Scarification

Throughout many tribes in the world scarification is a sign of childhood, in which the face is scarred or as adulthood approaches the abodeman is scarred.

After watching a documentery on this i discovered there were many reasons why they do this, as i truely didnt want to believe to put children and adults through this pain for nothing. They do this to transmit complex messages about identity, or with such permanment markings may empahasize fixed, social, political ad religious roles. Even in some tribes around the world its a mark od someone killing a enemy in battle. 

I find this truely remarkable, but amazingly disgusting with the whole way they do this procedure. Different ways in which scarification occur is through scratching, etching, burning and cutting in the skin. The way in which they look at the body is a living canvas, and is socially valuable towards there family and tribe. 

The crocodile men 

The sepik river tribe ... they resemble the crocodile into the skin using sharp instruments to produce the looks of scales from a crocodile into their body... oouucchhhhh!!!

The meaning behind this ceremoney has deeply spirtual and symbolic connotations. The tribe believe theat the scars are crocodiles teeth that have swallowed the adolescents and morphed them into 'crocodile men'

The event culminates as the tribes celebration of the return of the ancestral crocodiles: legend has it, that when they migrated through the Sepik river, the crocdiles established a human population.

As well as a celebration, the cermony is very important in estabishing discipine and testing the strength of the young males. Their backs, buttocks and chest al recieve multiple lacerations with bamboo sticks, creating scars that when healed from eloids, 'sharply elevated, often round or oval scars due to the rich production of collagen in the dermal layer.

Heres a short video on the procedure of the 'crocdile men'

Experimenting with tattoos

 firstly i ripped images out of magazines and started drawing on them in a tribal design then with Fardel water color cream i painted into it. 

Im very happy with the turnout of this image .. the lines could of been alot neater ... but the more practise the better. The design is free hand.

 I really like the design of this tattoo ... and i think i choose the perfect image to do it on... the drawing i'snt symmetrical .. i thought i had more space than i did.

First hand experience of the Maasai Wariors

This exhibition was truly an inspiration to me ... there culture and the way they live is incredible, throughout the show there did a short drama, and sang a song, after this there was chance to ask them questions.

" what do you use to create the marks on your body and why do you do this"?
"we use clay mixed with water and plants to produce other colors for the makeup, and we do this for a camouflager when hunting ."

After the show they were selling jewelry brought from Kenya which was made and truly smelt like  it was made... i brought a beautiful piece of jewelry in which i hope to use for this project for £15 BARGAIN!

You can see faintly the marks on his arm in no particular way.

I absolutely love this necklace... if they had one on the stall i would of payed a lot of money for it! its beautiful and so much color and detail. 

The oldest member of the tribe to your left and the leader to your right.

This is my purchase from the exhibition ... it actually smells unusual.. but the detail and you can see how it was made.

Thought i'd get a picture with them .... i Love them !! ... you can see the camouflager on the blokes legs to the left of me .

this is a video recorded by me of the show they put on... it was gob smacking ... there voices are like treasure in the ocean ... magical .. unique .. how they make theses noises amazes me.

All in all this was a must see exhibition and i would of been so annoyed at myself if i didn't make it. 

Experimenting with technuiques.

In our practical lessons we have looked and many different ways to mark the body with colour and materials..... i throghly enjoyed this and it really made you think everything is able to be used.

Using a black eyeliner i drew this design free hand... then with a black supra colour i filled in the areas needed. If i had a smaller brush it would of been alot cleaner and the lines more sharp, i alson would use aqua clour next time to stop the shine, for it to set as this will smudge as soon you touch it. i am very happy with the outcome and it shows exactly what is wanted.

This technique was made with transfer from a magazine... using a non shiny magazine cut the image in which you want, place on the area of skin whered you want the image transfered. place on the skin and with cotton wool and acetone nail varnish gently dab and wipe down the image when wet enough peal back the image and you should see the transfer on the back.

now with the supra palete fill ion over the image creating a finished transfer.

this is a very good and helpful stencil to remeber for future refrence for body painting... i didnt have time to finish it but i defiantly will try this again. 

Wodaabe Tribe

Sometimes known as the Bororo, are nomadic herdsmen living in the Republic of Niger and neighboring regions. The festival "geeewol" with it "bridesgroom" parade is when the men make a special effort to enhance their appearance; they can spend hours and hours adorning themselves with paint and makeup to  make themselves look as desirable as they can to the women.

it is a competition to show there physical attractions, they further enhance they facial features with makeup, rolling there eyes and puffing out there cheeks.  

this is one of my favourite tribes, the detail and time put into every male is amazing. why can't they do this every day?? haha

Tribal references in fashion editorial

From French Vogue 2009 these images are eye catching in every sense in the body art and the way in which the image is shoot, love the tattoos and the head dress in the image on the right.

From US Vogue in 2010 "the warrior way". the alpha female of the social jungle.

Tribal references in fashion catwalk

This was a promotion on the catwalk for TEMPTU tribal chic kit. 

2010 spring/summer collection ... the tribal work is truly inspirational and gives such a unique sense on every model it not being the same design on them all.

After going to the library i picked up a few books which are really going to help through this project and get a really good knowledge of the decorated skin in which they create.

"decorated skin a world of survey of body art" by Karl Groning

"world dress" Frances Kennett.

This image is from the decorated skin book and it just blew me away! the pure detail in the body art is just unbelievable. he is a Samo fron the west papua new Guinea around 1969. 

Throughout the next few weeks i'm going to look into many different tribes, how they live, their cosmetic references as a tribe, how and why they would do this, look at how tribes are different in many ways. I'm very excited and enthusiastic towards this project, i feel very happy in what the outcome needs to be and how i am going to achieve this.

Initial research 

After typing into Google African tribes i found the most beautiful images of  children using the natural pigments of soil and rock of their surroundings and Hans Sylvester captured this with so much emotion, every child has a different painting on their faces and this show their expression of their lives.  

this is one of my favorite images i've looked at so far!! .. there isn't so much emotion towards the child and the way in which she is stating herself in the photography, the whole design of the image is beautiful with the leaves as a head dress and the colors on the face really stand out! AMAZING!

Just beautiful! , the flowers used as head bands shows so much elegance.

MY FAVORITE ! .. just look at the color's in which shes used and lines created on the face its kind of like camouflage  and well that head piece is just spectacular .

Too cute!! .. the facial painting just says i'm a little flower :) ... the flower in the mouth just gives color to the image.

OMG! i love the horns!! this is a true tribal image showing off what the surroundings are and how they use this for their daily needs.