Tanning Ritual

2018

#5, Tanning Ritual, 2018 

I imported five French words into Newcastle (United Kingdom). With the help of stencils I tried to make sun-tan tattoos of each word on my body. In the absence of effective natural tanning, I looked for other tattoo methods to obtain similar results. Each word can be divided in two and form two words. Deconstructed words have connotations referring to the body and tanning. I have sometimes taken the liberty of adapting these words to reveal a third meaning. E.g. Peau finer Vein Arde -nt Cou Rage Ton Sure Cor Nichon Whitley Bay was my base, hence the opportunity to meet and investigate the surroundings provided enough material to make the work. In a two-part performance, the tanning action resulted in a translation by musical demonstration, which might be classified as lo-fi / Art-folk.