Shayna Hunt
This project combines my love for modelmaking, tattooing, and the horror genre. It delivers props for a horror film in which a killer collects pieces of tattooed skin as trophies. The props consist of a lamp, with a shade made of tattooed skin, a disembodied hand, and a ransom note made from tattooed letters. I used sculpting, moulding, and casting skills as well as traditional tattoo designs and techniques to bring the project to life.
This thesis explores the role of tattooing in constructing, negotiating, and expressing Irish identity, drawing on Stuart Hall’s theory of constructivist identity and semiotic theory. Tattoos are examined as powerful cultural markers that reflect the dynamic relationship between personal experience and collective heritage within the contexts of Irish history, religion, and the diaspora. Hall’s constructivist theory posits that identity is a fluid and ongoing process, shaped by personal, historical, and cultural forces. This framework provides the basis for understanding how tattoos act as both personal expressions and public symbols of Irishness, embodying historical narratives, religious beliefs, and national pride. This thesis demonstrates that tattoos are more than aesthetic choices, they are tools for cultural preservation, self-expression, and identity construction. The act of tattooing, in this context, becomes a dynamic process of engagement with the past, present, and future of Irish identity, ensuring its ongoing evolution across generations and borders.
I'm an artist and modelmaker from Wexford town with a lifelong love for art and creativity. My work mainly focuses on drawing and sculpture, and I’m especially interested in exploring how different materials and textures can bring ideas to life. Studying modelmaking really helped me grow as a designer as it gave me the technical skills to support my creativity and introduced me to a wide range of tools, and techniques that I now use in my practice. I’ve always been fascinated by tattoo culture and the stories people tell through body art, so I was really excited to bring that interest into my final project. Finding ways to connect personal expression, identity, and visual storytelling is a big part of what drives my work.
