Making touch visible with the suture of fantasy with virtual aesthetician in “The Best Facial Clinic” – The glitchy-score of tele-synaesthesia performance in the age of global pandemic

In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, we have been adapting as fugitives this accidental encounter with an “untouchable” virus, while being rendered into shared virtual arena, where our discursive bodies are situated within, embedded in and tele-commuted to. Our increasing dependence on online interaction video conferencing during pandemic is not only facilitating social connectedness, but also contemplating question: How to elongate somatosensation echo embodied experience touching through incorporeal connectivity? This essay focuses nature tele-synaesthesia performance, its potential effect forging a rhythmic connection from one sensuous modality another, concurrent emergences glitch internet latency non-verbal cues internet-situated communication. reference Laura Mark’s theory haptic visuality, vision triggers tactile body; Naomi Bennett’s concept touch, which affective sensory response touch can be elicited non-tactile senses, Paul Sermon’s artistic production Telematic Quarantine (2020) Pandemic Encounter (2020), that telepresents stories self (isolation), relation Michel Foucault’s Heterotopia context I examine performance work developing lockdown since March 2020: The Best Facial (2021), supported by Centre for Digital Media Cultures Research School Art Postgraduate at University Brighton, number sessions 25-minute 1-to-1 participatory performances take place Zoom, become aesthetician use telepresence perform meditative facial tactics, make tele-contact improvisation upon surface participant’s face trigger experiences touching, auditory fantasization.