5/18/2004: Story in tattoos

[evansk7]

Originally posted by Cochese
I wonder if each person got to choose their own font. The picture suggests that they didn't.

Some discretion was allowed:

Participants must accept the word they are given, but they may choose the site of their tattoo, with the exception of words naming specific body parts, which may be anywhere but the body part named. Tattoos must be in black ink and a classic book font. Words in fanciful fonts will be expunged from the work.

As for dying on the job, or losing limbs for that matter:

I also wonder if any attempt will be made to replace words as they, um... stop existing on live people. I'd hate to get to the end of the story and not know how it ends because the last 25 people were buried.

Evidently not:

From this time on, participants will be known as "words". They are not understood as carriers or agents of the texts they bear, but as its embodiments. As a result, injuries to the printed texts, such as dermabrasion, laser surgery, tattoo cover work or the loss of body parts, will not be considered to alter the work. Only the death of words effaces them from the text. As words die the story will change; when the last word dies the story will also have died. The author will make every effort to attend the funerals of her words.

Kev