Ange Altenhofen’s Braille Series, “Occupation: Coax, Coddle, and Caress”

Event Details

Join us for Artist, Ange Altenhofen’s interactive performance at the Des Moines Art Center.

Of the five senses, touch is arguably the most intimate. During the first year of the pandemic, many people grappled with the realization that we could harm or even kill a loved one through a simple, loving gesture: a kiss, an embrace, a caress… the warm breath of a whisper or a sigh. The artworks presented by Altenhofen in “Occupation: Coax, Coddle, and Caress” address the complexities of touch and relationships through the creation and activation of wearable objects that she thinks of as, “surrogate lovers, companions, meditational devices, and even parasites.”

The Braille Series was conceived following Altenhofen’s diagnosis with a degenerative eye condition that could lead to permanent blindness. Since that diagnosis, she’s developed a keen interest in surfaces and how they define and inform interior space. “I began utilizing Braille as a surface texture, represented by beads and gemstones embroidered onto various materials and forms, not only to deliver information through the necessity of touch to communicate meaning, but also to visually suggest blemishes on the skin that invite a haptic experience, not unlike apes have while grooming one another.”

Audiences are invited to watch Altenhofen’s performance throughout the Richard Meier building and interact with the artist’s work as they go. Guests can also touch the sculptures that Altenhofen presents along with her performance.