Traditional Body Art - Introduction to Body Art
This video documenting Body Art acted as an introduction to the materials and influences used in traditional forms of body art i.e. African. The intentions of African Body Art was to use the skin as a canvas in hopes attract the opposite sex, to gain acess into the spiritual world and to separate oneself from the enemy. In contrast to modern day materials the materials of traditional African body art derive from thier natural environment. For example to produce a rich redish colour they would go to the banks of the Omo River (known to be on of the "last remaing pockets of African Culture") and collect okar.
Traditional African Art was informed by rock engravings and paintings similar to the ones below.
The use of the materials found within the natural world within traditional African body art are shown in the images below. In their practice they used white chalk on the end of sticks in addition to different pigmented rocks. This was because they recognised the contrast in colour with detailed prints of white on the indiviudals skin. However in irony to the amount of work they put in these designs lasted usually for a maximum of one day.
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