SKIN: A Mortal Work of Art

Creative Work
Year: 
2005
Language: 
Record Status: 
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Description (in English): 

A short story where each word was tattooed on the skin of a volunteer. These volunteers were the only people who saw the full text of the story. The website documents the work using photographs of tattooed words, a map showing where the words "live", and describing the concept: 'From this time on, participants will be known as "words". They are not understood as carriers or agents of the words they bear, but as their embodiments. As a result, injuries to the printed text, such as dermabrasion, laser surgery, tattoo cover work or the loss of body parts, will not be considered to alter the work. Only the death of words effaces them from the text. As words die the story will change; when the last word dies the story will also have died. The author will make every effort to attend the funerals of her words.'

(Source for quoted text: Author's Project Announcement)

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Record posted by: 
Jill Walker Rettberg