A tragic figure in both literature in film, Frankenstein’s monster has been adapted into pretty much every medium known to man. This isn’t the first tattoo of the monster we’ve seen on ModBlog and it probably won’t be the last. Jay Wheeler’s portrait of Karloff in his make-up really captures both sides to the monster, his intelligent and peaceful demeanor, and his capacity for intense emotion borne from the abuses he suffers at the hands of those who fear him.
The gang over at Hooklife have thrown down the gauntlet to suspension teams around the world. Today they announced a guerrilla suspension challenge. Here’s some of the details:
We are challenging the suspension community to dream up, create, produce and photograph the most amazing Guerrilla Suspension. Before anyone goes crazy we need to make one thing very clear. Hook Life, suspension.org and our affiliates DO NOT condone any illegal or dangerous activities! Now with that said here’s how it will work.
Please submit ONE photo. You can submit as many different entries as you like, but please only one per suspension/location. By submitting a photo you are giving suspension.org and Hook Life permission to use the photo on this site and possibly on other sites to promote this competition.
Photos will be judged and scored accordingly:
- 20% – Location – Based on visual appeal, complexity and higher public visibility
- 20% – Suspension – More complex suspensions gain higher marks
- 20% – Photography – Image quality and getting the perfect shot is part of the challenge
- 40% – Creativity – Overall score based on judges opinions
- Safety – Unsafe rigging and/or dangerous suspension practices will have points deducted
Grand Prize – A one of a kind “trophy” rig designed and donated by Skin Mechanics Steelworks. The grand prize will be awarded at the 2012 Dallas Suscon.
Other Prizes – As the competition progresses we may adding more prizes. Companies/Individuals interesting in donating prizes please contact Hook Life.Judges:
- Allen Falkner – Administrator of suspension.org
- Misty “Southtownbaby” Forsberg – Head Writer for Hook Life
- Mark “nakedlens.org” Kaplan – Official Dallas Suscon Photographer
- Stewart “S2B” Stephens – Certified Entertainment Production Rigger
- Erik “Lizardman” Sprague – International Performer
Submissions will be accepted until December 31st, 2011. After that date the judges top picks will be posted. Good luck everyone. We are looking forward to seeing your entries.
The full details as well as the contest entry form can be found at this link.
Now remember, only entries submitted to HookLife will be counted. That said, knowing some of the fantastic suspension teams that are out there, there are going to be more than one photo of each suspension. BME is inviting those teams that participate to submit any additional photos to the suspension galleries. I’m going to be keeping my eye out for these submissions over the next couple of months, and I’m hoping to feature as many as possible. So if you plan on entering the challenge, remember to send your extra photos to BME, and send me an e-mail with the story behind them (don’t e-mail me your photos).
While we’re on the subject of suspension, here’s my counterpart at HookLife, Misty, doing a tandem 6pt resurrection, 4pt rebirth suspension. Misty is the one on top.
Here’s another tattoo out of First Blood in Sydney. This one is a heart done right on the kneecap by guest artist Ange. What’s cool is that the shape of the knee matches the shape of the heart, enabling the tattoo to appear to be three dimensional.
If you’re going to have a Mechanoid for a butler, make sure it’s a DivaDroid International Series 4000. Of course the downside is that they tend to be a little neurotic.
Tattoo by John Green from Pärleporten in Uppsala, Sweden.
A sure fire way to call attention to any tattoo is to add a bit of color. Of course when that color comes from a pair of microdermals in your neck, it becomes even more noticeable.
Alright so here’s the breakdown of everything. The piercings are by Joeltron from First Blood in Sydney. The tattoo is by Ange while she was doing a guest spot there. And according to the description, in this photo the dermals are healed while the tattoo is still fresh.
When Lyell Cook passed away a number of his friends decided to get memorial tattoos. Since Lyell was tattooed by Keegan Lam one friend decided to fly from New Zealand to Halifax to get a memorial tattoo done by him. The mandala in the center of the piece is the same one that Lyell had on his chest.
Keegan works at Newcombes Ink in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Who needs underwear when you’ve got a piece like this on your rear?
Oh, that blurry part? Well that’s a transscrotal. You’ll have to keep reading to see that one.
