1ransgresslng 8oundarles: Skln ln Lhe ConsLrucLlon of 8odlly lnLerlor 1

1ransgresslng 8oundarles: Skln ln Lhe ConsLrucLlon of 8odlly lnLerlor

Skln and Lhe conLemporary bodlly lnLerlor
1he conLemporary concepL of a bodlly lnLerlor, of skln boundlng a space lnhablLed by Lhe lndlvldual, ls noL
unchallenged nor has lL sponLaneously arlsen. 1he lnLerlor has been consLrucLed as Lhe human body has
undergone varlous modes of producLlon. lL ls, and wlll remaln ln a sLaLe of 'becomlng' as Lhe boundarles of
Lhe llved body are conLlnually challenged and redeflned. 1hls paper brlefly ouLllnes Lhe role LhaL skln has
played ln consLrucLlng Lhe noLlon of Lhe bodlly lnLerlor, and how Lhls concepL has changed markedly over
Lhe cenLurles as a resulL of evolvlng culLural aLLlLudes and sclenLlflc advances.
Puman skln funcLlons slmulLaneously as a sensory surface and Lhe border of Lhe lnhablLed space LhaL ls Lhe
bodlly lnLerlor. A place of Lenslon and flux, Lhls lnLerlor ls caughL beLween sLaLes of conLalnmenL and
revelaLlon as Lhe boundarles of Lhe llved body are conLlnually challenged and redeflned. A producL of Lhe
dlalecLlcs beLween ouLslde and lnslde lL ls a concepL LhaL ln lLs conLemporary lncarnaLlon ls comprlsed of
lnward characLer as much as lnner organs and parLs. lrench psychoanalysL uldler Anzleu's noLlon of Lhe
skln-ego addresses Lhe foundaLlon of Lhe dlvlslon beLween Lhe bodlly lnLerlor and ouLslde envlronmenL.
1he skln-ego acLs as a unlfylng psychlc envelope ln accordance wlLh Lhe skln lLself:
'1he prlmary funcLlon of Lhe skln ls Lhe sac whlch conLalns and reLalns lnslde lL Lhe goodness and
fullness accumulaLed Lhere Lhrough feedlng, care, Lhe baLhlng ln words. lLs second funcLlon ls as Lhe
lnLerface whlch marks Lhe boundary wlLh Lhe ouLslde and keeps LhaL ouLslde ouL, lL ls Lhe barrler
whlch proLecLs agalnsL peneLraLlon by Lhe aggresslon and greed emanaLlon from oLhers, wheLher
people or ob[ecLs. llnally, Lhe Lhlrd funcLlon - whlch Lhe skln shares wlLh Lhe mouLh and whlch
performs aL leasL as ofLen - as a slLe and a prlmary means of communlcaLlng wlLh oLhers, of
esLabllshlng slgnlfylng relaLlons, lL ls, moreover an 'lnscrlblng surface' for Lhe marks lefL by Lhose
oLhers.'
1
As Anzleu ouLllnes, Lhe skln-ego ls funcLlonal ln Lhe consLrucLlng of bodlly boundarles on a fundamenLal
level. lL ls a proLecLlve conLalner, an expresslve lnLerface LhaL communlcaLes an lnner essence, and a fllLer
for exchanges LhaL moderaLes Lhe lnscrlpLlons of oLhers and Lhe envlronmenL. 1he skln-ego ls formed
Lhrough LacLlle lnLeracLlon as chlldren come Lo percelve Lhelr skln as a surface and arrlve aL Lhe
undersLandlng of Lhe self as conLalned wlLhln lL, excluslve of Lhe oLher. 1he formaLlve experlences of Louch
reveal skln Lo be boLh a recepLlve and expresslve organ sub[ecL Lo a phenomenon known as 'double
sensaLlon'. LllzabeLh Crosz explalns LhaL 'double sensaLlons are Lhose ln whlch Lhe sub[ecL uLlllzes one parL
of Lhe body Lo Louch anoLher, Lhus exhlblLlng Lhe lnLerchangeablllLy of acLlve and passlve sensaLlons, of
Lhose poslLlons of sub[ecL and ob[ecL, mlnd and body.'
2
ln Lhe acL of boLh Louchlng and belng Louched

1
uldler Anzleu. 1989. 1he Skln Lgo. new Paven and London: ?ale unlverslLy ress. 1rans. Chrls 1urner, 40.
2
LllzabeLh Crosz. 1994. volaLlle 8odles: 1oward a Corporeal lemlnlsm. 8loomlngLon: lndlana unlverslLy ress, 33-36.
1ransgresslng 8oundarles: Skln ln Lhe ConsLrucLlon of 8odlly lnLerlor 2
double sensaLlons lllusLraLe Lhe skln's ablllLy Lo medlaLe Lhe Lenslons LhaL arlse ouL of Lhe negoLlaLlon
beLween surface and lnLerlor.
