Do touch

When I was a kid I went to the library on a weekly basis to get piles of books. It’s not until a few years later, as e-books became more and more popular, that I first heard about the slow decline of physical books. Nothing changed for me, as I was attached to the experience of a physical book, the rustling of its paper and its smell. At the time that I went to the Graphic Design department of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, my attention went more to the tactile aspects of books. Memories of my mother making her own paper started to appear. Now, again a couple of years later, I see the furniture of knowledge has remained to be everywhere. It makes me wonder: Why is the tactility of books so important to the user and their experience?

What does ‘tactility’ actually mean? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, tactility is a ‘responsiveness to stimulation of the sense of touch and the capability of being felt or touched.’ Reading a book is not only you touching the book, the book also communicates back to you: ‘I sense both the object and (simultaneously) my flesh affected by the object. The experience is simultaneously active and passive: touching I am touched.’

A book gives you several tactile interactions: Picking up the book you feel its spine, cover and back cover. You open the book, browse through it, let the layers of paper slide over your thumb, feel the paper of one individual page. Maybe you press your nose against the pages. Interestingly in handling the book you mainly use your hands. Sonneveld explains it like this: ‘The hands are symbolic because they represent active touch: we reach out, touch objects and by moving them (caressing, lifting, swinging, squeezing), we experience their materiality (texture, weight, weight distribution, hardness). The rest of our body is more passively touched.’

As the complete replacement of physical books by the screen has not happened, it seems that besides the content, this tactility is important in different ways.
First of all, austerity plays a role, books are always published in a limited amount. Depending on editions size and used materials, it can become something of value or a collector’s item. Content is still important, because the interest in it as a collector’s item differs, an old edition of William Shakespeare is more wanted than those of lesser known writers. Time also takes its toll, because the more time passes, the more books are consumed by it: they are thrown away, damaged or lost. Supply is decreasing and the demand stays the same or even increases, what creates scarcity. Eventually the content becomes less important as it becomes an artifact.

Ludovico writes that there is a trend in traditional print publishing where they present their products more like valuable objects then as ordinary books. They use the tactile qualities of paper as a way to stand out in comparison to the digital world, and to cope with the shrinking customer base. As far as I know, people who see books as collector’s items and pay attention to the tactile qualities of paper are a minority, but I think this is indeed important. Ludovico also states that a number of products need to be re-invented in some way to still make sense in print. In graphic design re-invention is already happening, for example by using newspaper layouts with unusual content for its form.
Yet these are not the only pros of print in comparison to the screen. People like to physically own a book and not to be restricted by problems that might occur with its digital counterpart. An e-book, can be taken away by the provider and you are limited to the capabilities of the device you read on. With growing incentives of rejecting technology, books allow you to be ‘offline’.

Finally, the tactile characteristics of a book add to the experience of reading in contrast to reading off a screen. Ludovico states: ‘What is missing, much more than nostalgia, is a small perceptual universe that is instinctually unfolded every time the physical medium is used, while it is misdirected if not negated in its new screen- based embodiment.’

I agree with Ludovico that the physicality of a book and all that comes with it is the biggest contrast to the screen, because with books all senses are stimulated more. Touch is central in experiencing books. You can assume by seeing handmade paper that the feeling of it will be soft, but you have to touch it to be certain. Touch creates a bridge between the outside world and you as an individual, through experience. “With touch, an organism that can feel itself while sensing what is other than itself; it is on this basis that other senses can distinguish the object and the subject.”

The tactile qualities of print makes us communicate with books and establish a certain bond between ourselves and the objects around us that communicate back to us. To prove this point: ‘Traditional print tactility gives information on different levels, and the process of paper selection is, in fact, still an important part of quality publishers’ work. It gives information about colour (sight), texture (touch) and odour (smell) that is, possibly consistent with the whole of the work. If we are already familiar with a book, the texture of its cover unawarely gives us information about its content (confirming what we are about to read) even before we open it, and eventually we would be able to recognise certain books while being blindfolded. Every added element (lamination of any type, hollow punches, special piece of information, special inks, other materials integrated in the cover) is not just an additional piece of information, but a further experience for both sight and touch, and so further information.’

