Itch Works
Itch Portraits
For these self-portraits, I first printed a photograph of myself from that day, then closed my eyes and concentrated on the sensation of an itch, for an hour. Wherever one occurred, I marked it on the photograph, mapping the location of the itch. I then connected the itch data into a pattern, creating a shape out of this transient phenomena. The whole process was a way of investigating the sensation of an itch, which, for me, seemed linked to my psychological state of mind. It felt both painful and pleasurable to scratch. Using myself as a test subject also connected to the history of self-study in psychology.
*Each work below: combination of colored pencil, graphite, acrylic, and collage on archival print. Dimensions variable.
Scratch
74 x 60 inches, graphite and colored pencil on paper
This work began as an investigation into the causes of itching – as a potential result of physical and/or mental stresses. I began by recording when, where, and at what temperature and time I had an itch. At various times, I tried to make myself itch by concentrating on the sensation. I then recorded the points on my body (with a Sharpie) where I felt an itch and then transcribed them to the paper, which was cut to my exact height. The orientation of the “X marks” correspond to the parts of my body (i.e. an X slanted to the right equals an itch on my back, etc.). After noting all the points, I tried to look for and demarcate a pattern. The circular areas, in addition to the lines that differentiate the layers of pattern, are the result of my initial attempts to connect the points – I utilized the “searching” lines as the foundations for the overall structure. In addition, the information I included within the form(s) relates both to current theories of itch sensation and to some of my own conclusions.
Head Itch
70 x 70 inches, graphite and colored pencil on paper
To begin this work, I tried to make myself have an itch by concentrating on creating its sensation. I repeated this process several times. I began by recording when, where, and at what ambient temperature an itch developed on my head. Then, I marked the actual location of the itch on my head with a marker, and transcribed the location point onto paper. The paper was divided into quadrants corresponding to the front, back, top, left and right areas of my head. The notations are in letterform and were derived from the temperature I recorded at each itch (i.e. 81.2° equals 8+1+2, or 11, or the letter K). Next, I connected all the letters into the centralized form and attempted to delineate the pattern of my itching, which was concentrated on my face. Additionally, the small, satellite-like forms on the perimeter are the various times of the itches in each quadrant, overlapped.