Craving for kisses and a fabric charm bracelet

Philematology is the study of kissing. And the reasons why we kiss. The first known written reference of kissing is that found in the Bible’s Song of Songs: “Kiss me again and again, for your love is sweeter than wine.”

The Romans had names for various kinds of kisses. Baseum (a kiss on the hand) , osculum (a kiss on the mouth with the lips closed) and saveum (a kiss of passion).

There are different ways of kissing: Italians kiss by touching cheeks, cats kiss by blinking, Eskimos by rubbing noses.

Basorexia is the overwhelming craving for a kiss. But why do we kiss? There are many theories. Some anthropologists believe that it’s instinctual, others believe that it’s a product of kiss feeding, a means of feeding infants by first chewing their food then passing it into the baby’s mouth.

Kissing is often a neurological experience.

The name of this bracelet is “Basorexia”. It’s made from fabric scraps. The base was made by crocheting a shredded t-shirt whereas the “charms” were made by fabric scraps sewn together to create giant beads. The beads are embellished with stitching and paillettes/sequins made from soda cans.