Of the Skin
Micaelan Davis, MFA 2009
Title: Of the Skin
Material: Untreated Buffalo Hide
Description: Rawhide is natural material, each hide has a history that
shows itself in the folds and textures of the surface. ‘Of the Skin’
is a marriage of human control and natural happenstance; as the
organic folds of the table base are offset by the geometry expressed
in the top. Today rawhide is typically associated with dog bones and
traditional Native American arts and crafts, but it has numerous
properties that recommend it far beyond its current limited uses. When soaked for a time in water, the hide behaves like a stiff fabric and can be molded, much like plastic sheet, into various forms. The
finished surface is reminiscent of amber, with each cell of the buffalo’s history surrounded by a warm, translucent glow.
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