Tattoo Traces
Publication of temporary tattoos mimicking imprints left on the body by garments as if language printed on oneself. To be applied consciously, to become aware of what often are unconscious encounters, symbolising the very intimate nature of our relationship to garments.
With my body imprinted, I(’)M-PRINT(ed)
Continually engaged in unconscious streams of material interaction, body and garment are in constant dialogue. However, as alluded to, these body-garment encounters mainly occur unbeknownst to ourselves. Without realising it, our bodies are publications in their own right, forevermore marked and imprinted by fibres and threads touching the body. The body becomes - or always has been – printed matter. Unwillingly even, since wearing implies and requires physical proximity, whether we like it or not. We can’t withdraw our bodies from exposure to external matter. However, we seem to have withdrawn our minds from this body publicity. Somehow, we have gotten so accustomed to this body-garment encounter we no longer contemplate the occurrence, therefore equally not paying any attention to the visual traces of these interactions. Whilst they are tremendously valuable as visual marks of embodiment. Contemplating the imprints left behind is disclosing material memory, body and garment being co-authors of such visual records; however, neither acknowledged as such. And even if they were, the ephemeral nature of these imprints leaves us with a small window of opportunity to consider them. This only amplifies and contributes to our tendency to neglect these imprints.
Continually engaged in unconscious streams of material interaction, body and garment are in constant dialogue. However, as alluded to, these body-garment encounters mainly occur unbeknownst to ourselves. Without realising it, our bodies are publications in their own right, forevermore marked and imprinted by fibres and threads touching the body. The body becomes - or always has been – printed matter. Unwillingly even, since wearing implies and requires physical proximity, whether we like it or not. We can’t withdraw our bodies from exposure to external matter. However, we seem to have withdrawn our minds from this body publicity. Somehow, we have gotten so accustomed to this body-garment encounter we no longer contemplate the occurrence, therefore equally not paying any attention to the visual traces of these interactions. Whilst they are tremendously valuable as visual marks of embodiment. Contemplating the imprints left behind is disclosing material memory, body and garment being co-authors of such visual records; however, neither acknowledged as such. And even if they were, the ephemeral nature of these imprints leaves us with a small window of opportunity to consider them. This only amplifies and contributes to our tendency to neglect these imprints.
Whereas usually, sartorial imprints will manifest themselves in hidden or more intimate places – not as much on show for the general public eye or even one’s own eye – tattoos mimicking such imprints allow us to retrace the impressions that certain garments made on our body when we weren’t (yet) aware of them. Within fashion, several designers have dabbled in the act of tattoos, however, always colouring within the lines of the garment’s seam, none taking the concept to the actual body. First seized by Martin Margiela within his broader framework of trompe l’oeil garments, the tattoo concept trickled down. And to this day, Margiela’s concept lives on, tapped into by Vetements and COMME des GARÇONS, among others. Only a few years after Margiela, Jean Paul Gaultier embraced the aptitude of tattoos in fashion, this time applying them to the body. Although this designer went ahead and engaged the actual body, the tattoos still mostly acted as a form of body art. The tattoos of this publication, however, truly embody the wearer-worn interaction. As such, these tattoos are a marker of, yes, visual impressions, but equally of the sensorial impression that occurs when body and garment encounter one another. In a like-minded way, the concept of temporary tattoos encapsulates this twofold feature of the visual and sensorial alike. One will only be granted a visual outcome when sensibly applying the tattoo; a conscious consideration of the merger between ink and skin therefore required. So, through the tattoo, a visual recall of these imprints is mediated by (sensorial) touch.
Much more outspoken than the subtlety of sartorial imprints, these tattoos act as leeway for what once was a rather private affair. Private to the extent that even the wearer most probably wasn’t aware of the own imprinted body. The tattoos make public what once was private. In consciously applying imprints established in the body-garment encounter onto the body, one is granted the allocated time to retrace certain material memories once manifested on the skin. Still temporary, however, the fading process will at least be a little prolonged. Photography is one way to capture and give a more persistent voice to imprints. Within my initial research, I came across several spreads documenting the visual evidence of impressions left behind on the body. Rendering those marks of embodiment into tattoos might not make them as permanent, however, applied to the skin rather than contemplated through paper or screen, it does make them more tangible and lifelike compared to photographs.
At the same time, it also involves a certain sense of abstraction and alienation. Without the proximity of an actual garment, it might be hard to determine the context of certain imprints. This relates to the wearer-worn detachment in which sartorial imprints were not as much contemplated. The wearer – whether of garment or tattoo – is thus left with a lingering hint of alienation, albeit of a different nature. However, publishing these ‘imprint-mimicking’ tattoos encourages the unconscious wearer to consciously consider the worn and the act of wearing. So, the wearer is involved in unravelling embodiment, which feels like the way to go about this specific topic. After all, there is no better way to disclose the many intricacies of the wearer-worn constellation than to affect both body and garment in the actual process. Of course, there are many more imprints to uncover and publish, therefore this publication can be considered the first edition of a perhaps ongoing concept.
At the same time, it also involves a certain sense of abstraction and alienation. Without the proximity of an actual garment, it might be hard to determine the context of certain imprints. This relates to the wearer-worn detachment in which sartorial imprints were not as much contemplated. The wearer – whether of garment or tattoo – is thus left with a lingering hint of alienation, albeit of a different nature. However, publishing these ‘imprint-mimicking’ tattoos encourages the unconscious wearer to consciously consider the worn and the act of wearing. So, the wearer is involved in unravelling embodiment, which feels like the way to go about this specific topic. After all, there is no better way to disclose the many intricacies of the wearer-worn constellation than to affect both body and garment in the actual process. Of course, there are many more imprints to uncover and publish, therefore this publication can be considered the first edition of a perhaps ongoing concept.
I(’)M-PRINT(ed. I)
JAN.2023
MA Critical Fashion Practices.ArtEZ
... Critical Fashion Publishing