Body Adornment
1995 -1997
NSW State Library
Permanent collection
Photographic Silver Gelatin Print 12×16
limited edition of 15 (1997)
Body adornment, is a photographic project based in cultural tribalism. Young gives a rich and detailed look into the underworld of Piercing, Branding and Tattooing. Following a thematic idea, that the environments, shops, parlours and sex clubs where the photography is captured there is an enterprise profiting from these current desires.
“ The project was truly fascinating, never fully knowing where or what I would be uncovering next, never fully understanding some of the behaviour I was viewing.”
“I love finding myself in these places, their so rich with life- almost epitome of being ‘in the moment’ and yet, wrapped up in our society’s social standing and our pecking order, with the customers simalily all trying to be different or be recognised with a certain social sub-set”,
This body of work is the first glimpse into Young’s empathy and voyeuristic style. Dark and sinister, amusing yet frank.