I suppose you can never get lost if you always have a compass with you.
Brooklyn bad boy Brian is the mastermind behind this incredible scar/brand combo. Brian points out this this scar was particularly challenging from a technical standpoint. Getting the dimensions correct to give the piece an accurate sense of scale is tough when you’re working with skin, especially on a scar of this size.
Today is one of those days that I wish the margins on ModBlog didn’t exist. This phenomenal backpiece by Joey Pang from Tattoo Temple in Hong Kong is exquisite in every respect. You can click on the photo to see it full-sized so you can understand just how incredible it is.
You can see more of Joey’s recent work in the oriental-style tattoo gallery.
BME is hiring, and we’re looking for Japanese/English translators. We’ve got hundreds of hours worth of footage from the Japan leg of the BME World Tour that needs translating. So if you’re fluent in both Japanese and English, capable of translating between the two, and are able to transcribe the dialogue with the proper time codes, then we’ve got the job for you. You’ll be able to work from home, and it is a paid position.
If you’re interested in the position and want to join the BME team, please send your qualifications and/or any questions you may have to [email protected] with the subject line “World Tour – Japanese Translator Job”.
Now for something completely different, here’s a massive back scar that has healed up a bit. Everyone’s favorite scrotum suspender, Lassi did this huge piece back in his home town of Helsinki, Finland at his studio.
Deep chest piercings are one of those rare kinds of piercings that are just staggering to look at. The sheer intensity of the piercing alone is puts it in the realm of suspensions and other things that push the limits of a person. I don’t have any information about these piercings, so I can’t tell you if they’re intended to last for any length of time or not, but the piercing process alone is something to be commended for. These particular piercings were done at Sacred Art Body Piercing in Newcastle.
One of the best things anyone can do during the summer is head out into the wilderness, set up a tent, and get away from the world for a while. For some it’s about getting away from the hustle and bustle of every day life, others take the time to commune with nature, and for a good number of people, it’s a chance to get together with some friends and do some bonding. For these guys, it’s definitely a bonding experience. Come rain or shine, these three will always have something to remember their days spent camping in the woods.
And here’s a close-up of the tattoo by Alexey Zamotevsky from Kipod Tattoo, in Tel Aviv.
In an effort to keep trying new and different things, The Sinner Team put together this triple tandem suspension.
Here’s the breakdown of the hook placements. On top is an 8 point knee(?) suspension, although the hooks start at his knees and move up his thigh. From there he has 6 hooks in his chest, and another 6 in his back to hold up the square rigging plate. On the bottom is a single point chest, and a 4 point resurrection. According to the description given, the extra hooks on the top were there to relieve the pressure on the spine, which was an issue with earlier tandem suspensions.
And here is the team that put it all together.
As always, The Sinner Team documented everything, and you can check out all the steps involved in the team portfolio gallery.
A fantastic looking scar.
It seems that when he’s not suspending by his scrotum, Lassi is quite the accomplished body modification artist. In fact, he was the first one to take advantage of the new gallery format for artists. Now because Lassi does more than just scarification, instead of making a portfolio for everything he does, we’ve created a section for him and other body modification artists that allows them to compile all of their assorted works into one gallery.
If you’re interested in setting up a gallery for yourself, simply e-mail [email protected] and let us know what type of gallery you’d like opened up for yourself. Categories include scarification, tattooing, piercing, suspension teams, modification artists and more. If you run a studio and want to post work from all your artists, we can do that too.
Happy April Fool’s day everyone! With ModBlog’s annual joke already finished, it’s time to get to some legit news. Hopefully all of these stories are real, although you never can tell on the 1st of April.
The Copenhagen Post this week featured the first of a multi-part story on the history of tattooing in Denmark. Anyone with an interest in tattoo or Scandinavian history should take the time to check it out. The first part covers the beginnings of tattooing in Denmark from the 1800′s sailor tattoos, to the mid 50′s when King Frederick IX posed for Life magazine shirtless, showing off his collection of ink.
