Victoria Cross

Artist Statement

For my thesis, I explored the idea of tattooing and how tattoos can be used as an alternative healing method. Thus came Skin, a paramedical tattooing center. The primary users of this center are anyone who has suffered trauma to their skin, such as mastectomy, amputation, self harm, vitiligo, birthmarks, and many more.

The purpose of this center is to help and support the users heal through their recovery journey, by creating friendships with others who have gone through similar events. And this is why Skin acts as a community center for this user group, where they are able to come back time and time again, even when not receiving a tattoo. This center is also changing the bias around people having tattoos. People with tattoos used to be seen as rebels, but this center shows older generations that just because someone has a tattoo that does not affect a person's character—it is a way for people to express themselves, and in this case, highlight their struggles.

The concept was drawn from skin and the idea of emerging pigments. Our skin acts as an open book for our lives. We create new beginnings while trying to shield the trauma and scars. Here at Skin, we are using tattooing to embrace those differences through a form of therapeutic healing. The scars of the users are just another added chapter into their lives and by using the healing process of tattooing, they are taking control back to rewrite their stories. The pigments used in the tattoos are meant to make an everlasting impression for times come. Between the focal ceiling element, materials, and furniture, they all act as metaphorical responses to the resilience of skin and pigments and relate back to the resilience and strength the primary users have shown during their recovery journeys.

VIEW THE PDF

Click through the embedded PDF to see the full scope of Victoria's thesis project. Click the icon at the bottom right-hand corner to view in fullscreen mode.