People use any and all mediums to write: computers, paper and pen, papyrus, stone engravings, wet sand.
Ariana Page Russell writes on her skin:
I have dermatographia, a condition in which one’s immune system exhibits hypersensitivity, via skin, that releases excessive amounts of histamine, causing capillaries to dilate and welts to appear (lasting about thirty minutes) when the skin’s surface is lightly scratched.
This allows me to painlessly draw patterns and words on my skin, which I then photograph.
The words/welts on Russell’s skin look like they should have hurt, even though she states it’s a painless process. It’s a fascinating combination of art mediums that turns the written word into something beautiful, intimate and disturbing, all at the same time.
I’ve never seen anything like what she’s able to create.
It reminds me of Sugar’s skin problem in The Crimson Petal and the White. This was an excellent historical novel about a well-read 19th century London prostitute – in case you’re looking for something to read.
What do you think of her chosen art medium?
(Ectoplasmosis Blog deserves the credit for pointing me towards Russell’s artwork.)
Wow, this is fascinatingly beautiful and disturbing. Reading the description made think of Pillow Book at first, but then when I clicked to see the picture to see it is just…powerful.
And an interesting way to make something beautiful from the self and a condition that could be seen as detrimental.
Great post.