it may be my last post for a while (or maybe not), so let’s take a look at this:
The video is a lil weird, I do admit, but the article attached to it 😉 is certainly worth reading. Maybe you won’t agree with all the words and maybe you’d like to rephrase the experience itself with your own words but it’s too beautiful and amazing to just simplify and condemn it!
The topic of dress code is still present online, especially in Germany.
Footballers are not only allowed but also expected to show off their tattoos although not always they face social acceptance.
Tattoo sleeves as a hipster habit? This article says so. Another one shows clearly how tattoos have become not only a life style but also a kind of accessory – ‘how to wear a watch with tattoos?’ not only focuses on fashion but also mentions Mo Coppoletta and his collaboration with a watch designer (it’s actually a little gem!).
Tattoo artists around the Western world: Oliver Lonien from Germany, Michael Rose from the UK, Quori Senyon, Rudy Hetzer and Kat Von D from the US and a short interview highlighting the job itself.
Tattoos and their meanings from Germany: four moving tattoos and a new book on tattoos. A tattoo museum (worth a visit?) in Germany.
‘Can Jews have tattoos?’ is a frequently asked question.
Modified charity: Pain For Sale shop hosted a fund raiser for animals! A cool name of the shop, too!
Two very interesting ones for dessert: ‘getting tattooed in Japan’ and ‘hanging out with the body suspension crew’ from Ireland. In the latter a very interesting question was asked:
‘It’s not for the squeamish, but calling people who practice body suspension “idiots” and belittling what they do for kicks, seemed out of proportion. Is it any more absurd than golf?’
Ink for Autism is a nice idea to help out those affected by the disorder and it’s cool to see the tattoo industry getting involved – Ontario, Oregon, Australia!
Dress code: a tattooed midwife doesn’t cover up her tattoos and wants to change the way people look at tattooed women, Denver Police Department considers a new dress code requiring covering up tattoos after all and both defiant and naïve article ‘I’ll never cover up my tattoos for anyone ever again’ (which makes a mouthful ;)).
Tattooed seniors here – both beautiful and daring! 🙂
Tips from tattoo artists all over the world – a German old school artist discusses animal tattoos, some words of wisdom from an American tattoo artist, tattoo care tips and a bit controversial article quoting extensively Junior of Junior Ink in Poland who says that people tend to copy others’ designs instead of trying to be themselves.
A weird project by an American illustrator – have you ever wondered how a person would look if they have tattoos owned by famous soccer players? Me neither but here’s the answer (plus a shot above).
Bastian sent me a very interesting article about sadomasochism and how it may lead people who practice it to altered states of consciousness. Interestingly enough, there’s also some info on ‘energy pulls’ here and I like it quite a lot: ‘The effect might not be so different from what people experience when they push their bodies during yoga, or even during meditation. People who complete the energy pull ritual also report feeling more connected to others.‘
Finally, some tattoo entertainment: Rob Zombie is going to be a guest judge on Ink Master this coming week, so let’s listen to one of his songs in preparation for the big day 😉
Tattoos still going strong in the mainstream pop culture as this pic from a Victoria’s Secret show shows (it’s from 2012, mind you but seeing how active some celebs/ models are in this department, it’s still valid).
New ink reality TV shows also profit from popularity of tattoos although they seem to be turning in the ‘think before you ink’ direction: ‘Bad Ink’ and ‘Undo Me’ (which is going to cover much more than just bad tattoos).
Eyeball tattooing in Jamaica – in this case it really is better to think before, especially if you’re going to hit the DIY way.
Memorial tattoos became very popular thanks to the Ink TV but this one is worth reading, it’s a part of a bigger work (a chapter from ‘American Afterlife. Encounters in the Customs of Mourning’).
Modblog seems to be a lil better than its usual boring post-Shannon self; an interesting post from there about an upcoming documentary about Marc a.k.a Little Swastika (the website of the makers here).
‘Tattoos try and fail to reclaim swastika symbol’ offer much food for thought. Is it really possible to change the associations we have had with this symbol ever since the Nazi times? Is it worth fighting for?
The 21st century is an amazing time to live in – ‘people may be the next step in technology’ and e-whiskers.
