Edinburgh Unit for Forensic Anthropology

       Labels and stereotypes are how we like to define one another in life. We judge each other based on skin colour, attractiveness, ethnicity, gender, religion and socioeconomic status. But in death, none of these things matter. In the context of human identification in forensic anthropology, only physical markers on the skeleton are used to determine information about an unknown deceased individual.  Physical characteristics like height and sex, past trauma (i.e. broken bones, medical procedures/implants) and whether or not the person had any diseases or health conditions around the time of death can be revealed through exploration of the skeleton’s scars.

       The human body is a unique entity that develops through a series of biological events regulated by surrounding influences. What makes a human being is a dynamic construction of corporal memories that define one’s individual identity beyond just genes or culture. Our scars are not only empirical memories but also became “proofs” used by scientists for identification. This project presents an interactive installation of a human body baring signs of events in life that eventually lead to the creation of its unique landmark in a multidimensional chaos.

      An artist (Farrah Nasseri) and a scientist (Elena Kranioti) will join forces to create a dynamic installation of a life-size painting of a human body on which “scars” will be presented in a variety of different forms (photographs, medical images, 3D prints, projected videos, etc.) in different layers constructed with different materials. The audience will be able to experience the reconstruction of a unique personal path following the signs on the human body allowing them to reflect on their own unique existence through their lifetime experiences.