Dear Estonia: Thank you for making such beautiful women. Sincerely, the rest of the world.
Tattoo by Roland Paabo from Auriga Tattoo in Talinn, Estonia.
It’s time again for the weekly news round up. This week we’re going to get started with a story that a lot of people sent in. Before I get into it I want to remind people that the person involved in the story is friends with many ModBlog readers and as it stands is currently being charged with a crime, he has not been convicted. The reason I bring this up is because of the nature of the reporting surrounding this story. As some of you know by now, Caius has been charged with homicide and is currently awaiting a trial. He is best known for his large array of heavy facial modifications, and as such the media is latching on to this. What shouldn’t come as a surprise is how the media is handling the story. Reactions have been mixed. Agencies like ABC news touch briefly on his modifications (while using his photo to garner attention), while other outlets like The Sun are completely ignoring facts and just making assumptions based on photos. Here’s what ABC News had to say:
A ranking Hells Angels member in western Massachusetts and two acquaintances charged in a triple murder killed one of the victims to prevent him from testifying in a kidnapping and assault trial and killed the other two men to eliminate witnesses, according to a police report released Monday. The probable cause report by Massachusetts State Police describes how Adam Lee Hall, 34, the reputed sergeant at arms of the Berkshire County chapter of the Hells Angels, allegedly was involved in a dispute over an automobile part in 2009 that escalated into a series of criminal acts that ended with the killings of the three men. Their bodies were found buried in an undisclosed location in the county Saturday. Hall and his two associates, David Chalue, 44, and Caius Veiovis, 31, entered not guilty pleas to murder, kidnapping and other charges and were ordered held without bail during their arraignments in District Court in Pittsfield on Monday. They’re set to return to court Oct. 12.
Witnesses told state police that before the three victims went missing, Hall was talking about how Glasser had to “disappear” before the trial, and that after the abductions Hall said something about “when the three men were taken,” the report says. State police also said witnesses saw a man fitting Hall’s description tossing shoes, clothing and other items off a bridge in nearby Lenox just minutes after authorities entered Glasser’s apartment looking for the missing men. One of those witnesses later identified Hall from a photo array, police said. Police also said tests on the inside of Veiovis’ vehicle came up positive for the presence of blood, although whose blood isn’t clear.
Lawyers for Chalue and Veiovis, who is also known as Roy Gutfinski, declined to comment on the allegations. Many questions remain unanswered. District Attorney David Capeless declined to say where exactly the bodies were found, how the three men died and how Hall, Chalue and Veiovis knew each other. Authorities have said they don’t believe Chalue and Veiovis were members of the Hells Angels.
So as you can see, with the exception of the photo, Caius is only mentioned as being arrested based off evidence found in his car, and that he isn’t a member of the Hells Angels. Now, we flip over to another “news” agency, The Sun, and see what they had to say about the story. Keep in mind they only information both news agencies have is based off the arrest record and mug shots.
With a sinister ’666′ emblazoned across his forehead and horn implants sticking out of his head, this murder suspect poses for one of the most frightening mugshots ever. Caius Veiovis’ chilling face also includes spiked nose piercings and angry tattoos across his body. The heavily-pierced Satanist changed his name from Roy Gutfinski to Caius Veiovis with Veiovis a god of the underworld and Caius a character in the Twilight saga.
Yep, he’s a twilight vampire. There are other stories floating about claiming that he’s actually a member of the Hell’s Angels, as well as several other outlandish claims, and yet in all of those stories he’s being judged not based on any evidence, but simply because he has modified himself to appear the way he wants to. It seems that for every step forward towards acceptance we take, someone is there to push us back. Think back to a few months ago when Lady Gaga debuted a music video featuring Zombie Boy and dancers with fake facial implants. Nobody had a problem with that, and she was applauded by the media for tackling issues of acceptance. Fast forward to today when someone who looks different than others has already been found guilty by the media simply for looking different.
Thankfully this isn’t the only story this week, so I won’t dwell on it any further. Keep on reading to check out the rest of the news, including a fantastic interview with Ottawa artist Glen Paradis.
