Illamasqua Body Electric. New takes on skin contact

The point of this blog was always to reflect a variety of inspirations that indicate how our understanding of the decoration of the face and body has moved on, subsequently it is not always about the final image.  Discussing product innovations is just as important to form an impression of how we wish to communicate our design intentions, so it is interesting to find that the cosmetic brand Illamasqua are attempting to address the desire to reflect skin surface as a canvas by launching their first collection of make-up for the whole body.

Inspired by the power of kinetic energy and the fluidity of the body in motion, the Illamasqua Body Electrics range "ignites the skin with intensity and highlights the body's every twist and turn to exquisite perfection."  Designed to highlight and contour the whole body, the intention is to to accentuate every movement and take body make-up to a whole new level.  This urge to decorate the human body could be seen as an attempt to adopt and adapt universal symbolism from primitive or exotic arts in much the same way that many Twentieth Century artists have explored this 'decoration', the German expressionists and Picasso are the most immediate examples that come to mind.

 The fundamental purpose of decorating the human body at nodal sites - head neck chest,waist, arm, wrist, knee and ankle - is to reinforce their vital energy.

Rawson P , Rawson P. 2005. Art and Time. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. p.114

This revised focus on cosmetics for the body questions whether this desire to decorate or modify the body is an attempt to impart spiritual or aesthetic energy, a reflection of our fear that the 'body' has lost much of its affect on the environment because of our dependence on virtual communication and an attempt to reconnect to the 'disappearing body' (Kroker and Kroker, 'Body Writing' in Body Invaders, p 223).