“'We raise our children in a nontactile society and have to
compensate with nonhuman creatures.
First with teddy bears and blankets, then with pets. When touch isn’t there, our true isolation
comes through.'”
- Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of The Senses, p. 121
Experiencing
touch is a way of providing comfort and many things have been cultivated to appease
this sense, such as pets and inanimate objects like stuffed animals. However, these things aren’t a fluke or a
temporary solution as the quote might suggest, as stuffed animals and blankets
have only been getting softer as years go by and pet care is at an all-time
high. They are popular because in our society,
touching other humans isn’t always sought after and having another person close
isn’t always certain, and our society is accepting of that by still providing
other options for all peoples.
In my illustration,
I depicted a warm, inviting space full of the things mentioned in the quote accompanied
by human-like figures in the background.
By putting the human representation distant in the background, I hope to
convey the message that they are not always desired or dependable like their nonhuman
counterparts. Accompanying this, I made the
cat, teddy bear, and bedding close and warm to bring forth the notion that they
are acceptable options to provide that sense of comfort to those who prefer it.
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