‘the subculture of body suspension’ from New Zealand (thanks to Bastian who’s going to the hot climates right now ;))
Some Q&A with one of my fav body modifiers, the Lizardman!
New rules in the German army were also brought to my attention by Bastian. Here also a little bit about new rules in the American army,way less draconian than in Germany.
Finally, a very harsh treatment of a tattoo artist in Iran. No radicalism is good!
This pretty cool photo for another PETA ad shows not only that wearing your own skin is better than wearing animal one but also what a great combo body fitness and body modification are in one package! More of the PETA’s ‘ink not mink’ here!
One may find PETA controversial, of course, but using tattoos to give women their self-confidence back is definitely a good thing (unless you are a conservative sexist with some psychotic traits that is), so let’s feature another article about nipple tattooing that helps cancer survivors not only on purely physical/ aesthetical level!
Women and tattoos in a photography project!
And women with tattoos on TV – a new ink reality TV show features Friday Jones herself. In other news, Shanghai Kat is going to visit a tattoo convention in Minnesota real soon.
‘Spend the day with a tattoo artist’ is from Australia and about an old-timer which makes is quite interesting (plus putting people in a tattoo shop and watching/ reading about them is almost like a conducting a psychological experiment ;))
It may sound a little rough at first but has good points and should be read and pondered on – ‘hand, neck, finger, face tattoos and why I won’t do them!’
It works for some people – tattoo ideas taken from celebs and pop stars; in this case it’s mostly ear tattoos.
What Islam has to say on the subject of tattoos – interesting and elaborate to a degree.
Finally, a nice gem showing the Sinner Team (a Russian suspension group) in action – a video included!
Tattoos in Motion – they look really awesome, don’t they?
An interesting anthropology-focused article on Chin facial tattoos.
Tattoo history and the Moskovitz family.
Don Ed Hardy – I really could listen to/ read this guy quite often.
Another interview in Dutch about tattoos – every body tells a story, right?
Body suspension in Arizona (an interview/ film with Steve Haworth!) and Minnesota.
A touch of amusement: temporary tattoos kind of celebrating Jane Austen and bad tattoos in Photoshop.
The beautiful picture above shows a temporary tattoo commemorating one of the extinct by now species. There’s much food for thought in the article as well. On a side note, I’m glad to say that a Polish project run by Greenpeace, called ‘Adopt a Bee,’ turned out to be quite successful (I adopted some bees myself).
Great videos from Mecca Suscon (day 1, day 2, day 3). The footage is both twisted and beautiful and the rigs they use are quite breathtaking! An awesome event it must have been!
On the other side of the globe the 1st Hong Kong tattoo convention is taking place while in Poznan, Poland there’s a local one going on right now. In Austria Zombie Boy will be doing his thing at another event of this kind.
How tattoos are perceived and regulated in 4 branches of the US army!
Once again, every body tells its story!
A tattooed Lutheran pastor who’s not afraid of swearing and calling a spade a spade!
And maybe not directly related to body modification we see it on here but good enough to remember that societies we live in force us to follow their rules and norms – an exhibit on how society shapes our bodies (the museum’s website).
There’s still a lot of commotion about the proposed 24-hour waiting period in Washington D.C. Even the Fox TV has put its two cents on the subject. The poll shows that majority of people are against it. In the meanwhile, a MI senator proposed a tattoo ban for minors. There may actually be something to it as this short article from TX shows, where high school students revealed their secret tattoos in their year book. it should not be about banning, though, it should be about educating!
But tattoos are also about beauty and life affirmation as this great P.INK campaign shows!
As they say, every body tells a story and, even though cliché as it sounds, it actually does.
More on the Bled for Boston project.
Tattoos may be frowned upon and people deemed not to be trusted about them but no one can deny that tattoos are more and more popular. This article from the Washington Post shows, yet again, that you are never too old to get a tattoo. Pretty much the same message you can get from a Polish article about a growing number of Poles adorning their skin.
Also from the Washington Post, an awesome, interactive tattoo guide!
Tattoo Conventions: the BIG one in London and a local one in Katowice, Poland (this one also shows that suspension shows are a staple of tattoo conventions now).