CasLon 8achelard engages wlLh Lhls phenomenology of Lhe ouLslde and lnslde Lhrough a poeLlc exploraLlon
of surface ln hls semlnal work on Lhe experlence of lnLlmaLe space, 1he oeLlcs of Space. Pe dellberaLes
LhaL 'on Lhe surface of belng, ln LhaL reglon where belng wanLs Lo be boLh vlslble and hldden, Lhe
movemenLs of openlng and closlng are so numerous, so frequenLly lnverLed, and so charged wlLh
heslLaLlon, LhaL we could conclude on Lhe followlng formula: man ls half-open belng.'
3
Surface ls here
characLerlsed as caughL ln a sLaLe polsed beLween Lhe unseen and exposed, so engaged ln boLh Lhe deslre
Lo be revealed and Lo hlde away LhaL lL exhlblLs a changeablllLy. WheLher Lhe sLuLLerlng beLween vlslble and
hldden ls a resulL of Lhe lnLerLwlnlng of sub[ecL and ob[ecL sLaLes as descrlbed by Crosz, or a proLecLlve
funcLlon of Lhe skln-ego as Anzleu suggesLs, Lhe Lenslon LhaL emerges on Lhls surface manlfesLs ln a sLaLe of
half-openness.
Academlc and auLhor of a culLural hlsLory of skln, Claudla 8enLhlen examlnes how ln a culLural conLexL Lhe
skln acLs as a poLenL and proLecLlve coverlng. Lxposure of Lhe lnLerlor ls frequenLly equaLed Lo weakness,
Lhe fear lmpllclL ln 8achelard's heslLaLlon Lo be made vlslble, and Lhe deslre Lo cover oneself Lo sLave off
shame and vulnerablllLy.
1he human belng musL proLecL hlmself or herself agalnsL Lhe peneLraLlng gaze of oLhers. 1haL
requlres coverlng oneself - even lf, as ln many culLures, Lhls ls done merely Lhrough symbollc
ornamenLs or a speclflc lnner aLLlLude LhaL regulaLes Lhe acL of looklng. WhaL we are deallng wlLh ls
Lhe archalc fear of Lhe maglcal, possesslon-Laklng gaze of Lhe oLher, a fear of a look LhaL could rob
one of someLhlng lf one ls noL careful, and aL Lhe same Llme wlLh Lhe fear of belng fasclnaLed and
bllnded by whaL ls seen, Lhe deslre for possesslon and lncorporaLlon."
4
8enLhlen uses Lhe analogy of Lhe body as a house, boLh belng 'solld, enveloplng, and conceallng forms, as
rooms ln whlch llfe happens.'
3
She quesLlons Lhe underlylng lmpllcaLlons of Lhe skln as surface, parLlcularly
Lhe posslblllLles presenLed Lhrough Lhe noLlon of 'Lhe skln-wall as a boundary marker beLween lnLlmacy and
Lhe ouLslde world, ln whlch Lhe doors and wlndows medlaLe beLween Lhe prlvaLe world of Lhe lndlvldual
and hls or her envlronmenL'. She ldenLlfles Lhls skln-wall as fundamenLally lmpermeable and Lhe body-
house as lmmovable and sLaLlc, buL engages wlLh Lhe posslblllLles of leavlng, changlng, or modlfylng Lhe
house and Lhe ablllLy of Lhe skln Lo open and close Lo sensory percepLlons.
6
1he lnLerlor here ls one
gllmpsed Lhrough openlngs ln Lhe skln-wall and Lhrough chlnks ln Lhe armour of Lhe skln-ego. 1he body
pocked wlLh 'doors and wlndows' acLs as a Lhreshold Lo Lhe poLenLlals of Lhe bodlly lnLerlor. Palf-openlng,
[usL as much as lL embodles a warlness of becomlng losL, lncorporaLed, possessed or revealed also lnvlLes
lmaglnaLlve speculaLlon abouL whaL conLrol of Lhe bodlly lnLerlor mlghL mean. Cverwhelmlngly, lL ls access
Lo Lhe lnLerlor Lhrough Lhe poroslLy and malleablllLy of skln and surface LhaL ls cenLral Lo Lhe concepL of Lhe
bodlly lnLerlor ln Lhe conLemporary seLLlng. Skln ls poslLloned as Lhe gaLeway beLween an lndlvldual's

3
CasLon 8achelard. 1938. 1he oeLlcs of Space. 1994 edlLlon. 8osLon, MassachuseLLs: 8eacon ress, 222.
4
Claudla 8enLhlen. 1999. Skln: Cn Lhe CulLural 8order beLween Self and Lhe World. new ?ork: Columbla unlverslLy
ress, 99.
5
lbld, 26.
6
lbld, 27-28.
