How Participants Engage
–Sit
They are asked to fill out an info card, noting relationship type, nationality, gender, and emotional state — anonymously.
During this time, they are also encouraged to engage: to talk, to observe, or simply to sit together in silence.
The moment is shaped not by instruction, but by shared attention.
–Capture
After standing up, their body heat leaves a temporary trace on the surface
— only visible for several seconds.
This moment is photographed.
–Process & Print
The captured image is later combined with information from the participants' cards.
A printed version is given to each person as a souvenir — a document of shared time, not performance.
A second copy is archived as part of the project’s growing record, preserving traces that would otherwise disappear.
No names are recorded. No faces are shown. Only heat, alignment, and brief connection remain.
sit
Capture
print
Material
– Heat-sensitive mat (40×80cm)
Captures the trace of shared body warmth between participants.
– Trace Guide (English, Japanese, Chinese)
Introduces the project concept and step-by-step instructions.
– Info Card
Participants write their relationship type, nationality, gender, and feelings.
– Photo printer
Prints the captured heat trace as a physical keepsake.
– Photo paper
Used to print each heat image, numbered and archived.
– Sketchbook
A communal logbook for handwritten thoughts and spontaneous reflections.
Heat-sensitive mat
Trace Guide
Just a pen
Photo printer
Sketchbook
Principle
The core of this installation is a surface made from thermochromic material — a synthetic leather that changes color when warmed to around 31°C.
At room temperature, the surface appears black. When touched by the human body — even through clothing — it slowly shifts to yellow, revealing areas of warmth and contact.
There are no sensors, no screens, no electronics involved.
The interaction is purely physical: warmth leaves a mark, and time erases it.
The trace begins to fade within seconds and fully disappears after a few minutes, depending on room temperature and the duration of contact.
Each imprint is temporary.
It cannot be saved, replayed, or precisely repeated — it exists only in that moment, on that shared surface.