More on Japan, how Japanese view tattoos and how it may be a problem during the future Olympics.
Tattooers and their thoughts: a Chinese artist from Beijing (here‘s his Instagram) (“Tattoo is similar in that way [to painting] but at the same time I think it’s more than that. It’s alive, it’s got blood, it’s got pain and it will always stay with you. It is a very unique and rare art form.” and “A good tattooist must have a thorough understand of history, culture and humanity. It’s not just about picking up a machine and finishing a pattern.“) and an Australian whose faith makes him believe that ‘”Jesus loves [him] with or without [his] tattoos.” The latter line may be handy next time we run into people thinking along the ‘if God wanted us to have tattoos ….’ lines.
Finally, tattoo etiquette or why it’s not a good idea to touch our tattoos without asking first!
Friday the 13th came and went and hopefully no one had bad luck then. A nice tradition at some tattoo shops is quite well established by now, though, so here a few examples of it.
The 24-hour-waiting-period idea in D.C. is still making rounds on the Internet and many opinions are expressed, shared and exchanged. An interesting voice in the discussion is the one juxtaposing tattoos, abortion and the waiting period (not)required.
Tattoos as not the best investment ever are presented here, followed by Polish articles discussing work environment and self-expression.
Sometimes the more tattoos, the better, though, as you can see in the texts focused on famous side-show performers.
Festivals around the world: India (more about the festival), Indonesia and a tattoo convention in Montreal, Canada (Steph sent me lots of freebies from this event a few years back J)
Hooks-related: Tattoo Expo in Johannesburg, South Africa and a very detailed, interesting to read text focused on the suspension at this event on hooklife (thanks to Bastian for referring me to this one).
Museum exhibitions and tattoos: Sea Ink 2013, Tattoo: Flash Art of Amund Dietzel (more on Dietzel). Also, one of the living legends of the industry, Lyle Tuttle making an appearance at Ink for the Cause.
Widely discussed: one of the current Miss America contestants, Miss Kansas, and her tattoos.
Japan: no entry to a Japanese spa for a Maori woman wearing a traditional moko design on her face. Outrageous? I don’t think so! It’s fascinating how cultures differ. When in Rome, do as the Romans do!
Fort Worth/ Dallas area and 13 best shops there.
Art-inspired tattoos – even if you’re not into body art, it still may serve as a short lesson in art history!
Quite a lot of articles on tattoos and job market. It started when I came across this one about a young woman removing her old tattoos to be able to move on and then it just went downhill. Interestingly and funny enough, I also read this one about a new technique that allows to reveal removed or covered-up tattoos. Apparently, we can’t escape from ourselves 😉
I’ve already written about it some time ago but since it’s interesting enough and some new info popped up, here Lexington Tattoo Project again. Of course, you just can’t stop thinking how similar it is to Shelley Jackson’s Skin Project but these days it’s actually hard to come up with something really new.
Another one resembling the Skin Project if the Human Rights Tattoo project that got some press again. As a matter of fact, I was SOOO ready to be part of it but alas, it’s not gonna happen any time soon due to their rather strict rules! Too bad! Since I like to think about myself as a flexible person and an activist, I adopted some bees instead!
Don Ed Hardy – a book review.
Popularity of tattoos and a suggestion that we don’t know when to stop juxtaposed with a D.C., USA proposal for a 24-hours waiting period for tattoos and body piercings!
Tattoos in prison as seen from a few different angles.
Couples tattoos – apparently they always go wrong!
Some pics: ’22 tantalizing tattoos’ and not that good a Game of Thrones tattoo (here only b/c I like the books!).
Hand-tapping tattoos in New Zealand and some history of tattoos in Japan.
Is it me only or the Huffington Post is getting a lil weak? This article about facial tattoos kinda proves it.
An article about one of the L.A.-based suspension groups.
In this weekend’s ‘High Heels’ edition (a weekend extra for the Wyborcza newspaper) there’s an interesting article about Vampira whose image found its way into the tattoo world. The pic below was spat out by the Google Images but it seems to origin from this website.
by Cloud
A hub for learning about tattoo history
skin, ink and words combined
skin, ink and words combined
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