A autoria na tatuagem contemporânea : uma perspetiva de design

Abstract

Historically tattoos have a negative connotation, mostly associated with underground cultures, however contemporary tattooing has a different status, presented as more open, more technical and professional. By distancing itself from its underground phenomenon that used to characterize it, thus becoming a socially immersive medium, it´s necessary to observe the tattoo from a different perspective in order to fully understand it nowadays. This present investigation uses design as a reference to the study of contemporary tattooing, for it recognizes similarities between both creative and authorial processes. More than establishing comparisons, this research has as primordial goal to understand the art of tattooing from the artistic field as a professional, authorial, socially and validated activity, by recognizing the work produced by its stakeholders (the tattoo artists). Therefore, this investigation seeks to discuss how the creative and authorial methods of contemporary tattooing can be described and explained trough design. The theoretical framework offers a revision and discussion of bibliography concerning design and how the creative and authorial processes manifest, and the tattoo, taking in consideration historical, cultural and social issues that condition it until contemporaneity. The case study is chosen as the method and five tattoo artists are selected, whose work is recognized and has a relevant authorial role. The analysis is carried out following a triangular design model, that connects authorship, program and technology, by establishing as axes of those vertices self-expression, co-authorship and material. It is stated that the creative process of tattoo artists results of the continuous interaction and dialogue with their client and aims to correspond to both their expectations. Since customers differ, tattoo artists must find mechanisms that are able to adapt to the circumstances of each task, what puts more emphasis on the relation between self-expression and co-authorship