model mayhem

when looking through model mayhem i came across these inspirational images which really are helping me with a final look.



there all very much editorial based but the inital art is really gathering more ideas into my head.

Primary research

Karen morris-lanz is my best mates mums who expereinced life in a tribe. The mnew meaning in her life by spending a month with the Waorani tribe deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon Jungle. 

Bameno is four days down a river on a dugout canoe from the nearest town, and does not, as yet have a postal address.

 Karen states in a article... "The jungle was are super market. For example, I had taken some biodegradable hair conditioner but it did not work well. My hair soon became dry. Debota my hostess gave me a fruit from the forest that we heated in the fire. Her daughter Yamenca put it on my hair and my hair quickly regained condition. "

    She ended up getting hitched to the tribe's only bachelor and being wooed by the hunter with dead monkeys and birds.
    The mother-of-two had hoped to find new meaning in her life by spending a month with Waorani tribe deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon jungle.
   But they were appalled to find she was unmarried and promptly decided that what was missing in her life was a husband.
   Tribe hunter Ewenginto declared he was "Happy" as soon as he met Karen and set out to impress her so that she would stay and the pair of them wouldn't be lonely any more.
   The tribe elders agreed it was a great idea and threw a wedding party for the unsuspecting Karen and her groom.
   Karen was a little suprised when she realised what was happening, but says it was highly flattering and very moving that the tribe wanted her to stay so much and be part of their lives.
   Her final parting with Ewenginto in the BBC 2 documentary was as tear-jerking as any Hollywood movie romance.

   Ewenginto declared he would be her husband for ever and would always wait for her. "I shall think of you every night," he said sadly as Karen fought unsuccessfully to stop her tears



this was a truely amazing experience to me never mind to karen ... we couldnt wait for her to get home and tell us her storys. her life has totally changed in the way she respects everything and everyone , it turely touched her heart.

this is the man who fell in love with her .

look at the art on the arms and body .... amzing!

keep looking for an update on a real interivew with karen morris.

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