Touch Response

Un Tatouage, 5 x 7 in, Photograph (Altered in Photoshop)

"Ultimately, tattoos make unique the surface of ones self, embody ones secret dreams, adorn with magic emblems the Altamira of the flesh" (Ackerman 100, A Natural History of the Senses).

Artist Statement:     

    While reading the chapter touch in Diane Ackermans' book A Natural History of the Senses, the tattoo section caught my eye. I wanted to capture the magic of tattoos. At first I had a photo that was beautiful by itself and it fit what I needed it to but it just did not possess the full impact of what it's like to have a tattoo. Personally, tattoos make me feel powerful and bring happiness. I decided to cover the majority of the photo with a dark overlay and hand draw in the line work. The lines represent the happiness and shining qualities that tattoos can bring into someones life. 

Beauty is Pain, 33 seconds, Video

"One of the great riddles of biology is why the experience of pain is so subjective. Being able to withstand pain depends to considerable extent on culture and tradition" (Ackerman 101, A Natural History of the Senses).

Artist Statement: 

    Different cultures have different practices and limits to pain. People experience painful things on a daily basis but the question is "what makes it unbearable"? When thinking of a subject for this piece, I decided on something that seems almost worldwide. Hair removal. It is such a common practice but also painful. Pain is what you make it, whether it is minute or extreme. To some people hair removal is extremely painful and to some its not.