Hudsult

"The longing for physical contact with other people. It can lead to depressed state of mind." This is the description of Hudsuit or translated to English, Skin hunger in the Danish dictionary.
In Denmark the condition is known and there are therapists offering hugging therapy aimed mostly at the elder population. But during the Covid-19 Pandemic and lockdown and restrictions that followed, more young people started to experience the symptoms as well. "The lack of physical contact over a period of time can in worst case lead to anxiety, depression, panic attacks and lower self worth, the Danish sexologist Susanne Eidem told Aftenposten in April 2021. The article feature two people in their 20s, experiencing the symptoms connected to skin hunger.

After many months of lockdown, pandemic and a non existing (in real life) social life, this condition seemed far too familiar to me. I was in the middle of shaping my bachelor project Writing my Bachelor Thesis about black and white photography in editorial, journalistic design, the combination of a current topic and a theme fitting for black and white photography, an idea was born.
The book you hold in your hands is in a way a time capsule of the first one and a half year of the Covid-19 pandemic. It contains black and white image documentation of my own skin, the only one available to me for many months. This is accompanied by reflections in form of a short story by writer and my close friend, Kari Eirig. Between the lines you will find quotes from young people all over Europe, sharing their thoughts and experiences from this time of isolation and challenge.
Writing this in Berlin, July 2021, vaccines are being distributed, lockdowns are lifted and things seem to be getting more back to normal. We do not know what the future brings. But hopefully we will ble able to hug our friends and family and stay close to our loved ones as much as we want. The human need for contact is crucial and should not be taken for granted. "