Friday, May 21, 2010

Cataloging Tattoos using different schema: Bibliographic Description

This is a work in progress: check back for updates.

I'm going to try 3 schemas: AACR2 with MARC21, RDA/FRBR, CCO/VRA and CDWA.
Let's start with a bibliographic description.  I know, it's not a book.

Title and Statement of Responsibility: We're going to use a descriptive phrase instead of the 'title' of the tattooed image.  I'll use my own tattoo(s) as examples.

  • [Navaho sun symbol] [realia] / Suzanne M. DeGrasse

I tattooed it myself so the subject and s.o.r. are the same.  Let's pretend I didn't.

  • [Navaho sun symbol] [realia] / Dude Withaneedle.

Edition Statement: Well, sometimes people have work re-done/re-inked, or altered.  This particular one started out as a dot and underwent many revisions.  So I'd estimate this as edition 6.  "They" say you don't need edition statements with realia but I think it's useful with this, don't you?

  • 6th ed

Material specific details:  This 'edition' was finalized in (approx.) 1988.  It is 10 cm by 10 cm. The medium is skin.  Human skin.  The ink I used was black calligraphy ink.  The implement was a sewing needle.  

  • 1988 (Rochester, NY: Dude's Tattoo Blunderland)
  • Black Calligraphy ink on human skin
  • Hmmm. I'm not sure if I need to put the method (needle) in here or the size or wait until the physical description.  

Publication, Distribution: nope.
Physical Description: 

  • 10 mm x 10 mm
  • image is of one central dot surrounded by a circle.  8 2 to 3 mm lines extend out from the circle in each compass direction: N,S, E, W, NW, SW, NE, SE
  • image is oriented so that it can be viewed from any angle
  • located on inner left ankle directly on top of ankle joint (yeah, oww)
  • black ink inserted subcutaneously with a 5 cm sewing needle
It might be nice if someone drew me a picture of what I described so I can see if I did it accurately.  You can use Word and just attach or email it.  If anyone (ANYONE) does I will then take a photo and we can see the similarities to the real thing!

Notes: Ahh, notes. The sad little realm of the MARC21 realia cataloger.  Oh 500, how we love you. Here we cram the important stuff like:
  • Dude Withaneedle (1969-)
  • Suzanne M DeGrasse (1970-)
  • Original design was a simple dot.  Further renderings included a larger dot; a dot with a circle around it; an eyeball; and a compass rose.  When subject saw the Navaho sand carvings in Albuqueque NM in 1997 she recognized her design as that of a Navaho sun symbol.
What else might we put in here?  



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