Touch Me
In contrast to the other pieces, Ono's Touch Me communicates with words rather than a an image. It is also the piece in which the viewer is the most involved in the generation of pain and pleasure, because the pair do not exist at all until the words come into contact with the viewers. The presumed chance to touch the piece brings the pleasure of satisfaction, while the glass casing drives home the frustrating impossibility of tactile achievement. By bringing one's own psychological narrative to the observance of this piece, the viewing experience is enhanced beyond that of Ono's initial creation.
In the context of this exhibition, the piece communicates pain through the words "touch me" combined with the curator's choice to prevent patrons from touching it by displaying the piece behind glass. Ono is capitalizing on the traditional separation between viewers and works of art in museums, by inviting them to touch what cannot be touched. This brings to the forefront a type of pain that has become a part of artistic expression within the western art tradition by condensing the dialogue between pleasure and pain. This tradition finds its roots in the early depictions of saints and martyrs. Ironically, Ono originally allowed the work to be touched, breaking with tradition and nullifying the source of this pain.
There are two pathways in the brain that both contribute to the way in which people process pain. If one of these pathways is injured, individuals report that they do not feel any physically painful sensations. However, people do report emotional pain from these physical sensations. Yet, when the other pathway is injured individuals report being able to feel the physical sensations of pain. However, these people do not have the capacity to have any feeling about the pain they are experiencing, and so they report feeling indifferent towards the painful physical sensations. This research, along with other studies, suggests that emotional pain is real pain located within the first pathway, and so it is entirely possible that when you view this piece you could experience pain (or pleasure) that is not at all imagined but located physically within your brain (Linden, 2011).