The human form is an astonishing marvel, a complex machine that outshines almost anything else we know in the cosmos. It’s both awe‑inspiring and a little creepy that some creators have turned bits of flesh, bone, and blood into objects that are as fascinating as they are disquieting. In this roundup we present 10 unsettling things crafted from actual human body parts, each one a strange blend of art, science, and morbid curiosity.
10 Unsettling Things That Will Make You Shiver
1 Blood Ink
Ancient cave painters weren’t the only ones who discovered that blood makes a vivid pigment. In contemporary pop culture, the medium has been embraced for its shock value, turning a simple colourant into a headline‑grabbing statement.
Back in 1977, the rock‑and‑roll titans KISS partnered with Marvel to produce a special comic issue. For that edition, the four band members each donated a small amount of their own blood, which was then blended directly into the ink used to color the pages—a literal splash of rock star vitality on the paper.
The stunt wasn’t a hoax; it was notarized, and copies of the comic in good condition now fetch several hundred dollars on the secondary market, confirming its authenticity and the bizarre dedication of its creators.
More recently, rapper Lil Nas X sparked worldwide debate by releasing a limited‑edition pair of Satan‑themed sneakers that incorporated his own blood into the ink used for the design. The controversy only amplified the shoes’ fame, proving that even in the 21st century, blood‑based art can still turn heads and stir conversations.
2 Blood Album
When musicians claim they pour their “blood, sweat, and tears” into a record, they sometimes mean it quite literally. In 2012, The Flaming Lips issued a limited run of ten vinyl copies that were infused with actual blood from their celebrity collaborators—including Ke$ha, Chris Martin, and Erykah Badu.
These special pressings carried a steep price tag of $2,500 each and were sold alongside a standard edition, allowing fans to choose between a conventional listening experience and a macabre collector’s item that literally contains the lifeblood of its creators.
Two years later, Meredith Graves of the noise‑rock band Perfect Pussy upped the ante by having her own blood pressed directly into the vinyl wax, producing 180 copies of an even more intimate, blood‑saturated record.
3 Hair Sweaters
In biblical tradition, a hair shirt served as a form of self‑imposed penance, its coarse fibers irritating the wearer as a reminder of humility. Modern fashion has taken a similarly uncomfortable route, swapping animal fur for human hair to craft garments that are both eerie and environmentally conscious.
Designers have begun experimenting with clothing made entirely of human hair, arguing that it offers a sustainable alternative to traditional fur while providing a truly unique aesthetic. Though wearing a sweater woven from strands once attached to a living scalp may seem unsettling, the concept pushes the boundaries of textile innovation.
4 Teeth Necklaces
Many assume the first U.S. president sported wooden dentures, but research shows George Washington likely wore a set crafted from the extracted teeth of other humans. Throughout history, human teeth have been repurposed not only as dental prosthetics but also as ornamental jewelry.
Archaeologists excavating a Neolithic site in Turkey uncovered a collection of roughly 8,500‑year‑old teeth that had been carefully drilled and strung together, forming a necklace akin to a beadwork piece. Analysis indicates the teeth originated from multiple individuals, suggesting a communal or ritualistic purpose.
While it’s impossible to determine whether these ancient peoples harvested the teeth solely for adornment, the absence of disease on the specimens hints that the teeth were deliberately removed, perhaps as part of a ceremonial practice.
5 Lab Grown Human Skin Bags
The rapid advance of biotechnology has already introduced cultured meat to grocery shelves, and now scientists are turning their attention to fashion. By cultivating skin cells in a lab, researchers can produce sheets of human‑derived leather without ever harming a living donor.
Designer Tina Gorjanc envisioned creating handbags from skin grown using the DNA of the late fashion icon Alexander McQueen. Although McQueen passed away in 2010, Gorjanc accessed his genetic material from preserved hair samples, using it as a blueprint for the cultured tissue.
Beyond celebrity‑focused projects, the same technique could theoretically generate bespoke leather goods from any individual’s DNA, provided the client can afford the cutting‑edge process and desires such a personalized, albeit unsettling, accessory.
6 Human Skin Books
For bibliophiles, a leather‑bound volume carries a certain gravitas, but the source of that leather can be far more morbid than one might expect. In the 19th century, a handful of books were bound in the actual skin of executed criminals or institutionalized patients.
One notable example involves the first man hanged at Bristol Gaol; his skin was fashioned into a cover for a book that chronicled the details of his crime. Similarly, the notorious murderer William Burke had his flesh used to bind a personal journal, turning his notoriety into a literal binding material.
These macabre bindings were not widespread, and only a few verified specimens survive today. Most were produced by physicians who had access to cadavers and the technical skill to process human tissue into a durable, book‑cover material, though the motivations behind such choices remain largely speculative.
7 Body Worlds
Since its debut in Tokyo in 1995, the Body Worlds exhibition has drawn over 40 million visitors worldwide, offering a window into the preserved anatomy of real human bodies through a technique known as plastination.
Plastination replaces bodily fluids with polymer resins, creating specimens that retain lifelike form while remaining solid and odorless. Curators can strip away layers of flesh, reveal cross‑sections of muscles, or isolate vascular networks, presenting the human form in ways that are simultaneously educational and unnerving.
Although the exhibit claims that all participants willingly consented to post‑mortem display, controversy arose when several bodies were returned to China amid allegations that they belonged to executed prisoners. A rival show, Bodies, has disputed the provenance of its specimens, underscoring the ethical complexities surrounding the public display of human remains.
8 Bone Sculptures
While ivory carving once flourished, modern artists have turned to the skeletal remnants left behind by death. Sculptor Bruce Mahalski creates assemblages that blend animal bones with human skeletal fragments, arranging them into striking three‑dimensional compositions.
Mahalski’s works treat each bone—whether sourced from a chicken, a deer, or a human—as an equal component of his art, deliberately blurring the line between species to emphasize a universal reverence for both life and mortality.
By integrating human bones without granting them special prominence, the artist invites viewers to confront their own mortality and consider the shared materiality that links all living creatures.
9 Ancient Blood Paint
Early cave art is often imagined as simple stick‑figure scenes, yet the pigments used by prehistoric creators sometimes held a far more visceral origin. Researchers have identified that artists in ancient Australia and Tasmania derived their red paint directly from human blood.
Analysis of several cave paintings dating back 10,000 to 20,000 years reveals protein residues consistent with human blood, suggesting that blood served as a durable, vivid pigment. Some of these artworks overlay even older carvings that may be as much as 31,000 years old, making them among the world’s oldest known examples of pigment use.
10 Flesh Map
Artists often push the boundaries of medium, and American creator Andrew Krasnow has taken that impulse to an extreme by sculpting with actual human skin. For two decades, Krasnow has sourced donated cadaveric skin to fashion a variety of objects, ranging from lampshades and boots to an intricate map of the United States.
Each piece is intended as a commentary on the cruelty inherent in human society, transforming the very material of our bodies into a stark visual metaphor that forces viewers to confront the uncomfortable relationship between flesh and function.