Seeing and touching

All our senses are significant but I strongly believe that the ability to see is the most important. When an accident or illness happens and we have to part with this ability, another one, namely, touching comes into focus, which we don't rely on much otherwise.

During my career I often tried to make sense of a sculpture with my hands instinctively closing my eyes. This was a good way of understanding the more vague forms.

I had a most touching experience once that still runs deep within me: there was a blind girl who came into my studio and made me acknowledge the importance of touching even more. I was driving her hand over my sculptures and telling her what could be seen.

After a while she asked me if she could “see” the next sculpture on her own. It is still right before my eyes how she was using both of her hands with her delicate fingers to grasp my statuettes.

First she seemed troubled and was concentrating hard, then her face became smooth and she told me what she saw. As she sensed that I was really astonished, she clenched my hand and smiled.

I still feel that such a rare smile is one of the greatest acknowledgements a sculptor can get. Since then I have always let children touch and stroke my sculptures because I realized that this is the way how they really make sense of what they see.