1ransgresslng 8oundarles: Skln ln Lhe ConsLrucLlon of 8odlly lnLerlor 3
essence and Lhe culLural, soclal, and envlronmenLal oLher. Access Lo Lhe lnLerlor presenLs posslblllLles for
Lhe conLrol of body and self, conLrol over surface and lnhablLed space.
roducLlon of Lhe anaLomlcal lnLerlor
1here was a Llme when Lhe bodlly lnLerlor was noL readlly observable. lL was hlnLed aL by mucous llned
passages LhaL led Lo dark lnner spaces, and gllmpsed fleeLlngly Lhrough bloodled rupLures. Access Lo Lhe
body's hldden lnner anaLomy requlred passage Lhrough Lhe skln, brlnglng Lhe concealed lnLerlor Lo Lhe
surface and renderlng opaque depLhs vlslble. lrom Lhe Mlddle Ages Lo Lhe Luropean 8aroque perlod, Lhe
body was seen as groLesque and lnLermlngllng wlLh Lhe world Lhrough gross proLruslons, excreLlons,
orlflces and generally anyLhlng 'whlch leads beyond Lhe body's llmlLed space or lnLo Lhe body's depLhs.'
7
1he lnslde of Lhe body was feared, concelved as a serles of lnvlslble processes LhaL were known only
Lhrough slgns manlfesLed on Lhe skln and dlscharges of 'fluxes' lncludlng blood, pus, urlne, phlegm, and
sperm. uesplLe Lhls poroslLy Lhe Lransgresslng of bodlly boundarles was noL encouraged as Lhe lnLerlor was
regarded as a sacred conLalner harbourlng Lhe soul. Slckness was LreaLed on Lhe body's surface by
physlclans who would aLLempL Lo purlfy a paLlenL Lhough conLrolllng Lhe fluxes, achleved by acLlvely
damaglng Lhe skln uslng bloodleLLlng, leeches and mlnor muLllaLlons.
8
Modern medlclne ls generally undersLood Lo have begun ln Lhe laLe slxLeenLh and early sevenLeenLh
cenLury when regular dlssecLlon and documenLaLlon of corpses became lnLegraLed lnLo medlcal Leachlng
and learnlng.
9
1he publlcaLlon of vesallus' ue Pumanls Corporls labrlca (1343) marked a ma[or Lurnlng
polnL ln Lhe unfoldlng of Lhe hldden lnLerlor body. 8eplaclng Lhe speculaLlve, LheoreLlcal approach of earller
Calenlc anaLomy Lhe vesallan sysLem regularly dlssecLed corpses, ofLen surrounded by an audlence, ln
order Lo undersLand Lhe body and whaL lL conLalned. !onaLhan Sawday deLalls Lhe confuslon of early
pracLlcal anaLomy ln whlch Lhe reallLy of Lhe body resulLed ln a Lenslon LhaL 'developed beLween Lhe ldeal
anaLomlzaLlon, whlch Look place only ln Lhe pages of LexLbooks, and Lhe pracLlce of dlssecLlon whlch was
slLuaLed ln Lhe anaLomy LheaLre.'
10
1he consLrucLlon of Lhe bodlly lnLerlor can be seen as an ongolng
process Lhrough Lhe changlng modes of represenLaLlon of Lhe anaLomlsed body. ln Lhe examples clLed by
Sawday
11
a LhlrLeenLh cenLury lmage of Lhe dlssecLed body reLalns slgns of a reslsLanL surface barrler as Lhe
lnLernal and exLernal are slmulLaneously vlewed Lhrough Lhe oddly LransparenL skln. 1he dlssecLed body of
Lhe slxLeenLh cenLury was mosL frequenLly shown ln Lhe LradlLlon of Lhe flayed body or ecorche. vesallan
lmages, and Lhose LhaL followed as Lhe sLyle was popularlsed, were segmenLed from Lhe body or
dlssoclaLed from Lhe exLernal world. ln Lhese lmages Lhe body ls consLrucLed followlng an archlLecLural
mode of represenLaLlon, Lhe layers of skln, muscle and velns peeled back as Lhe body ls rendered boLh allve
and lnanlmaLe.

7
Mlchael 8akhLln. 1984. 8abelals and Pls World. 8loomlngLon: lndlana unlverslLy ress, 318.
8
8enLhlen, Skln: Cn Lhe CulLural 8order beLween Self and Lhe World, 39-41.
9
CaLherlne Waldby. 2000. 1he vlslble Puman ro[ecL: lnformaLlc bodles and osLhuman Medlclne. London:
8ouLledge, 39.
10
!onaLhan Sawday. 1993. 1he 8ody Lmblazoned: ulssecLlon and Lhe Puman 8ody ln 8enalssance CulLure. new ?ork:
8ouLledge, 133.
11
lbld, 100-102.