It’s well established that there is a connection between memory and smell, but perhaps there is also a connection between memory and touch, as it’s one of the first senses that we really use as a child. The fact that I so vividly remember the texture of the paper my mother made, tells me how well tactility can talk. This reminds me not to take paper or books for granted, but try to experience it fully. Books on a screen can’t match that for me. As Ludovico said so well ‘paper is flesh, screen is metal.’

-Readily-without problem-quick

—Otherness—feeling or being different in some way

—-Incarceration—-being held in a place and not being able to leave when you want

——Condemned——a person that is going to be killed mostly out of punishment for a serious crime

——-Scaffold——-a physical supporting frame

———Constituent———a part of a combination

———-Spectator———-a concept of a person or a part of a person that can watch and really sees without being held back by the body

————Eye————a concept of a person or a part of a person that watches and sees, but can never “really see” because of the boundaries of the body

————-Asphyxiated————-make someone unable to breath mostly with an object

—————Guttapercha—————a product most produced from the sap of the Palaquium gutta tree, it’s a rubber like substance but thicker

—————-Consonants—————-a speech sound of the alphabet that is not a vowel

——————Conversely——————in an opposite way

——————-Prophylaxis——————-actions or treatments to prevent from getting sick

———————Relentless———————continuing and not stopping even tho there can be consequences

———————-Proxy———————-giving authority to someone else to do/act out of your name

————————Immanent————————something that “is” in a permanent way

————————-Transcendent————————-something that goes further then just accepting what “is”

—————————Primacy—————————the state of being (first)

—————————-Vicinity—————————-area around a place

——————————Precedence——————————priority-of more importance

——————————-Toil——————————-laboures work

———————————-Recipient———————————-one that receives

————————————Fringe————————————an outer part of something

————————————-Pertinent————————————-relating to the matter that is being considered

—————————————Mimicry—————————————action of copying how someone usually speaks or moves

—————————————-Instigated—————————————-urge forward by causing an reaction by action

——————————————Veneration——————————————act/feeling of deeply respecting someone/something

——————————————-Perpetuated——————————————-causing (or wanting to cause) something to continue for ever

———————————————Tactility———————————————being able to feel an object and being aware of an object touching you

———————————————-Ubiquitous———————————————-existing or being everywhere at the same time (at least seems it like that)

————————————————Experience————————————————getting knowledge of observing or participating with one or more of your senses

————————————————-Giddy————————————————-dizzy or lightheaded silly

—————————————————Lorry—————————————————truck

——————————————————-Phenomenon—————————————————an observable something

———————————————————Repository—————————————————an container where you can store and find mostly objects

———————————————————-Revised—————————————————-a printing proof that contains changes of the proof before

————————————————————Appraisal—————————————————the act of examining to valuate certain qualities

First it touches // lips // gliding // flowing inside // tongue // touches // flowing over // softness // blossom // sitting in // garden // looking above // smell // the spring within // fresh cutted grass // hands // fingers in // maybe in // the shadow

Your hands // powder // in the palm // your hands // pick it // like fruits // pick it up // put it // mouth lips // press it against // open // tongue // lay down // bite // chew // familiar maybe // let it flow // tongue // is a muscle // like others // confidence // striking over // skin // striking down // throat // the aftertaste // spreading // a laugh // lips // your skin // fabric // skin // till where is it burning?

Spoon // hands // protect yours // open lips // lay down // fleshness // spread // through your mouth // think that maybe she did do // say she yesterday // spread it // and swallow

Open // mouth // welcome // taste // on tongue // no way // back // spreading // tongue // your lips // maybe burning // throat // lower? // skin warm? // do you dare // no you do no

A sip // glass in hand // cold // release // thick // flow // tongue // feel // tickling // sour // consistency // body // sweat // skin

Spoon // cold // lay down // fresh // the air is soft this day // melting // flowing // your throat // the grass // gliding // against legs // sliding // pick it // like fruits // and run // the air is soft today

Het wekelijkse ritueel

De roltrap brengt me naar beneden, ik sta stil en wacht. De mensen die de roltrap uitgevonden hebben, hadden dit gemaakt zodat mensen sneller naar boven of beneden konden lopen. Ik kijk naar alle mensen die versprokkeld onder mij ook staan te wachten. Ze hebben mensen duidelijk overschat.

