Until the body no longer exists
projection on repurposed fabric
2023
Until the Body No Longer Exists explores the relationship between form and bodies through the lens of tattooing. The tattoo placed on the body is a memory of the fabric that was once laid there. The piece responds to object permanence and the relationship between body and space. I’ve always struggled to believe that I deserve to take up space. The tattoo creates permanence by placing a tattoo on a friend that represents the memory of the cloth, which has been given to me by a family member, laid on their body. Fabric only holds a form if it is forced to do so, either through sewing or pinning, but after long enough, the memory of what was there will be present through a wrinkle. Tattooing is a practice that creates permanence until the body no longer exists. I am bringing the two together to create a permanent memory representing the act of trust that happens between the tattooer and the tattooed, drawn from a temporary moment of care when a cloth is draped on a body.