1ransgresslng 8oundarles: Skln ln Lhe ConsLrucLlon of 8odlly lnLerlor 4
Lcorche as exempllfled ln Lhe anaLomlcal arLwork of valverde, Charles LsLlenne and Splgellus deplcLs
classlcally posed sub[ecLs compllclL ln Lhelr own dlssecLlon, passlvely holdlng flaps of skln aparL Lo reveal
lnLerlor organs. 1hese bodles were shown as bloodless and anlmaLed, consplrlng ln Lhelr own dlssecLlon as
a means of dlsLanclng Lhe fleld from Lhe reallLy of galnlng anaLomlcal knowledge Lhrough Lhe avallablllLy of
Lhe bodles of execuLed crlmlnals.
12
1he sLyle also reveals Lhe exLenL Lo whlch skln was undersLood as an
envelope ln whlch Lhe Lrue essence of a human belng was conLalned. 8y Lhe laLe elghLeenLh cenLury as
ecorche gave way Lo Lhe vesallan sLyle of 'new sclence,' Lhe body had made Lhe full LranslLlon from belng
regarded as a porous surface wlLh a mulLlLude of posslble openlngs Lo belng a closed, lndlvldual boundary.
As LllzabeLh SLephens observes, Lhe ecorche Look on such lmporLance as Lransgresslons of Lhe skln
boundary began Lo dlsLlngulsh lnslde and ouLslde from one anoLher. 1hrough pracLlcal anaLomy bodles
came Lo be seen as self-enclosed:
'lL ls Lhe new undersLandlng of Lhe skln as Lhe border of an lndlvlduaLed body LhaL allows an
emergenL ldea of bodlly lnLerlorlLy Lo be slmulLaneously esLabllshed and exposed. Larly modern
ecorche lllusLraLlons do noL slmply represenL Lhe peellng away of Lhe body's ouLslde ln order Lo
reveal lLs lnslde buL, on Lhe conLrary, represenL Lhe esLabllshmenL of Lhe skln as a border of an
lndlvlduaLed self.'
13
8y breaklng Lhrough Lhe skln wlLh Lhe dlssecLlon knlfe Lhe body's fleshy hollows were demysLlfled and lLs
boundary esLabllshed, cruclal sLeps ln Lhe consLrucLlon of Lhe bodlly lnLerlor. 1he deslrable bourgeols body
came Lo be an lndlvlduaLed one, Lhe skln regarded as capable of reveallng a person's essence, 'able Lo
develop lnLo a surface LhaL could bear semanLlc meanlng and on whlch lndlvlduallLy could reveal lLself.'
14
Skln and surface proved lnsLrumenLal ln boLh boundlng Lhe self Lo Lhe bodlly lnLerlor and helplng Lo
consLlLuLe Lhe ldenLlLy of an lndlvldual. lLs removal can resulL ln Lhe loss of Lhls ldenLlLy buL also resulLs ln a
'unlversal humanlLy' as nlna !ablonskl descrlbes Lhe effecL of Lhe sklnless, plasLlnaLed human bodles LhaL
conLemporary Cerman anaLomlsL CunLher von Pagens' exhlblLs. lollowlng ln Lhe ecorche LradlLlon Lhese
bodles are publlcly dlsplayed, posed and sllced lnLo secLlons LhaL reveal Lhe hldden lnLerlor. LllzabeLh
SLephens ldenLlfles von Pagens' work as repeaLlng a cenLral paradox seen LhroughouL Lhe hlsLory of
anaLomy, Lhe vlsuallslng of Lhe body resulLlng ln 'Lhe lnvenLlon of Lhe body's lnLerlorlLy, and Lhe slgnlflcance
aLLrlbuLed Lo LhaL lnLerlorlLy, [whlch] can only be represenLed when boughL Lo - and deplcLed as - Lhe
surface.'
13
1here ls no doubL LhaL Lhls ls Lhe case ln von Pagens' work as Lhe flayed body becomes cloLhed
ln a fleshy ouLer layer raLher Lhan skln, buL Lhere ls a fundamenLal dlsLlncLlon beLween Lhe concepL of
bodlly lnLerlorlLy as lL ls applled Lo Lhe represenLaLlons of Lhe anaLomlsed corpse as opposed Lo Lhe llved
body. ln Lhe former lnsLance Lhe vlsuallslng of Lhe body resulLs ln Lhe producLlon of an lmage. 1he lmage ls
caughL ln sLasls, unllke Lhe dlssecLed body LhaL beglns Lo decompose and break down lLs boundarles soon
afLer deaLh, and unllke Lhe llved body LhaL ls caughL ln a sLaLe of consLanL responslve flux. 1he bodlly
lnLerlor ls noL slmply consLlLuLed by Lhe body's organs buL by lnner naLure, Lhus represenLaLlons of Lhe
body can only ever remaln as surface.

