Tunnel Book: A Journey Through Touch
This tunnel book explores the visceral and emotional dimensions of touch, guiding the viewer through layers of texture, memory, and longing. The cover introduces a photograph from my short film—a composition of hands intertwined, reaching for connection. It sets the stage for a story about craving touch, the presence of others, and the intimate, non-sexual grace of female friendship.
Upon opening the book, the outer cover reveals a photograph of hands and legs gently touching, evoking the warmth and comfort of platonic closeness. This is the softness of shared presence, of bodies existing together in harmony.
As the tunnel book progresses, each page spells out the word TOUCH, using both visual and tactile storytelling:
T – A felt-covered page with the letter T, surrounded by textures resembling scars. This represents the skin's history, the stories embedded in its surface.
O – A collage of hands encircling the letter O, emphasizing the act of reaching, holding, and seeking connection.
U – The letter U is raised, textured with crinkled plastic—an object of both discomfort and fascination. Around it, images of my own scars, the result of absentminded picking at nothing, reflect an unconscious craving for sensation.
C – The letter C is surrounded by crumpled paper, a texture that invites touch, evoking both satisfaction and tension.
H – The letter H is crafted from felt, surrounded by soft, raised bumps, creating a landscape of sensation.
Closing the book, the final collage of skin and legs is heavily textured—a reminder of the body’s presence, its imperfections, its capacity to feel.
This book is not just seen, but felt. It is an invitation to explore touch as memory, as comfort, as longing. It holds the tension between desire and discomfort, presence and absence, softness and abrasion.
