When was the last time you felt the heartbeat of someone?

When was your face last caressed?

Is there a way to bring back memories in a tangible way?

How can we recall memories through our senses?

The artists Margherita Soldati and Alice Héron designed a workshop to guide the public in a series of exercises that will reconnect them with their bodies, in a time when we all feel so far from each other.

The workshop was designed to explore our memories through the sense of touch and give us a boost of the happiness hormone oxytocin.

Oxytocin is a hormone that plays a fundamental role in social bonding as well as in reproduction. It is released in the bloodstream in response to love and during labor, throughout and after childbirth.

The effects of oxytocin are often underestimated or even forgotten.

Many of the positive effects that take place during processes of interaction, such as stress reduction, health promotion and a general feeling of wellbeing, are indeed linked to oxytocin release, in response to the activation of different types of sensory nerves.

Oxytocin is also released in response to low intensity stimulation of the skin, such as soft touch, stroking, and warm temperature, as well as in response to food intake.

While this hormone’s release is consequent of interactive behaviours, our workshop will investigate oxytocin production in solitary, through self-caring exercises, by using food as a connecting medium with our own bodies and feelings.


The workshop was hosted and curated by Unbore Collective and you can view again the whole workshop here.

Cover image by Meret Zimmermann.
Video graphic design by Giacomo Marguglio.