PIERCING

Throughout history, people have decorated and altered the appearance of their bodies in different ways. Body piercing is one of the oldest and most interesting forms of body modification, yet the reasons for piercing the body are as diverse as the cultures they come from. Body piercing was often identified with royalty and portrayed courage and virility. Egyptian Pharaohs pierced their navals as a rite of passage; Roman soldiers pierced their nipples to show their manhood; and both sexes of Victorian royalty chose to pierce their nipples and genitals. Our culture has brought to the mainstream some of these ancient practices, the difference being that body piercing is today a form of self-expression, an exciting means of transforming the body in startling and unexpected ways. Transfigurations is a gripping journey through a rich seam of sexual expression, with superb black and white photography, both graphic and sensitive, accompanied by illuminating text.