While parts of the world are demonizing them, other parts are celebrating modifications. The Ripley’s Believe It or Not wax museum has invited Maria Jose Cristerna, Mexico’s “Vampire Woman” to be their newest wax figure.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! took body casts of Maria Jose Cristerna, known as the Mexican Vampire Woman, on Friday. Cisterna has titanium implants that serve as horns. She also has fangs, piercings and tattoos. She said she made the transformation after a period of domestic violence. Ripley’s will create a wax figure of Cisterna.
While I wasn’t able to link photos, the article above has an interview with Maria where she talks about what modifications she has, what she plans on getting, and the meanings behind it all.
Tattoo artists in Phoenix, AZ are upset over a proposed new tax that is being billed as a “Sin Tax” which specifically targets tattoo studios and strip clubs.
The Phoenix Food Tax left a bad taste in many people’s mouths. It generated $28-million extra for the city, but the added tax was unwelcome with people struggling to stay afloat in the down economy. That tax runs out in 2015, and leaders are already looking at other options. One of them could include a so-called “sin tax.” Right now it’s just an idea being looked into by the Phoenix City Council. The idea is to raise extra revenue for the city if the food tax expires by taxing things like strip clubs and tattoo parlors. As you can imagine, tattoo artists in Phoenix are hoping this sin tax doesn’t go through.
At 27 Tattoo Studio in downtown Phoenix, tattoo artist Mark Mayhem has built up a loyal clientele. He worries what would happen at tattoo parlors around the city if the so-called “sin tax” is passed. “As to be expected from an artist, I really feel like it’s going to hurt some of our business,” he says. Mayhem says the idea of taxing something like a tattoo is going too far, and that it shouldn’t be lumped together with strip clubs and other vices that could be taxed. “I’m an artist. That would be like taxing painters or authors. But, I hope it doesn’t go through.”
I’m kind of curious as to how a tax on strip clubs will work. Does it apply to lap dances only or will giving a tip require the dancer to stop and calculate the tax added to it?
Today’s final story is one that’s a lot more positive than the one we started with today. Glen Paradis, an Ottawa tattoo artist, recently did an interview with The Ottawa Citizen. There was no sensationalism, no hype, just a great interview with one of the country’s finest artists.
These are three things that many people look for in a tattoo: good, fast and cheap. Glen Paradis says he can deliver any two, but at the exclusion of the third. You want good and fast? It won’t be cheap. You want fast and cheap? It won’t be any good. And if you want, say, a tattoo of a huge spider on your face, he suggests you go elsewhere.
The 41-year-old tattoo artist has spent the last decade at New Moon Tattoo — he’s currently at their Orléans location — where he’s become so good that clients can expect to wait up to seven months for him to stick needles loaded with indelible ink into their skin. He compares the loyalty of his customers to that of car owners who return repeatedly to a good auto mechanic.
For the first while he only tattooed grapefruits, practising drawing straight lines, circles, corners, squares and maple leafs on the soft, round fruit, learning to complete designs with just one or two passes of the needle thus keeping any possible damage to the skin to a minimum. From there it was a matter of finding a friend who would let him try his first tattoo on skin. “My buddy Andre let me do three Chinese characters on him. I was a nervous wreck.” For the next couple of months, Paradis tattooed nothing larger than a toonie, working on getting good before trying anything large. “If you jump into something too big, you make mistakes.”
And while doing a complete and original body tattoo — he’s done several full backs, legs and sleeves, but no full bodies — is near the top of his bucket list, he says he’s equally happy doing the profession’s bread-and-butter designs: the hearts, wings, Celtic crosses, roses, stars and tribal motifs. “There’s nothing I hate doing. You want something that’s been done a million times before? I’m going to do it in a million-and-one different ways. You want a rose? Let’s make it fantastic. You want a ladybug? Let’s make it look real. “I just love tattooing. I get to do this every day. I draw every day. I see fantastic people from all over the place and I get to come to work dressed like an 18-year-old kid, listen to music and have a blast.
“I’m going to do this until I die.”
So that’s it for this week’s news. As always, if you find an article that you think should be included. Just send me an e-mail.
Other than that, have a great weekend everyone!
There’s something about Selfishlove that makes me think of Debbie Harry. Of course, a much younger and modified Debbie Harry.
