Consequence of Touch - By Wagtale

How privileged we are to be able to get an insight into the workings of the mind of a leading creative artist and to see not only a presentation and examples of her work but learn of the background and motivation itself . Last month it was a great pleasure to be able to attend such a presentation where the new and decidedly ‘lateral’ work of Dr. Hanja Badenhorst went on display at her gallery Artery.
We saw beautifully modelled, delicate human hands crafted to portray both the instigator of touch, accompanied with surgical tools etc, and the supplicant, receiving of healing.
Here in her own words, Hanja explains how she was motivated to branch out into such a very different (for her) milieu.
Touch Mediates
Historically, touch was considered to be a most important sense. Aristotle and the Stoic philosophers held that touch mediates every type of sense perception, even vision, as invisible particles bombard various surfaces of the body to convey smell, taste and sound. Of all social behaviours, touch is recognised as one of the most carefully guarded and monitored.
Touching another’s body generates an immediate demand for a response, as well as a special intimacy (or even a threat) unique among communicative behaviour.
I am concerned with the theme of medical and scientific intervention in the human body and specifically, the consequences of touch as I experience it in my profession as private general practitioner and part-time medical officer in a state hospital. The medical professional’s hands are used on a daily basis both as a diagnostic as well as therapeutic tool in handling medical and surgical equipment to cure or alleviate pain and suffering. It follows that, not only vulnerability but also a sense of invasion can be experienced by both giver and receiver of touch. Hence, the consequences of touch are far-reaching for both giver and receiver of the touching action. One is expected to keep a distance and not become emotionally involved.
The natural response is to set up barriers, either physical or emotional, which protect both givers and receivers of the consequences of touch and thereby overcome the awkwardness and the invasiveness of certain examinations or procedures.
The art-science discourse
My work is informed by the art-science discourse, currently relevant in the contemporary art world. I have been influenced by the work of the Institute of Unnecessary Research (IUR), an international group of artists working in the field of practice-based research into science and technology. Amongst these, Heather Barnett’s work explores the intersections of art, science and technology—often in collaboration with non-arts professionals and processes. As an artist in residence in various settings in the medical and scientific sphere, her work is concerned with issues of society, technology and identity with particular reference to medical science.
My own work methodology was executed on a more personal level, as I deal with the doctor-patient relationship daily on a first-hand basis. In my installation work, Tact(ful) 2008, I use images of surgical instruments printed on open latex gloves and mounted on glass. My later phase, Tact(ful) 2009, combines real surgical instruments with wax casts of bare and gloved hands, displaying the instruments in glass containers on light boxes. Pure white wax casts are used not only to create a clinical context, but also to emphasise its somatic connotations by simulating bare skin and skin covered in latex. Some of the instruments were manipulated by means of wrapping with latex, communicating the protective attempts to create barrier mechanisms to overcome the awkwardness of invasive experiences.
The wax casts are displayed in glass containers on the light boxes, rendering them luminous, but at the same time rigid or totemic—fragile but yet seemingly indestructible, referring to the tension that exists for the giver of touch in the clinical setup, in creating physical and emotional barriers—as compensating mechanisms—to overcome emotional involvement.
Conclusion
Although my work is based on my daily experience on a rather personal level, I draw inspiration from the medical sciences in order to create contemporary art which is accessible to the general public. I attempt to provoke the viewer into critically engaging with the dominant ideologies regarding the human body today, especially that of the medical profession and the far-reaching consequences of clinical touch.In my video projection work, Latex (2008), I was also influenced by the work of Leora Farber. I used clinical film footage, but with more subtle references to invasion—or perceived invasion—than Farber’s rather aggressive portrayal. Digitally manipulated footage of putting on and removing latex examination gloves was played in a continuous loop and projected onto a suspended hospital bed linen screen. The manipulation of these images render them ominous, alien and, at times, even menacing. As a result, the work strongly communicates the invasion experienced by the receiving party, as well as the executor of the procedures.