Tonight at 10:30 CST log on to http://bodysuspension.org/ to view a live suspension performance by Stelarc!
TOKYO – 11 MAY 1980. PHOTO: KENJI NOZAWA
Stelarc has been featured on ModBlog before, most notably in the 2004 video interview he did with Shannon.
Don’t miss out on a chance to watch this event! As mentioned above it will begin streaming LIVE on bodysuspension.org starting at 10:30 CST (11:30 EST).
A few short weeks prior to his passing, Shannon had been working on new designs for BMEshop. The Art of Suspension, displaying the various styles of suspensions that have been performed, was the last shirt that he had completed.
Per Shannon’s request, we would like to use this shirt as a fundraiser in order to raise funds for his daughter, Ari Larratt, who lives with her mother, Rachel Larratt.
The shirt has Shannon’s design on the front and printed on the back is the Militia logo In Memoriam of Shannon.
The shirts start at $20 and there is an option to add a donation amount. The final amount of the shirt you select will display on the top next to the name of the shirt as well as on the left of the donation drop down menu on the shop page.
Please note that the shirts will not be able to be printed until after Rachel and Ari return from Canada, which will be around mid April. They will be printed as soon as possible and shipped shortly after that. Thank you.
The outpouring of support the community has shown since Shannon’s passing has touched and overwhelmed us. Many people have talked about auctioning off paintings, jewelry and other items Shannon has given them in order to donate the money to Ari, Shannon’s and Rachel’s daughter. While this is a wonderful gesture, we would prefer if you could keep it safe and cherish it. There is no need to auction off anything in order to provide financial support for Ari as she has been living solely with Rachel for over 2 years and is well cared for by her mother. We have been keeping an eye out for auctions so that we may purchase the work to give to Ari. If, for some reason, you don’t want to keep the item or find that you’re unable to, please consider sending it to Ari so that she may have her father’s work to cherish. You can contact Jen (support@bme.com) for more information on where to send it if this is something you would like to do and she will provide you with a shipping address.
People have been inquiring about sending in donations to support Ari and we are deeply moved by your kindness. If you would like to donate money that will go directly to Ari’s immediate care, we ask that you please send it to the PayPal account listed below. All funds sent to this account are deposited directly into a savings account in Ari’s name. They can be sent via PayPal to arilarratt@gmail.com. Please make sure not to create automatic Paypal links from BME as direct traffic from BME (and other sites prohibited from using Paypal) have caused those accounts and related funds to be seized by Paypal. We don’t want this to happen. Please include your name and shipping address so that Rachel and Ari can send you a special “thank you” card to show their appreciation for keeping them in your thoughts and hearts during this tremendously difficult time in their lives.
Please also consider continuing to contribute to BME. Your contributions ensure that Shannon’s legacy remains alive and also directly helps to support Ari. We would love it if you have photos of Shannon, from events and other meet ups, to please consider sending those in as well. They are a wonderful memory for all of us to share and for Ari to see as well. Submissions can be emailed directly to submissions@bme.com or sent through your BME account.
We ask that people please refrain from emailing Ari. If you would like to send a message of condolence to her please send it to Rachel (rachel@bme.com – please put Ari’s name in the subject line) so that she may read it to her or save it for a later time when it is more appropriate.
We are aware that various members of the community are getting together to hold memorials in Shannon’s memory. This is a wonderful gesture. We would ask that you please provide us with the information on any local memorials and we will help to pass on that information. We will announce, at a later date, when a larger memorial will be taking place. A private memorial for family is already planned.
Again we are touched and overwhelmed by the love and support the community has shown and we thank you and appreciate the understanding you have shown us while we continue to grieve.
The following photo was sent in by Eric who did this branding on his knee as a tribute to Shannon, taking the calm logo and incorporating Shannon’s facial tattoos onto it. 
If you have a BME tattoo (or scar) or plan on getting one please submit photos, videos if you have them, a write up of your experience either through your account or via email to submissions@bme.com.
