Kate Garrett
Make-up Exploration
Scarification.
Branding.
Image 10.0 - Branding example
Scarification.
Image 10.1 - Skin-scraping example.
"That movement was interested in reviving or reenacting indigenous body rituals from around the world—trying to get in touch with a more authentic or spiritual experience of the body," (Guynup, 2004)
Permenant Modification.
What is Scarification?
Scarification is the process where you cut or brand your skin as a form of idenity and individuality.
It's progression over the years.
In primiative times scarification was a way of recording hunts and defeats. Whereas now people use it to express themselves creatively. Then in the mid 1980's in San Fransisco scarification started to become popular in the gay and lesbian culture bringing it more into the forefront of the body modifying world.. However by the 1990's it had moved into other cultures and became a big part of the modern primative movement.
Image 10.2 - Peeling away the skin
Image 10.3 - Finished but not healed
Image 10.4 - Scarification pattern across the chest
Image 10.5 - Scarification over tattooed skin
Image 10.6 - Healed Scarification pattern
Image 10.7 - Hand scarification over tattooed skin
What is branding?
Branding is where you burn the skin so that it will leave a scar when healed. If done to its full potentional this procedure will leave 3rd degree burns once the hot iron has come into contact with the skin.
What do they create?
For branding it is usually symbols and patterns that are created, however some people do have words/letters.
Personal motivations behind this process.
Many that have opted for branding say that it is their most important and person body modification; going through the pain it requires it becomes symbolic.
Image 10.8 - Healing branding
Image 10.9 - Healed raised scar
Image 10.10 - Branding in process
Image 10.11 - Creating hot iron template
Scarification.
Tribal cultures.
Scarification to improve beauty.
Within this culture the women are lead to believe that they need to improve their beauty and the way to do so is to opt for a operation where the skin is cut into and left to heal in bumps this process is a form of scarification; in this culture they are known as Amasumpa (bumps). Created in patterns across their stomachs and vertically between their breasts.
These image show the process of this operationand the outcome
Transkei Tribe - South Africa.
In tribal cultures they use both body art and modification as a form of expressing identity and beauty. Normally different patterns are used to identify who you are among the tribe. The higher up you are the more elaberate the pattern will be. They create thes in both tempoary and permanant ways.
What do the patterns/marks represent?
The style and patterns on the person’s body will depict what they are going through/what it represents; it also shows where they are within the structure of the tribe or group.
Do Tribes still use this form of identity today?
Today the indigenous people of Australia, parts of the Pacific Islands and Africa still use this technique of body art to depict an individuals identity.
Linking research to practise.
This has been a really intresting subject to research into, as you can see I have looked at scarification in two culutres. The main difference is the meaning and reasons why they go through this painfull process. I am going to carry forward the Transeki tribal pattern bumps into my experimentation phase as it will give me the opportunity to explore a range of products both to create them and colour them giving me chance to explore alternate methods and perhaps non-traditional methods of direct application make-up.
Linking with identity scarification in the tribes is the quickest and most commonly used method of identitfication as each patteren adds another layer or responsibilty of that tribe member. In the western culture most poeple have chosen this technique of modification partly becasue they have wanted to test their pain barrier but also to be unique as it is still not one o fthe top modifications you see or hear about on a day to day basis. They want to be identified as their own person and to do this they use scarification.
Image 11.5 - Sepik River tribes in Papua, New Guinea
This is part of a initiation ceremony for men, this ceremony last for a few weeks.
What does the pattern resemble?
The elder men of the tribe cut the skin using razor blades they create a pattern that closely imitates the rough skin of an alligator. Creating the alligator pattern is believed that any left remsebmle of boyhood left within the man will be consumed making them a man.