12
LllzabeLh SLephens. 2007. lnvenLlng Lhe 8odlly lnLerlor: Lcorche llgures ln Larly Modern AnaLomy and von Pagens'
8ody Worlds." Soclal SemloLlcs 17 (3): 313-326, 318.
13
lbld, 317.
14
8enLhlen, Skln: Cn Lhe CulLural 8order beLween Self and Lhe World, 102-103.
13
SLephens, lnvenLlng Lhe 8odlly lnLerlor: Lcorche llgures ln Larly Modern AnaLomy and von Pagens' 8ody Worlds,"
324.
1ransgresslng 8oundarles: Skln ln Lhe ConsLrucLlon of 8odlly lnLerlor 3
1ransgresslng Lhe 8oundarles of Llved lnLerlor
'1he opaclLy of Lhe body's exLerlor surfaces and Llssues, lLs deflecLlon of llghLs and lLs maLerlal self-
enclosure presenL one of medlclne's perslsLanL eplsLemologlcal problems. 1hls problem has been
addressed by a successlon of vlsual Lechnologles whlch Lry ln varlous ways Lo anaLomlse Lhe body -
dlssecLlon wlLhln Lhe anaLomlcal LheaLre lLself, Lhe anaLomlcal aLlas, Lhe mulLlfarlous endoscopes
whlch Lraverse Lhe body's lumens, Lhe radlograph and Lhe more recenL klnds of compuLed vlslon
already menLloned. Lach of Lhese Lechnologles LranslumlnaLe Lhe body ln some way, open lL Lo Lhe
lncurslon and pro[ecLlon of llghL or some oLher radlanL specLra, so LhaL lLs Llssues become readable
and lnLerpreLable as pro[ecLed lmages, Lraces on a page or screen.'
16
1oday Lhe human anaLomy ls an accepLed reglon of lnLerlor exploraLlon, readlly accesslble Lhrough non-
lnvaslve medlcal lmaglng Lechnlques. 8eglnnlng wlLh Lhe 1896 dlscovery of x-rays by ur. Wllhelm 8oenLgen
Lhe lnner reglons of Lhe body could be observed ln paLlenLs wlLhouL dlssecLlon. revlously forbldden by Lhe
LhreaL of paln or deaLh Lhe prlvaLe world of Lhe llvlng body could be accessed and seen by Lhe lnhablLanL.
Whlle vesLlges of Laboo remaln over rellnqulshlng Lhe bodlly lnLerlor as a prlvaLe, sacred space, Lhe
conLemporary bodlly lnLerlor ls overwhelmlngly one ln whlch Lhe hldden ls revealed. 1he vlslLaLlon of lLs
depLhs ls sancLloned, lf noL normallsed, by Lhe prlmacy of medlcal pracLlces and paradlgms ln Lhe
consLrucLlon of how Lhe human body ls undersLood ln wesLern culLure.
x-rays endowed Lhe medlcal professlon wlLh Lhe ablllLy Lo slmulLaneously expose boLh Lhe lnslde and
ouLslde of Lhe body, reLalnlng lLs form and dlmenslons whlle plumblng lLs depLhs. As a Lechnology lL also
marked Lhe move from Lhe arLlsL as Lhe generaLor of medlcal lmages and Lhe subsequenL rlse of Lhe
Lechnlclan, englneer or sofLware developer. 3u scans are now wldely used ln medlcal LreaLmenL yeL Lhelr
remarkable ablllLy Lo Lransgress Lhe skln barrler of Lhe llvlng sub[ecL (Lelb) ln real Llme, as dlsLlncL from
anaLomy's sLaLlc body-ob[ecL (krper), goes largely uncommenLed on by Lhose who experlence Lhe vlewlng
of Lhelr lnLerlor. ln sLudles clLed by MlLchell and Ceorges, women ln Creece and Canada were observed
whlle undergolng pregnancy ulLrasounds. Many women ln Lhese sLudles unquesLlonlngly accepLed Lhe scan
on Lhelr docLors' recommendaLlons, 'Lhe loss of Lhelr bodlly boundarles and bodlly knowledge passes
unnoLlced or wlLhouL commenL,' whlle oLhers embraced lL as an opporLunlLy Lo vlew Lhe foeLus growlng
wlLhln Lhem, personlfled Lhe lmage, and looked forward Lo Laklng 'baby's phoLo' home.
17
very few
expressed negaLlve feellngs abouL Lhe ulLrasound, a polnL LhaL MlLchell and Ceorges aLLrlbuLe ln parL Lo
feellngs of dependency on Lhe Lechnology, yeL Lhe prlmacy of Lhe role of Lhe sonographer ln medlaLlng Lhe
physlcal and emoLlonal connecLlon beLween woman and foeLus places an unseLLllng prlmacy upon Lhe
krper of Lhe lmage over Lhe experlence of Lhe llved body. 1he lnLlmaLe world of Lhe lnLerlor ls
overwhelmlngly one LhaL ls Lranscrlbed lnLo a vlslble form for publlc exploraLlon and lnLerpreLaLlon.
