Soy mi propio pergamino (I am my own parchment)
2011
Description
Self-calligraphy over skin by Gabriel Martínez Meave.
Fields
Calligraphy, Body Art
  • Soy mi propio pergamino
    (I’m my own parchment)
    Ephemeral, calligraphic self-tatoo
  • To execute calligraphy over one’s own skin is a curious experience. For one thing, the hand doing the calligraphy is having a busy time writing over a quite irregular surface in a not-so-comfortable position. On the other hand, every stroke is deeply felt in the part of the body being calligraphed. So every character is «experienced» twice, at the same time, in two completely different «points of view», so to speak. On top of that, the eye is monitoring the whole process, adding a third point of view to the mix!
    Since doing good calligraphy requires a highly concentrated, exacting attention, keeping one’s perception divided into three channels –everyone of them also being part of oneself– is a quite intense, physical and intellectual experience, not easy to describe.
    It’s because of this kind of out-of-body sensation that I like doing ephemeral self-calligraphy over my body with a broad-nib, permanent marker. The effect lasts for a few days (unless you don’t take a bath) and it’s different every time. The one I show here is one of my favourite «pieces», also self-photographed with the help of a mirror. The writing reads in Spanish «Soy my propio pergamino», which translates into «I am my own parchment». A self-referential sentence in itself.