Scarification and Nanotechnology

At an early age, I wondered why I was scarified on my chest. I vaguely remember a ceremony, rhythm and herbs. Later as an adolescent, I found it aesthetically reassuring: I was marked by a mystic signs, a printed message, a memo, a code. Could it change? Could it talk? Could I use such body modification as a means of self-expression?

I started to think about communication, the languages of skin and technology. Living and working in Japan allowed me to meet Japanese R&D people and learn more about nanotechnology.

Curious parallels arose between scarification and nanotechnology: one makes a message visible, the other makes a function virtually disappear; one is deeply rooted in ancient black-skinned tribal lore, the other surfs a global belief that the way back is dark. I find these ambiguities constructive in many ways. Marking the skin carries universal connotations of pain or slavery as much as an appreciation of beauty and authenticity. Yet deep within this apparent dichotomy lies a sense of wonder about the creative possibilities of transformation and intelligent living surfaces. I too wonder about the functional dimensions of skin coding and see further crossroads of communication to explore, paths as yet unmapped…