1he vlslble Puman ro[ecL (vP) was developed ln response Lo calls by u.S. based academlc medlcal
cenLres for a compleLe, anaLomlcally 'normal' lmage seL of Lhe human body ln Lhe publlc domaln. Launched

16
Waldby, 1he vlslble Puman ro[ecL: lnformaLlc bodles and osLhuman Medlclne, 20-21.
17
Llsa M. MlLchell and Lugenla Ceorges. 1998. 8aby's llrsL lcLure: 1he Cyborg leLus of ulLrasound lmaglng." ln
Cyborg 8ables: lrom 1echno-Sex Lo 1echno-1oLs, uavls-lloyd, 8obble and !oseph uumlL, eds. 103-124. London:
8ouLledge, 110-111.
1ransgresslng 8oundarles: Skln ln Lhe ConsLrucLlon of 8odlly lnLerlor 6
Lhrough Lhe u.S. naLlonal Llbrary of Medlclne ln november 1994 Lhe vP made publlcly avallable Lhe flrsL
dlglLlsaLlon of an enLlre human corpse. 1he vlslble Male was one !oseph !ernlgan, an execuLed convlcL who
had donaLed hls body Lo sclence. lor Lhe flrsL Llme lL was posslble Lo vlew and lnLeracL wlLh a whole human
body vla compuLer, whlch allowed unprecedenLed publlc access Lo Lhe bodlly lnLerlor. As one observer
noLed, 'Lhe [vP]. daLa seL allows [Lhe body] Lo be Laken aparL and puL back LogeLher. Crgans can be
lsolaLed, dlssecLed, orblLed, sheeLs of muscle and layers of faL and skln can llfL away, and bone sLrucLures
can offer landmarks for a new klnd of lelsurely Lourlng.'
18
ln Lhe vlrLual anaLomlcal LheaLre Lhe body
becomes hollow and lmmorLal. lL can be repeaLedly dlssecLed, deformed, Lhe sLrucLures lsolaLed and
removed, zoomed lnLo and flown Lhrough. Llke von Pagens' modern ecorches Lhe vP flgures have been
noLed as abollshlng Lhe dlsLlncLlon beLween surface and depLh, reduclng lnLerlor spaces Lo superflclal
surface. ?eL Lhey also propose whaL CaLherlne Waldby suggesLs Lo be a new klnd of lnLerlorlLy for Lhe
mlllennlum:
'. An lnLerlor space whose superflclallLy and exLernallLy are always laLenL and arLlculaLed Lhrough
lnsLrumenLaLlon. lL ls a mode of lnLerlorlLy from whlch all clalms Lo depLh or essence have been
subLracLed. More Lelllngly, lL ls a mode of lnLerlor space whlch ls coexLenslve wlLh vlrLual or
compuLaLlonal space. 1he vP's lconography suggesLs LhaL embodled sub[ecLlvlLy can no longer
be consldered verLlcally, from surface Lo depLh, buL musL be consldered horlzonLally, ln Lerms of lLs
Lechnosoclal assemblages.'
19
Waldby here Laps lnLo Lhe poLenLlals of Lhe cyborg, Lhe body capable of asslmllaLlng lnLo sysLems of
exLenslon and expanslve acLlon. WlLh Lhe skln boundarles Lransgressed Lhe bodlly lnLerlor has Lhe poLenLlal
Lo be accesslble noL only by lLs lnhablLanL and Lhe lndlvldual, buL on a broader publlc scale. lonaL Zurr and
Cron CaLLs of Lhe SymbloLlcA lab aL unlverslLy of WesLern AusLralla, are concerned wlLh Lhe eLhlcal debaLes
sLemmlng from blo-Lechnology arL. 1he LxLended 8ody, a resulL of SymbloLlcA's 1lssue CulLure & ArL ro[ecL
ralses Lhe lssue of whaL may happen as Lhe body's lnLerlor sLrucLures venLure forLh from Lhe body lLself,
abandonlng a bounded, unlfled form and ldenLlLy. ln Lhelr own words, '1he LxLended 8ody ls an
amalgamaLlon of Lhe human exLended phenoLype and Llssue llfe - a unlfled body for dlsembodled llvlng
fragmenLs, an onLologlcal devlse, seL Lo draw aLLenLlon Lo Lhe need for re-examlnlng currenL Laxonomles
and hlerarchlcal percepLlons of llfe.'
