The Code of Senders
“Our menagerie of touch receptors also includes saucer-shaped Merkel’s disks, which lie just below the skin surface and respond to continuous, constant pressure.” (Ackerman 84)
7 x 12 paper
acrylic paint
sheer fabric
leather thread
Artist Statement
The skin has thousands of receptors that send coded messages to the brain to signify touch. The Merkel’s disks are closest to the skin’s surface and respond quickly to touch. In a microcosmic view of the disks, they are rich in purple color and are an oval-like shape. The acrylic paint and thread mimic the intricateness of the Merkel’s disks. The sheer fabric over the paper personifies the skin’s fragile yet prominent existence on the human body.
The skin has thousands of receptors that send coded messages to the brain to signify touch. The Merkel’s disks are closest to the skin’s surface and respond quickly to touch. In a microcosmic view of the disks, they are rich in purple color and are an oval-like shape. The acrylic paint and thread mimic the intricateness of the Merkel’s disks. The sheer fabric over the paper personifies the skin’s fragile yet prominent existence on the human body.
Pain
"There are disguised rites if pain, pain that is endured for the sake of health or beauty." (Ackerman 103)
8 x 11 paper
screws
pins
nail polish
collage elements
Artist Statement
In modern society, women undergo pain in order to meet the minimum standards of beauty. The author mentions how in other settings besides a waxing salon, it may be considered as torture. Hair removal requires a high pain threshold and majority of women participate in it. As of recently, Botox and plastic surgery is extremely normalized in our culture. In the image, the women’s face has screws in areas of hair removal and lip filler. The Vogue cover as the background relates to the origin of beauty standards in fashion magazines.
