Don't Touch

This project is an interactive digital scene that combines a stylized self-portrait with a city like environment using p5.js. At the center of the composition is a large abstract portrait built from simple geometric shapes and layered hair forms. The hair is designed to feel slightly reactive: when the mouse is pressed, it shifts away from the cursor, giving the impression of discomfort or resistance. This interaction is paired with a red screen flash and changing speech bubbles that display short emotional phrases like “ouch,” “stop,” and “don’t touch,” reinforcing the idea of boundaries and physical or emotional sensitivity. Behind the portrait is a dense cityscape made from stacked rectangular buildings in different shades of gray and black. The buildings are intentionally repetitive and grid-like, reflecting an urban environment that feels structured, heavy, and overwhelming. To make the scene more detailed and grounded, windows are distributed across the buildings in a consistent pattern, suggesting life inside the structures even though no people are shown. Foreground elements like trees are placed along the bottom of the scene to add contrast and soften the rigid geometry of the buildings. The trees introduce a natural element into an otherwise industrial space, creating a visual balance between organic and structured forms. The sky is kept a flat bright blue, emphasizing simplicity and allowing the darker city shapes and portrait to stand out clearly. Overall, the piece explores interaction, personal space, and emotional response through simple visual systems. The combination of movement, color changes, and text creates a reactive experience where the viewer’s actions directly affect the portrait, making the work feel both personal and slightly uneasy in a controlled, intentional way.