The Pillow Book - handwriting more important than the surface of the face

The Pillow Book is Peter Greenaway's movie (1996) which dramatize the ceremonial of calligraphy on human skin. The brush's slight caress on the body and the mystery of those signs, develop an irresistible eroticism.  The film's central character, Nagiko flees from Kyoto to Hong Kong, where eventually she finds work as a fashion model and begins to seek lovers who will fulfill her dreams. For her the appearance of a person's handwriting is more important than the surfaces of his face; she wants to be used as a book, to be written on, to be read.

Her fetish ties in with two ancient Japanese artistic practices. One is the art of tattooing, which can be much more elegant and artistic than in the west, and is used by the yakuza as a way of bonding with their criminal brothers.  It can be seen as a form of submission - to the will of the tattoo artist, to the will of the group dictating the tattoos, or simply in the willingness of a person to be used as an object.

Kim Joon

Cradle Song - Vivienne Westwood - 2009

Korean artist Kim Joon explores the human skin as an extension of canvas and tattoos as a manifestation of human desire.  Using animation photography, Joon creates three-dimensional human figures over which he meticulously grafts human, animal and artifically-created skin. These figures are then covered in bright patterns of "tattoos" made from logos of designer labels and traditional Asian imagery. His work explores the idea of the tattoo -- a major taboo in Korea -- as an expression of secret desires and hidden pain.

Cradle Song -Montblanc, 2009

 

Cradle Song - Ferragamo, 2009

Vogue Patterns by Steven Meisel

I first saw this Italia Vogue cover and story back in December 2007, where it intrigued me through its layering of colour and pattern.  The photos have a hand-colored feel, while the the placement of tattoos on the models blends them seamlessly into the patterned fabric backgrounds.

Where Individuality is Lost

In a time where many feel individuality is losing out to the predominance of the high street, tattoos are losing the social stigma once connected to them and are seemingly helping to fuel the return to self-expression. Recent years have seen a considerable resurgence in the popularity of tattooing, a development that some have dismissed as a fashionable trend as well as a permanent sign of conformity.  At the beginning of the recent tattooing revolution getting a tattoo was a clear sign of deviation, today however the relative permanence of such forms of body modification resists against their full absorption into the fashion system. While some regard their tattoos as decorative accessories, for others tattoos are employed by some as a form of anti-fashion and as a way of fixing or anchoring the involuntarily constructed self.

This year Chanel will be unveiling a set of non-permanent tattoos, as seen on its spring/summer 2010 catwalk, this March.   The highly decorative body art pieces - created by Chanel's global creative director of make-up, Peter Philips - features strings of twisted pearls, elegant chains, wild flowers, beads and bangles with the iconic Chanel logo.

The current appetite for temporary tattoos as an adornment to an outfit- from the cute childhood ink transfers to more elaborate unique designs applied by make-up artists is being viewed as an adjunct to traditional makeup.  The offering of branding and a way for people to define themselves is a method for couture brands to offer the consumer the ability to own the brand as opposed to a bag or a pair of shoes, which can be so passe the following season. This way Chanel, Lanvin, Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton will always be in vogue.  It is perhaps ironic that even the most permanent forms of display can eventually become disposable when it becomes truly appropriated by fashion.

 

Of course the story of make up rewriting the rules for tattoos in fashion is nothing new, faceCulture has already featured it,  but thought it would be worth revisiting the fashion story that illustrated the pages of Vogue Italy back in 2008 Shot by Steven Meisel, it featured model Meghan Collinson totally covered in tattoos, in an Amy Winehouse meets Gustav Klimt scenario.  The images became so iconic that they also made their way into a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Fantastic.

 

Almost as memorable is the video campaign of Gisele Bundchen sporting an all over the body tattoo for her very own brand Ipanema sandals.