Until the body no longer exists

projection on repurposed fabric

2023

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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.