Scar Study by Ruth Bryant -SOLD OUT!

Scar Study explores the way trauma manifests in the body. The impetus for this work was my participation in a scar study that tested the efficacy of two different laser treatments for scar removal. Throughout this process, I became acutely aware of how much the trauma that brought about my scars still lives in my body. I have created a body of work that includes a nested accordion book (Scar Study), a miniature single-sheet meander book that unfolds to display a map (Ethnography of a Home), and a letterpress printed and waxed paper toy of my body with its scars. These separate but related pieces are intended to be viewed together as portions of a whole, no one piece claiming ownership over the entire narrative. Through these pieces, I examine my evolving relationship with my body and its scars (visible and invisible), its history of violence, and the way that personal experiences have influenced how I move through the world.