrote of touch, ‘It is the first language and the last, and it always tells the truth.’
One of the highlights of the 2019 Venice Art Biennale was Building Bridges, a gigantic structure by Italian artist Lorenzo Quinn. It consisted of a series of arms, reaching out to each other, perpetually touching each other. No one could have known, at that time, how rare an act this would have become.
“Each pair of the sculpture’s hands celebrate one of six universal human values: Friendship, to build on the future together; Wisdom, to make mutually beneficial decisions; Help, to cement lasting relationships; Faith, to trust in your heart and self-worth; Hope, to persevere in worthwhile endeavors; and Love, the fundamental purpose for it all,” said Quinn of his work.
Like many of the things we appreciate only once they are lost, a look at the sculpture now reminds us of the value of touch, making its impact all the more meaningful. But, the values Quinn talks of are still embedded within us. Despite the limitations of the current situation, we can still reach out to one another, and touch one another, through words, sound, and other forms of communication that we thankfully still have available to us.
And in this, there is still much hope, and truth, to be found.
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