Vision Statement:
Our vision for Traditional Arts of the Altered Body:
“to
work in partnership to develop mutually supportive mechanisms with
academics, researchers and practitioners to raise awareness of
and promote the study of traditional arts that alter the human
form in some way whether transient, temporary or semi-permanent or
permanent ”
Within
this vision it is important to qualify exactly what it is that we are
concerned with, therefore the project team have agreed the following
definitions, broad aims and themes which in themselves will frame the
project:
Defining Traditional Arts of the Altered Body:
- “Traditional”
is defined as a practice spanning at least three years and participated
in by at least 30 people.
-
“Arts” is defined as a practice that changes the aesthetic
appearance of the human form (including the face and hair) according to
a cultural norm.
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Goals of Traditional Arts of the Altered Body:
- Intends to balance academic research and analysis equally with
reconstruction and practice of body alteration;
- Intends to encourage investigation and comparison of a broad range of body alterations;
- Intends to encourage publication and presentation of serious research on body alteration.
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Thematic areas explored by Traditional Arts of the Altered Body:
The project recognises that people use their bodies, particularly skin,
to communicate with others, and they purposefully alter their bodies to
this end:
- People alter their bodies to conform to cultural ideals
- People alter their bodies to resist cultural ideal
- People alter their bodies to communicate membership in a group
- People alter their bodies to communicate individuality outside of a group
- People alter their bodies to enhance their hierarchy within a group
- People alter their bodies and their children’s bodies for the purpose of cultural reproduction
- People alter their bodies with culturally significant symbols
- People alter their bodies to manage risk
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- People may alter the body of another to alter that person’s status
- People may alter the body of another to elevate that person’s status
- People may alter the body of another to punish that person
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The project recognises that people use their bodies, particularly skin,
to communicate with others, and they purposefully alter their bodies to
this end:
The project recognises that:
(1) People have always altered their bodies
(2) People continue to alter their bodies
(3) People in all countries alter their bodies
The project recognises that there is no culture that leaves the body “in the state of nature” |
The project recognises many media are used to achieve alteration:
- Paint
- Stains
- Piercing
- Tattooing
- Scarification
- Surgical alteration, including appliances and implants
- Weight alteration
- Muscle alteration
- Gender alteration
- Melanin alteration
- Hair alteration
- Branding
- Mechanical alteration, such as bone shaping and tissue shaping
- Superficial alteration, such as through structured garments
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The project recognises that all of the above fall into broad categories of
- Transient
- Temporary
-
Permanent
- Physical
- Internal Process
- External Process
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Delivery Overview
The delivery of the vision will be achieved:
- Through activities physically held or carried out in the UK (and available globally through an internet presence).
- Through an application for funding to carry out an educational conference in 2008 (and beyond subject to review)
- Through
an application for funding to promote the study of traditional arts
that alter the body via travelling exhibitions to arts venues
- Through applications for other external funding for other associated projects
- Through the TAAB wesbite which serves to support the vision.
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