Piercing |
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Body piercing is a more widespread practice than the other forms of body art addressed in the exhibition. Ear piercing and nose piercing are especially commonplace among many different cultures. While the process of piercing can be significant in itself sections of the exhibition focus on the outcome of the process, that is, the jewellery associated with piercing and what it means. Many parts of the body can be pierced and there is a great array of jewellery associated with piercing. One of the most widely accepted body modifications found in cultures all over the planet is the pierced ear. Modern piercing techniques allow for easy piercing and more successful healing, especially for cartilage piercings. The modern primitives movement has brought the stretched ear loop to Western culture after a long low-profile existence in the South Pacific and Africa over the last few thousand years. Ear piercing is very straightforward. A tiny hole is made through the ear tissue, usually in the fleshy lobe at the bottom of the ear. Permanent jewelry is worn in the holes, allowing the holes to heal “open”, giving the person “pierced ears.” Modern techniques are usually either a piercing gun or a hand technique using a slant-tip needle. The hand technique is more precise and utilizes a sharper instrument which is much less traumatic to the tissue. Most modern piercings studios utilize the new sterile hand techniques, but ask how the person performing the piercing received their training and what methods they prefer and why. All tools should be sterilized and “single-service”, meaning they get used on only one person and then properly discarded. Placement of lip piercings can vary quite a bit, and often jewelry
choice is related to the location and size of the piercing. Lower
lip piercings can be centered or placed as desired almost anywhere
along the lower lip line. Rings are frequently worn for lower lip
piercings, but curved tusks, short spikes and studs can be worn
if desired. |
Piercing
is decorative only insofar as it allows the body to hold certain
kinds of ornaments, which are inserted through the skin in a way
that permits healing around the opening. Most commonly pierced are
the soft tissues of the face, but many peoples, past and present,
have also pierced other parts of the body. Ear, nose and lip ornaments,
as well as pierced figurines, have been found in ancient burials
of the Inka and Moche of Peru, the Aztecs and Maya of ancient Mexico
and in graves of central Asian and Mediterranean peoples. The act
of piercing is often part of a ceremony marking a coming of age,
a change in status or the accession to office. Ornaments may be
restricted to certain people or worn only on certain occasions.
Because ornaments can be made of precious and rare materials --
ivory, gold, jade and precious stones such as diamonds and emeralds
-- they may signal privilege and wealth.