“This is where it all started,” said photographer and author Jon Nordstrøm when The Copenhagen Post met him outside of Nyhavn 17, home to Tattoo-Ole, the oldest functioning tattoo shop in the world. Though tattoos can be traced backed some 5,000 years, the modern history of tattooing in Denmark began in the late 19th century, when sailors poured into Nyhavn sporting tattoos they had gathered on their journeys and were greeted by a few enterprising locals who had set up rudimentary stations that amounted to little more than a box to sit on, hand-held tools and some ink.
At the turn of the 20th century, Nyhavn was the only place in all of Denmark – indeed in all of Scandinavia – where those inclined could get tattooed. It was a distinction the area held for nearly a century. “Denmark, and Nyhavn in particular, was the headquarters for tattooing in Scandinavia for nearly 100 years, from the 1890s to 1975,” said Nordstrøm. “Aside from a few ‘sailor shops’ that popped up in Sweden in the ’40s, where tattoos were done in a backroom, there was no tattooing in Sweden or Norway.”
Tattoo Ole also became known for the work he did on a particular customer. In 1951, a LIFE magazine article featured a shirtless King Frederik IX – a former sailor himself – showing off his physique and his extensive collection of tattoos, which included the handiwork of Tattoo Ole. (See a short video of the King showing off his tattoos here)
I’ll be sure to include next week’s installment in the weekly news post so those interested can keep up.
More news to come, including a marketing strategy that may or may not be real.
Are you someone who likes a gamble? Well if you live in San Francisco, tonight you can take your chances on getting tattooed with a design you pick randomly.
As the Lower Haight Art Walk approaches (from 6pm to 9:30pm on Friday, folks), so does the annual tattoo roulette tradition at Idle Hand Tattoo Studio. See, each year they offer “$60 Get-What-You-Get Tattoos” night. It goes something like this: They have a large gumball machines filled with tattoo designs, you fork over a comparatively scant $60, turn the dial, and outcomes your new tattoo. Whether you like it or not. But, since the artists at Ide Hand are top-drawer, you’re bound to like it.
I’m not entirely sure what to make of this, as it sounds like it could be a good deal if you’re looking to get some piece of random flash tattooed on your body.
Speaking of deals, in a marketing move that could quite possibly be an April Fool’s day joke, Ecko have launched an interesting new ad campaign.
The company offers templates for the two stores’ rhino and shears logos, but encourages those interested in the discount to “personalize… Add color, scenery, etc., but the logo needs to be intact.” Of course, to get the discount, the ink must be permanent and not a rub-on transfer.
I noticed there are no size restrictions, so it might be worth getting a really tiny version of the logo tattooed on the bottom of your foot, or some other non-visible location.
The scumbag of the week award goes to Arthur Moore for not only sexually assaulting a 9 year old boy, but also tattooing his name on the boy’s shoulder.
Assistant District Attorney Kyle Rossi says last spring, Moore assaulted the boy in his home, where Moore was renting a room. Shortly after that, Rossi says that Moore then tattooed the boys upper shoulder. When the boy’s family discovered the tattoo, the boy then told them of the sex abuse and a warrant was issued for Moore’s arrest. Arthur Moore was arrested last month in Albuquerque, New Mexico and then extradited to Rochester. Rossi says that Moore threatened to kill the boy if he told anyone about the abuse. Moore has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child for those alleged threats.
I think this is a great example of what not to do. Ever.
College ModBlog readers, and those of you who went to some kind of post-secondary education. After the bills were paid, and the books bought, what did you spend your extra money on? Across North America the number one answer to that question is “buy booze”. Well The Towerlight, Towson University’s newspaper took a look into the lives of students who spent their money on body modifications instead of alcohol.