20
Composed of a blomass of cells and Llssues LhaL are dlsassoclaLed
from Lhe bodles LhaL orlglnally hosLed Lhem, 1he LxLended 8ody ls comprlsed of seml-llvlng maLLer LhaL
requlres Lechnologlcal lnLervenLlon Lo prevenL LransformaLlon lnLo a non-llvlng sLaLe. 1he blomass survlves
lndependenL from a body, havlng Lransgressed beyond Lhe boundarles of unlfled form and become a
fragmenLed 'populaLlon'. lL presenLs a gllmpse of Lhe dlsslpaLed body, boundarles enLlrely Lransgressed,
and Lhe lnLerlor wlLhouL locaLlon.
Skln as a 8rldge Lo be 1raversed
ln Space, 1lme and erverslon LllzabeLh Crosz addresses Lhe elasLlc naLure of skln, sLaLlng LhaL 'Lhe
boundary beLween Lhe lnslde and Lhe ouLslde, [usL as much as beLween self and oLher and sub[ecL and

18
uavld Llllson. 1993. AnaLomy of a Murderer." 21.C. (3): 20-23, 24.
19
Waldby, 1he vlslble Puman ro[ecL: lnformaLlc bodles and osLhuman Medlclne, 160.
20
Cron CaLLs and lonaL Zurr. 2012. 1owards a new Class of 8elng: 1he LxLended 8ody. Accessed !anuary 3,
hLLp://www.lnLelllgenLagenL.com/archlve/vol6_no2_Lransvergence_caLLszurr.hLm
1ransgresslng 8oundarles: Skln ln Lhe ConsLrucLlon of 8odlly lnLerlor 7
ob[ecL, musL noL be regarded as a llmlL Lo be Lransgressed so much as a boundary Lo be Lraversed.'
21
Pow
Lhen may Lhe skln be Lraversed by Lhe lnLerlor? 1he skln boundary ls Lhe slLe Lhrough whlch Lhe poLenLlal Lo
span ouLward from Lhe lnLerlor may be reallsed. As an lnsLrumenL of communlcaLlon Lhe surface of Lhe
body ls capable of engaglng ln deLalled dlscourse. 1he surface lnscrlpLlon of Lhe body can occur Lhrough
soclal regulaLlon, Lhrough lnsLlLuLlons of correcLlon and Lralnlng, Lhrough adornmenL and volunLary
procedures, all of whlch conLrlbuLe Lo sendlng ouL parLlcular vlsual messages abouL Lhe self.
1he body, however, ls prone Lo lnvolunLary encodlng and mlslnLerpreLaLlon by oLher agencles. lL can send
mlxed messages and be camouflaged or coerced lnLo LransmlLLlng deslred buL lncorrecL slgnals. As !ay
rosser explalns, 'Lhe facL LhaL we conLlnue Lo lnvesL Lhe leglblllLy of ldenLlLy ln Lhe skln ln splLe of knowlng
lLs unrellablllLy suggesLs skln Lo be a fanLasmaLlc surface, a canvas for whaL we wlsh were Lrue - or whaL we
cannoL acknowledge Lo be Lrue. Skln's memory ls burdened wlLh Lhe unconsclous.'
22
1hls unconsclous
burden can lnclude Lhe skln vlsually broadcasLlng culLural and personal values, geneLlc hlsLory, healLh,
hablLs, llfesLyle, and emoLlons, or Lhe pro[ecLlon of Lhese upon Lhe sklns of oLhers. 8ody lmage, as Crosz
polnLs ouL, ls lnsLrumenLal ln esLabllshlng Lhe dlsLlncLlons and relaLlons beLween Lhe experlences of Lhe
body as a whole and ln lLs varlous parLs (as ouLslde and lnslde, organs and processes, acLlve and passlve). lL
ls 'Lhe resulL of shared socloculLural concepLlons of bodles ln general and shared famlllal and lnLerpersonal
fanLasy abouL parLlcular bodles.'
23
1he skln surface Lhen becomes a medlum for Lhe expresslon of whaL ls
experlenced or fanLaslsed abouL boLh ln Lhe lnLerlor and on a soclal level. !uhanl allasmaa explalns, 'our
domlclle ls Lhe refuge of our body, memory and ldenLlLy. We are ln consLanL dlalogue and lnLeracLlon wlLh
Lhe envlronmenL Lo Lhe polnL LhaL lL ls lmposslble Lo deLach Lhe lmage of Lhe Self from lLs spaLlal and
slLuaLlonal exlsLence.'
24
1he lnLerlor can Lraverse skln lnLo Lhe spaLlal and slLuaLlonal boLh by lncorporaLlng
ob[ecLs lnLo body-lmage and Lhrough pro[ecLlng soclally encoded messages upon Lhe skln surface abouL
lnner naLure or asplraLlons. 1hese exLenslve funcLlons are lnseparable from Lhe lnLerlor lLself.
