Just an update on this – I wrote about it back in October of 2004; Shelly Jackson’s ‘Skin‘
I finally heard back from Ms. Jackson, albeit in a form letter. Evidently the response has been overwhelming, she’s got thousands of applicants for only a few hundred words.
I still don’t know if I’m giving up a piece of skin for this work; she says she’ll be sending out release forms for the remaining words within the next couple of months. My fingers are crossed. It’s the sort of pointless art-for-art’s-sake thing I love, and you know, I have plenty of skin to spare so far.
This thing has made me think about what words I would choose, if given a choice; say, a single word to represent me, or to represent my life, or my goals. I don’t have any idea what it would be, but I’m thinking.
I was looking at a tattoo in some tattooist’s book back in March when I got my H O L D – F A S T tattoo; and I had to wonder at the time if it was for skin. It said:
Someday…
Which was an incredibly evocative thing, and something I held in my head for days afterwards.
I love word tattoos. I truly hope I wind up getting to participate in Ms Jackson’s project.
But doesn’t it seem a *sad* kind of word tattoo as well…?
Sad? Not so much. I found it hopeful, with just a taste of melancholy.