All human societies have their traditions of body modification.
At the simplest this may involve washing and oiling the skin,
cutting hair, etc. At the most complex, this may involve shaping
the head and cutting patterns deep into the skin. The displays
at the Museum and this website are designed to illustrate some
of the many ways in which people around the world have modified
their bodies, and to offer some explanations for why they have
done so. The site is organised in the same way as the displays
themselves. There are sections here on 'Temporary Arts', such as
make-up and glitter, 'Permanent Arts', such as piercing and
tattooing, and 'Lifecycle Arts', such as ornaments for marriage
and mourning. Some thing for every body: letting loose the
Museum's cross-cultural collections of body arts and ornaments