The four or more years students spend at college can go by faster than many expect. A permanent way to capture a moment or idea from that time is gaining popularity on college campuses, according to senior and former Towerlight contributor Amy Hefter, causing the formation of a unique culture. “The draw of tattoos is having beautiful art or sayings on your body,” Hefter said. “Tattoos allow you to spend your money on something that is much more permanent than a case of beer.”
Three years ago, Towson University decided to explore the culture surrounding tattoos through photography for a class project. She entitled it “The Tattoo Project. “ To date, Hefter has photographed 90 students and two professors. Through word of mouth and social networking publicity, “The Tattoo Project” has grown into much more than a class assignment. Hefter is now reaching out to Towson faculty to participate. She plans to continue shooting students and faculty until she graduates in December.
This week’s collection of celebrity stories is thankfully short.
Gucci Mane, the rapper known only for his facial ice cream cone tattoo, has finally come public as to why he chose such a unique design.
In the past few months, the Atlanta MC has exhibited some less than savory behavior, culminating with tattooing a large ice cream cone on the side of his face. However, Gucci wants the public to know that he is of sound mind, and feels that his ink was a good decision. “Everybody wants to know why I got the tattoo, did it hurt, what it means,” he told Billboard. “I just tell them it’s my trademark. It represents being the coldest in the game.”
Now I could be wrong, but don’t musicians want to be considered “hot”?
In a shocking turn of events, Amber Rose went out in public with a skintight dress showing off her nipple piercings. I don’t really know who she is, or what she’s famous for, but here’s a picture of her anyway.
Yesterday, Amber Rose stepped out in NYC wearing a skin-tight freakum dress. This wouldn’t normally make headlines because, let’s be real, when isn’t Amber wearing an outfit that shows off her assets? However, on this particular occasion, we couldn’t help but notice the nipple piercings poking through her dress.
Well, that’s it for the first news post of April. As always, keep sending in those news stories, and have yourselves a great weekend everyone.
After months of planning and research, a new project is about to get underway that is both a living art exhibit and a journey into the very limits of body modification. I’ve known about this for a little while, but I had been asked to keep quiet until the time was right. Well, today is the day.
The artist behind this project has asked to remain anonymous for now, but he/she has been featured on ModBlog several times before. This project is the culmination of many years of hard work. That project? The Arnie Composition.
The focus of the project is to take fictional modification/mutations found in various Arnold Schwarzenegger films and make them a reality. This is where you come in. The artist is looking for volunteers to take part in this radical art showcase. In order to take part you must be 21 or older, and have some experience with surgical modifications (i.e. implants, etc), and be willing to travel to Montreal.
So what modifications are planned? Well I don’t have the final list, but I can provide some examples. We recently saw in the news a professor who used transdermal anchors to stick a camera into the back of his head. The implants eventually had to be removed as the camera weighed too much. For “The Arnie Composition” the artist is looking for someone who is up to the challenge of becoming The Predator. If you recall, in the film Predator, the alien had a digital device attached to his arm. For the project the artist has crafted a compact and lightweight version that will attach to the arm via magnetic transdermals.
In addition to the arm plate, he is also looking to use multiple skull transdermal implants to attach dreadlocks similar to the predator’s.
Next up is the Terminator portion of the exhibit. Using a combination of scarification, branding, and LED implants, the goal is to recreate the iconic look of The Terminator.
Finally, in the most radical modification of the collection, the Total Recall. Total Recall is famous for a number of things, but probably the most iconic image is that of Mary, the prostitute. One lucky woman will have the opportunity to be the centerpiece of the exhibit by transforming into Mary.
There are many more procedures planned, including a radical tattoo and scar piece reminiscent of Mr. Freeze.
If you have any questions regarding this exhibit, feel free to get in contact with me as I’ll be passing the requests along to the artist. In the mean time, take a look through the galleries to see what what the many talented artists that submit their images to BME are capable of, and start watching those Arnie movies to get a better idea of what to expect from The Arnie Composition.
