Please Touch

“Do you want to be touched?” a stranger asks. If the answer is “yes”, will continue by asking,“Where do you want to be touched? Would you like to be touched rough or gently?” If the answer is “No”, “Great! This indicates you’re able to set your boundaries!”
With the project ‘Please Touch’ we ask passer-bys to think about physical contact in the (semi) public space. What are your boundaries and what are your desires? If touching is desired, we seal this with a ‘Please Touch’ sticker.

Touching is a necessity in life. A newborn dies when it is not touched for a long time. People seem to be more aware of their fear of physical contact than their desires. In this period in which people become aware of unwanted intimacies via #MeToo, we want to break through taboos and promote desired intimacies.

 

This project was organized in collaboration with Marjolijn Zwakman during Dutch Design Week 2017 as part of Embassy of Intimacy in commission of MU. Since then we activated the stickers at the most diverse locations as Kaapstad Tilburg, in Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar, Museum Kranenburg, Arti et Amicitiae Amsterdam. We also educated 30 attendants to perform our project during Intimacy, an exhibition in Science Gallery Dublin.