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TATTOOS AND BELONGING

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  Body art, including tattoos, can be pretty, personal and whimsical, a symbol expressing a deep feeling for something or somebody important.   They are frequently beautiful examples of creativity and self-expression. This is the light, attractive, harmless side of tattoos.   The pretty flowers and birds, the unicorns and dragons, the meaningful mantras and the personal expression that represents the freedom of choice to do whatever we want with our own bodies, based on the premiss that our bodies obviously belong to us.   People tend to have a strong connection to their body art – after all it is part of their personal journey and who they are.   But do tattoos actually belong to us, even though they are a permanent inking of their owner’s largest organ? There is a whole copyright issue in relation to tattoos because it is argued that tattoo artists own the art that they create.   Cardi B is being sued for using a photograph of a tattooed person on an ...
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Tribal lip piercing

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  The beauty of the women of the Suri and Mursi people of southern Ethiopia is determined by how large their lip plates are.       The reason for the lip plates has several theories, shared by the tribal elders, and passed down through generations.   The most sensible one is that it was to make the women unattractive to slave traders.   This is a dichotomy considering the lip plates have evolved into a sign of beauty.   The process of lip stretching will be started by a girl’s mother when she reaches puberty, around 15 years old.   Before the plate process can be started, two or four teeth will be removed from the girl’s mouth.   Then the lower lip is cut to fit a small ceramic disc or peg.   This remains in place until the cut has healed – when it will be replaced by a slightly larger disc.   This process continues until the lip cut is large enough to place the first lip plate, which is around 4cm.     During the stre...
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Bridget and her leg

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Below is the 'project closure' report that I did a year after I'd first had my lower right leg amputated.  I've just cut/paste as I wrote it then.  Some may say it's a journey... When my leg was amputated it was a mas sive shock.  Massive.  I had peripheral artery disease, still have it, now managed by medication, fairly simple stuff.  It can be be asymptomatic.  I wouldn't have necessarily have been an obvious candidate.  I had smoked however so that was obviously a contributing factor.  My vascular consultant describes the arteries as motorways (main arteries) and side roads - any of them can become blocked.  But in fact when I was told my lower leg would have to be amputated it wasn't a surprise.  I mean it wasn't a surprise that it wasn't ok.  I knew it wasn't ok following artery bypass surgery that failed, but it was pretty heartbreaking.  After it was done, being unable to walk was overwhelming and the feeling of being ou...
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A Journey

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Obscure Occupations - Greensmen

Everyone knows what a greensman is, right?  Or do they?... ..     Non-obscure greenkeepers care for golf courses and do horticultural things like looking after the grass and the plants.  But that is not the occupation that I am going to look at. My obscure greensmen (aka greenspeople or greens for short) have an interesting job that I didn’t know existed, and I might want to be one when I grow up.  The obscure occupation is ....... greensperson in the film industry.     These professionals are part of a film’s art department and they have a crucial but usually unnoticed specialist role. Greenspeople read the script and note where any vegetation is required. Then they research, source, place, maintain and care for all the trees, plants and vegetation on set, ensuring that every bit of foliage contributes to the visual story and matches the movie’s aesthetic. Think Deliverance, The Hobbit, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, ...
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