The exhibition causes us to reflect on the power of
human touch and face-to-face interaction—especially
in an age in which digital communication are becoming
the primary tool for social interaction. It also takes into
consideration an important 1966 study by Edward
Twitchell Hall, Jr., an American anthropologist and
cross-cultural scholar. Hall examined different cultures’
understanding of personal space and, in essence, answered
the question, “Just how much space do we need around
us when we interact with strangers and non-strangers?”
I first read his book,
The Hidden Dimension
, at a time
when I had traveled very little outside of the United States.
Shortly thereafter, as I began to travel to Latin America and
Europe, I realized that the 24” square rule—somewhat the
standard in the United States as the appropriate distance in
which we feel comfortable—is much less in other cultures.
To illustrate this point, all we have to do is recollect our
discomfort when standing in a crowded elevator or subway
car. To have a stranger stand close enough to feel his or her
breath is off-putting for most of us, yet perfectly acceptable
if you live in the Middle East.
Touching Strangers
is organized by the Aperture
Foundation, a not-for-profit organization in New York that
aims to connect lovers of photography. LUMA presents
Touching Strangers
as part of the centennial celebrations
for the university’s School of Social Work. The school, the
museum, the foundation, and the photographic project
share the same goals: to connect with their clients, build
trust, and improve and enrich lives.
R
eading the reviews and publications on contemporary
art can lead you to believe that artists today—to be
relevant, cuttingedge, or “of their time”—mustbeconcerned
with social commentary, social justice, technology, and
new materials. We hear of artists who address a laundry
list of societal concerns, leading us to believe that the art
world in 2015 is a giant collage of subtexts.
But what about tradition, academic techniques, beauty,
and an artist’s skill in rendering the world as it is caught
in the very moment—as we turn our heads, pause, and
notice the light shifting? How many times have we stood
by a window or outdoors and said to ourselves, “How
beautiful?” Timothy J. Clark is an artist who captures light
and discerns the subtleties of color—the very artistic issues
that led 19th- and early 20th-century artists to revolutionize
our perception of the world around us. In
Sacred Light
,
4
Image detail: Vincent and Charles, 2012, Los Angeles, CA from
Touching Strangers
(Aperture, May 2014). © Richard Renaldi.
