His back will arch, his knees will bend, his fingers will find your neck and your hair. You probably never payed attention before. Though the rules of engagement are not clearly delineated, your role is a passive one. There will be no kissing, of course, and the more sensitive spots are off limits to your hands. Nevertheless, Summer was bold enough, while sitting on your lap and facing away, to take his hands in yours and place them on your bare hips.

These moodboards have put me in the mood for a moodboard. Don’t want to give too much away but.. Oh dear, too late.

- May I go now?

- Yes, you may go.

(silence)
(sudden change of heart)

- No, stay a little longer.

- May I come tomorrow?

- Yes, you may come.

- What shall I wear?

- Nothing.

(silence)
(sudden change of heart)

- No, only roller blades.

- At what time shall I come?

- Come at 4pm. When the clown will be trussed up.

- May I meet the clown first?

- No, you may not.

(silence)
(sudden change of heart)

- Yes, but you need special permission.

- Where can I get permission?

- You may obtain it from the roller-coaster office.

- Ok.

As possibly the first, and certainly the most obvious, canvas upon which human differences can be written and read, skin has been a topic of continuous interest in anthropology and related disciplines from the earliest descriptions of exotic people to postmodern theorizing about the body in contemporary society.
Skin, as a visible way of defining individual identity and cultural difference, is not only a highly elaborated preoccupation in many cultures; it is also the subject of wide ranging and evolving scholarly discourse in the humanities and social sciences.
Although my focus is mainly on the anthropological literature, it is impossible to ignore work in other fields. Today, archaeologists and historians are rewriting the history of the body using evidence from newly discovered ancient bodies, artworks, and texts.
Discussions of contemporary “body work” merge the perspectives of anthropology, sociology, psychology, cultural studies, philosophy, and gender studies… each discipline mapping onto the body its shifting theoretical preoccupations.

Check out this silent film from 1926 that takes us “through the basic physiology of the human skin, combining anatomical education and basic healthcare advice. We see the epidermis and its replacement, the structure of the underlying dermis, nails, sweat glands and hair follicles.”

The ‘Skin’ exhibition was discovered by our editor Adeena Mey.

Watching MESRINE a few months ago in Switzerland, I intuitively thought: This film is indisputably driving from the French cinema, however its core is definitely built with American tools. Pretty bad movie, but entertaining and featuring a great cast of actors. For those who are tired of the French “Nouvelle Vague” legacy, go for the French “Nouvelle Hollywood”! Opening on Friday in New York and Los Angeles.

Directed by Jean-François Richet; written by Abdel Raouf Dafri, based on the novel “L’Instinct de Mort” by Jacques Mesrine; director of photography, Robert Gantz; edited by Bill Pankow; music by Marco Beltrami; production designer, Émile Ghigo; costumes by Virginie Montel; produced by Thomas Langmann; released by Music Box Films.