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H2020Individual fellowship2022–2024

DEAS · Dermography. Ethics and Aesthetics of Skin Writing

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2022-08-01 → 2024-07-31
EU contribution
€219,312
Participants
1
Scheme
MSCA-IF

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Dermography. Ethics and Aesthetics of Skin Writing

DEAS (Dermography: Ethics and Aesthetics of Skin Writing) examines the cultural, ethical, and biological significance of human skin to deepen our understanding of how skin functions as both a biological organ and a cultural canvas. While human skin has traditionally been studied in medical and empirical contexts, DEAS broadens this perspective by exploring the complex connections between medicine, anthropology, biology, psychology, culture, and cultural practices such as reading and writing (literature) and art. The project is socially relevant because it highlights how skin imaginaries and perceptions go far beyond a conceptual description and also affect mental and emotional well-being. In an era of rapid technological advancement, DEAS encourages a re-evaluation of skin by highlighting the cultural and ethical complexities of skin. The project offers new perspectives that can contribute to advances in both dermatology and the emerging field of narrative medicine, where both accurate scientific language and understanding of the patient's lived experience are key. The overarching goals of DEAS include raising awareness of the multifaceted nature of skin through the interdisciplinary research platform “Dermacriticism”. This platform will serve as a foundation for future collaborations and disseminate knowledge on skin-related issues. Another major goal of the project was to explore the relationship between skin and writing, examining how literary texts shape and are shaped by conceptualizations of skin. Through conferences, publications, and public outreach, DEAS fostered a rich dialogue between the sciences and the humanities. In addition, the project developed a new taxonomy for the aesthetic and ethical analysis of skin. DEAS also engaged directly with the scientific community, working with leading dermatologists to address terminological challenges and contribute to the field of skin studies. The project’s findings underscore the importance of understanding the cultural, historical, and literary dimensions of skin in shaping human identity and experience and offer new insights that enrich both academic discourse and medical practice.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

We are only just now beginning to understand the importance of human skin for our individual and collective well-being. According to biophysicist Georges Limbert (2019), “skin tells a story about our health status, age, past traumas, emotions, ethnicity and our social and physical environment”. As the oldest and most sensitive of our organs, it provides us with powerful collective mental images of both intimacy and integrity. Just as in the Freudian ‘Wunderblock’ (mystic writing pad), it remembers and records our personal biographies and traumas. Skin, in other words, is closely related to writing. Within literature skin has always been a special canvas that allows the study of cultural and societal phenomena. Accordingly, literature plays a crucial role whenever we try to analyze and understand the cultural and societal role of skin. Rooted in comparative literary studies, “Dermography. Ethics and Aesthetics of Skin Writing” [DEAS] integrates cultural, medical and intellectual history with archives of actual skin samples, ethics and psychoanalysis and relates its findings to contemporary biophysics and the life sciences, including the health and beauty industries. As a literary project, DEAS will put various skin narratives and skin writing (dermography) into context while at the same time taking into account skin’s materiality in a concrete sense: Working with actual skin samples and artificial skin research has never been done before in a literary context. Exploring the unique collection of the Medical Museion in Copenhagen, one of the largest of its kind, and integrating it in research that goes far beyond its archival significance, is a pioneering approach that challenges both traditional literary scholarship and curatorial methods. By focusing on the affinity of skin and writing, DEAS will offer the first substantial literary contribution to the new research field of Skin Studies.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET · KOBENHAVNCoordinatorDenmark

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union