Ik pak een mandje en loop richting de appels om vervolgens naar de vriezer te lopen en het bladerdeeg te pakken. Dit wekelijkse ritueel lijkt mijn benen geprogrammeerd te hebben, geen enkel ander deel van de supermarkt doe ik aan vandaag. De caissière vraagt of ik Airmiles spaar, ik knik ja.
Thuis leg ik de boodschappen op het aanrecht en zie dan de openstaande mail van mijn werk staan. Ik moet een stukje over mezelf schrijven voor op de website. Mijn vriendin zei gister tegen me: "Het maakt niet uit of je het een week eerder of later af hebt je moet het vooral goed doen. Het staat er voor eeuwig. Net zoals met handtasjes, daar moet je er ook een heleboel van uitproberen. Je kan er niet na vijf jaar achter komen: Ja, dat wordt hem niet meer." Ik was zo hard aan het werk geweest dat ik vergeten was om appelflappen te bakken voor als ze langs kwam, zoals ik altijd doe. Zo zie je maar dat spier herinnering niet aan dagen gebonden is. Daar kwam ik net in de Albert Heijn achter.

Ik wend me af van de computer en loop terug de keuken in. De schillen laat ik er wel omheen vandaag. Mijn aardappelschilmesje snijd de appels in partjes. Zo voel ik me vandaag alsof ik mezelf in hapklare stukken moet snijden, om mijn kwaliteiten uit te kunnen schrijven. Mijn vriendin heeft namelijk gelijk. Het staat er voor eeuwig. Goed bedoeld advies, maar het brengt me vooral de stuipen op het lijf. Zo is internet nou eenmaal, dat snap ik ook wel, maar ik heb me er ook niet voor niets lang van weggehouden. Pas toen mijn nichtje van zeven zei dat mijn koelkast mobiel echt niet meer kon had ik een smartphone gekocht en ik kan er nog steeds niet goed mee overweg. Laat staan dat ik een tekst over mezelf kan schrijven die tot in de eeuwigheid blijft staan. Ik ben de pot appelmoes niet, die in mijn kelder staat en die is zelfs minder publiek.

Dit is wat mijn week altijd goed maakt, na het schoonmaken heerlijk appelflappen bakken. Het laat wel zien hoe erg ik met het stukje bezig was dat ik dat gister vergeten ben, maar zoals ze zeggen beter laat dan nooit. Dus doe ik de partjes in een kom met suiker en kaneel. Nooit te weinig, want dan gaat Annelies klagen, die vriendin van het advies. Ook al is ze gister geweest, want gewoontes zijn geruststellend. Goed om dat aan jezelf toe te geven ook. Ik snap dat nooit van die mensen die anders of speciaal willen zijn. Doe maar normaal, dan doe je al gek genoeg. De partjes duw ik in het ontdooide deeg en klap ze dicht. Ik kijk tevreden naar alle perfecte driehoekjes die voor me liggen. Nu nog insmeren met eigeel en suiker en dan kunnen ze de oven in. De kookwekker draai ik op een kwart.

Ik loop zuchtend terug naar de computer en kijk naar wat ik gister heb geschreven. Een stiekeme gedachte drijft naar boven, ik kan het ook gewoon sturen denk ik, zoals mijn dochter laatst zei YOLO. Wat blijkbaar You Only Live Once betekent. Ik giechel en voel me opeens tien jaar jonger.
De kookwekker gaat, de geur van appelflappen komt me tegemoet. Het bord zet ik op tafel. In de tuin hoor ik de schutting opengaan, mijn man is thuis. Die mail komt volgende week wel, het maakt niet uit of ik het een week eerder of later doe. Ik ben net zoals ieder ander mens; ik blijf liever staan op een roltrap dan dat ik loop.