On Sun 19 May 2013 Cornerhouse will host its latest Micro Commission, Written in Skin by Loren Fetterman and Stefanie Elrick. Members of the press and public can pop into our Annexe between 11.00 and 5.00 to watch the progression of a project that dissolves the boundaries between literature, art, love and pain.
The first collaboration between tattooist and fantasy artist Loren Fetterman and performance artist Stefanie Elrick, Written in Skin will see the stories of an international group of strangers ‘blood-lined’ across Stefanie’s entire body in one sitting. Blood-lining is a semi-permanent form of tattooing without ink, which results in scratches that are visible for weeks but gradually heal and disappear.
Literalising the emotional marks we inflict and receive through experience and transforming them into a customised piece of body art, this project explores vulnerability, intimacy and the regenerative process of love. The first stage of the project involves collecting and selecting writing, relationship commentaries, stories and poetry from anonymous contributors across the world via an open virtual hub, with successful submissions then integrated by Loren into an intricate, full-body design that represents the fluctuating ideal of love and its effects.
Written in Skin illuminates the idea of wearing our experience on our bodies, not with hearts on sleeves but with memories etched onto our flesh. As the skin begins to restore itself in the following weeks, photographer Jamie Alun Price will document the healing process via an online picture diary.
Further info and examples of submissions from members of the public are available on the Written In Skin website.
Written in Skin
Sun 19 May 2013, 11:00 – 17:00
The Annexe
Cornerhouse, Manchester
Free, drop in
Part of Cornerhouse Micro Commissions
www.cornerhouse.org/art/art-events/written-in-skin
