Point Journal issue #56 - Association of Professional Piercers

Promenading in Elation was developed to
expose the neck in order to allow the skin
to be pulled away from the body, making
the flesh an intrinsic visual part of the piece,
and to hold weights that would serve to
pull the skin. As I walk, the weights swing
and shift the pull of my neck in different
directions, reacting to my body in motion.
I have used this kinetic reaction to heighten
the experience of the collar by deliberately
shifting my body weight from one side to
another. I take this a step farther by spinning
in circles, which pulls the weights outward
and creates a stronger pull on my neck,
continuing to transform the pull of the skin.
Amalgamation is a bracelet that works
in a similar manner, but with tension lines
rather than weights. Twelve hooks are pierced
through my forearm and attached to the frame
of the bracelet. The movement of my arm is
limited to a slightly bent position and every
muscle movement pulls upon the hooks.
Previous devices I created simply pressed
objects into the skin to ornament a particular
part of the body and leave a temporary design.
These two piercing pieces significantly extend
the scope of my work since the skin is being
penetrated and transformed by the pull of an
object, not by the object being pressed into
the skin. The mark becomes a more visible
scar and enters the structure of the body,
dissolving the boundary between jewelry and
flesh. These resultant scars serve as markers
of the event and as a permanent ornament.
I have worn Promenading in Elation
at numerous events such as the Dallas
Suspension Conference (2009) and the
Seattle Erotic Art Festival (2010). This past
April, Allen Falkner invited me to have
a fashion show at Freaks and Fetish, the
opening party for the Dallas Suspension
Conference.
I still consider both of these pieces
prototypes. Amalgamation has only been
worn once and will be redesigned with
all the kinks worked out. The frame for
Promenading in Elation was rebuilt in
2010 and the hooks were downsized. My
experiences creating, wearing, and exhibiting
these pieces have deepened my understanding
of the emotional and social meanings of
piercing and suspension and will lead to
further experiments in creating jewelry that
continues to pursue those goals. P
14 THE POINT ISSUE 56