Cb[ecLs beyond Lhe bodlly boundary can become lncorporaLed lnLo body-lmage slmply Lhrough prolonged
placemenL ln Lhe space surroundlng Lhe body. 1hese can be accessorles, arLefacLs, cloLhes, [ewellery,
devlces, even oLher people, absorbed lnLo Lhe lnLerlor as body-lmage expands ouLward lnLo Lhe percepLlve
fleld. !ewellery ls parLlcularly effecLlve ln pro[ecLlng soclally encoded messages upon Lhe body surface,
whlch [eweller and LheorlsL Susan Cohn says ls lmporLanL ln ldenLlLy managemenL and esLabllshlng Lhe self
Lhrough vlsual codes and slgns:
'vlsual codes are elemenLal Lo human survlval, for boLh lndlvlduals and groups. 1he developmenL of
vlsual codes precedes ln mosL cases Lhe evoluLlon of language ln human socleLles. 1radlLlonal
culLures used adornmenL as a fundamenLal means for communlcaLlng and malnLalnlng conLlnulLy
and sLablllLy wlLhln Lhelr socleLles. vlsual codes work llke slgns as dlscreLe unlLs of meanlng whlch

21
Crosz, LllzabeLh. 1993. Space, 1lme and erverslon: Lssays on Lhe ollLlcs of 8odles. 8ouLledge, new ?ork, and Allen
and unwln, Sydney, 131.
22
!ay rosser. 2001. Skln Memorles." ln 1hlnklng 1hrough Lhe Skln, Ahmed, Sara, and !ackle SLacey, eds. 32-68
London and new ?ork: 8ouLledge, 32.
23
Crosz, volaLlle 8odles: 1oward a Corporeal lemlnlsm, 84.
24
!uhanl allasmaa. 2003. 1he Lyes of 1he Skln: ArchlLecLure and Lhe Senses. new ?ork: !ohn Wlley, 64.
1ransgresslng 8oundarles: Skln ln Lhe ConsLrucLlon of 8odlly lnLerlor 8
represenL Lhe deeper culLural maLrlx. Codes faclllLaLe Lhe relaLlonshlps beLween lndlvlduals, Lhelr
socleLy and lLs envlronmenL.'
23
WlLhln Lhls conLexL, Lhe skln surface can be seen as an lmporLanL slLe for forglng and Lransformlng alllances,
aLLracLlng and managlng relaLlonshlps wlLh oLhers and slgnlfylng deLalls LhaL are lnLlmaLe Lo Lhe wearer.
!ewellery especlally ls lnsLrumenLal ln Lhe managemenL of body-lmage, and becomes lncorporaLed lnLo Lhe
body schema. Cohn proposes LhaL ln Lhe fuLure Lhe body wlll no longer be bound Lo Lhe organlc boundarles
of Lhe human form, and user-wearer-makers wlll generaLe maLerlals and deLermlne Lhe ouLcomes of
'ob[ecLs' Lhrough Lhe feedback of bloLechnology, vlrLual reallLy and compuLer slmulaLlon,
26
ouLcomes
already becomlng vlslble as deslgners collaboraLe across flelds. urawlng on uonna Paraway's well-
esLabllshed Lheory of Lhe cyborg Cohn proposes LhaL Lhe body can be self-generaLlng and re-crafLed
Lhrough allgnlng wlLh Lechnologlcal, blologlcal and oLher hybrld agencles.
Lxamlned as a consLrucL born ouL of boLh Lhe phenomenologlcal experlence of Lhe body and lLs medlcal
modes of producLlon, Lhe bodlly lnLerlor ls revealed Lo be ln a sLaLe of 'becomlng'. PlsLorlcally consLrucLed
Lhrough Lhe peneLraLlon of Lhe skln, Lhe lnLerlor ls a producL of evolvlng medlcal paradlgms and
phenomenologlcal knowledge galned Lhrough Lhe lnLeracLlon of self and world on Lhe skln boundary. 1he
lnLerlor has been Lransgressed Lhrough peneLraLlons, evolvlng ways of seelng and Lhe ablllLy of Lhe self Lo
lncorporaLe and exLend beyond Lhe skln surface. CeneraLed as bodlly boundarles have been esLabllshed
and challenged, and undergolng consLanL change, Lhe lnLerlor engages wlLh boLh Lhe conLalnmenL and
pro[ecLlon of Lhe body's lndlvldual agency. 1hrough Lhe Lransgresslng and Lraverslng of bodlly boundarles lL
represenLs Lhe poLenLlal Lo embrace deslgn lnnovaLlons LhaL may lnfllLraLe, proLecL and encode Lhe body
and lLs surface as no oLher slLe can.

23
Susan Cohn. 2009. 8ecodlng !ewellery: ldenLlLy, body, survlval." hu dlss., CClA, unlverslLy of new SouLh Wales,
71-72.
26
Cohn, 8ecodlng !ewellery: ldenLlLy, body, survlval," 112.