Touch in sculpture and in society

Why to use touch? Because it is one of our senses. As such, it contributes to the holistic perception and optimal development of intellectual, emotional and creative skills. More important question is: why not to use touch? What and when happened that we decided to systematically repress and neglect primal sense of touch, which is important and responsible for the formation and development of a series of intellectual and emotional concepts, not only in the domain of art, but at every aspect of our life? Scale and complexity of the issue revealed themselves in the search for the answer. Physiology of perception, history of art, sculpture, sociology, anthropology and psychology began to intertwine with each other and complement each other. In the first chapter of master the thesis I introduce the process of perception that is unique for each individual and which is imperatively subjected to society, culture and education. In the second chapter I present the development of sculpture, from Egypt until today, and its relation to social development. The entanglement of sculpture, history, anthropology and sociology is presented according to the style of specific period and not chronologically. In subsequent two chapters I demonstrate the use of touch in art through my own artistic expression and by practical work in classroom. I introduce, study and analyze some of the possibilities of including touch in art as well as ways in which we can encourage the use of touch in schools. This would serve as a tool for relaxation, for development of imagination and for raising awareness of the importance of using all our senses