I have started and stopped this update several times because I honestly don’t know what to say and nothing I could say would be adequate. It is with sadness and regret that I have to announce that Shannon has passed away. We will post something more at a later date but right now we are all still reeling and grieving. We ask that you please respect Rachel and her daughter’s privacy at this time as well as the rest of Shannon’s family and friends. Thank you for understanding and being such a wonderful and supportive community.
You can visit Shannon’s personal blog here.
While Shannon is still out I wanted to drop in with a photo that was submitted to BME yesterday. I found it quite beautiful and wanted to share.
This was sent in by Pink_Jonka in Croatia. There is something so serene about it. While I’ve never suspended, I have been there for several suspension events and there has always been something really beautiful about the atmosphere, the way everyone comes together and supports one another, that I really love.
Photo by Katja Goljat.
See more photos like this in the Suspensions gallery.
Sorry for the radio silence folks. Shannon is dealing with some things but he’ll be back! I thought I’d break the silence with a BME girl. I’m not sure I completely believe that halo. Thanks to Mirka X Mythra for the photo.
Mythra
See more like this in the BMEgirls gallery.
A few days ago I was out to dinner with old BME friends, and one conversation that came up was some of BME’s old April Fools articles. I think my favorite was “Love At First Bite” because it was so believable and fooled a good percentage of even the most experienced readers… But the article that started BME’s pranks was one first published April 1, 1999 — “Adding and Subtracting” — and one of the reasons it was so successful was that it was not just BME’s first joke article, but was published in an era before April 1st being a day where the entire web was flooded with nothing but jokes, making the whole thing less convincing. Anyway, since I couldn’t find this article in BME’s public articles, I’ve decided to republish here for historical reasons! After the article you can also read some of the responses the article generated, including a multitude of requests for interviews including Details, ICON, and The Village Voice.
Ryan and Dave are the most unique identical twins you’ll ever meet. After tiring of piercing, tattoos, and implants about three years ago, they began exploring much heavier surgical modifications. Dave had spent two and a half years in pre-med at Queens University in Kingston, and using contacts made both there and online he and his twin brother have changed themselves in ways far beyond anything anyone else has ever attempted.
Sorry it’s been a while since I posted one of these (click here for the full series) — as always, this series seeks to show people with significant facial modifications, with photos showing where they started and how they got to where they are now. If you’d like to be in a future series, please get in touch with me — I’d like to keep this series going! In any case, here are today’s personal evolutions (click to zoom in):
The Evolution of Iestyn Flye
The Evolution of Jason Sand
The Evolution of Jester Mayhone
The Evolution of Revina Lower
The Evolution of Victor Peralta
Ferank Manseed, who has now been doing hand-poked tattoos for a decade (“I don’t play with that modern machine nonsense!”) just finished the second session on this amazing swastika/asanoha scalp piece, which now has eleven hours of hand poking in it. I like the 3D effect that makes it look like the design is cut right into the head, kind of a dotwork trompe l’oeil. As you may have guessed Ferank is pure hand-poked all the way, only having used a machine a few times (and that was a long time ago). He says, “the freedom of working by hand has allowed me to tattoo and travel and connect with other handwork tattooists, who are still rare — I like this…”
Like most hand tattooists, Ferank is largely self-taught, doing much of his learning by tattooing his own skin. I asked him what he uses for tools and while he points out that he “can make a tattoo with anything sharp” he usually uses pre-made needles (the same sort that would be put in a machine) strapped to a chopstick. When the tattoo is completed, he removes the needles from the bamboo chopstick, marks the date on it, blesses it with a swastika and an aum and gives it to the client as a souvenir of the experience.
Ferank is based at Northside Private Rooms (one of the rare studios that contains a dedicated hand area) in Newcastle Upone Tyne in England, and you can email him at mudraink@hotmail.com or visit him on Facebook.
