Woman turns her own belly skin into cruelty-free leather
Katie Taylor, 52, a woman from the United Kingdom, underwent an intense weight loss journey, shedding an impressive 38 kgs. She then opted for surgery to remove the loose, baggy skin from her stomach, a side effect of rapid fat-shedding. However, instead of discarding it, she chose to turn it into an art project, redefining the term "body art."
How it all began
Taylor was diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes after the birth of her second child in 2004. She started a weight loss journey to manage her symptoms and achieved her goal in March last year. Later, she underwent a tummy tuck surgery. "To others, this idea is bonkers and sounds weird — but it came naturally to me," Taylor told South West News Service.
Part of her Ph.D. project
"I use materials that challenge what can and can't be done in my art and I definitely have a bodily aspect to my work," expressed the fine art Ph.D. student and devoted mother of two. "The idea of bodies and the circularity of human remains or decomposition is part of my Ph.D. project — so this fed into that quite nicely," she added.
How did she convince the doctors?
The British woman cited the Human Tissue Act of 2004 and examples of other patients keeping post-op body parts. After negotiating with the hospital, they agreed to her request on the condition that she would collect it post the procedure. She did so and carefully preserved the 2-kilogram piece of her stomach in saline solution for nine months before transferring it to the freezer.
She took the help of a prehistoric skin tanning expert
Initially, she thought of tanning the piece of skin herself but later abandoned the idea. She reached out to Theresa Emmerich Kamper, a Ph.D. in experimental archaeology with extensive experience in prehistoric skin tanning. In January, she traveled to Exeter and stayed at a nearby hotel for a week. Together, Taylor and Kamper worked on their somewhat eerie art project.
Here's how they tanned it
The cruelty-free leather smith explained that they began by scraping the fat off the back and removing the membrane from the skin. They then soaked the skin in vegetable tanning solution, stirring and checking it every day. Finally, the dynamic duo stretched the filet and leathered it with oil, before drying the swatch in Theresa's tumble dryer.
What she will do with the tanned skin?
Currently, Taylor hasn't decided what to do with the tanned piece of her stomach. Perhaps, she may consider displaying it in an exhibition soon. She feels hesitant to alter the skin and make it into some 'organic' belt or some skin suit. She says it represents her significant weight loss journey. The stomach leather even retains her cesarean scar, stretch marks, and hair follicles.
