ScarCon!

by Iestyn Flye, ScarCon London

A post from me that’s not about history?
I know, I know. But I’m looking at things in the long view- eventually ScarCon will join my own ScarWars event as a nodal point in the history of Scarification, so…. this post is just coming a bit early!

Ron Garza is one of my oldest friends, and along with Steve Haworth is someone I consider to be directly responsible for the way that Western scarification has evolved. He’s influenced the best in the world and in 2006 at Scarwars LA  I was honored to present him with the ‘Keith Alexander Award for the Advancement of the Art and Culture of Scarification’. To date he’s the only artist who’s been given this award. He recently hosted ScarCon; an international gathering of Scarification artists hosted in London England and has graciously contributed photos exclusively to ModBlog and Scarwars (so check there for pictures not included in this update!)

The artists for the inaugural London ScarCon were: Christiane, Ryan Ouellette, Bruno BMA, Iestyn Flye,  Ron Garza and Brenno Alberti .

I’m going to be rolling more photos out soon, here and over at Scarwars, so check back!

As always… discuss!

---

Shawn has spent the majority of his ife in the modification world.
In addition to writing poorly for Modblog, he also edits the often neglected Scarwars site, the more frequently updated Occult Vibrations tattoo blog as well as his personal diary at Sacred Debris. He lives in Philadelphia with his faithful Italian Greyhound Bailey, his roommate Megh and a steadily growing Pushead collection.

ScarCon!

by Iestyn Flye, ScarCon London

A post from me that’s not about history?
I know, I know. But I’m looking at things in the long view- eventually ScarCon will join my own ScarWars event as a nodal point in the history of Scarification, so…. this post is just coming a bit early!

Ron Garza is one of my oldest friends, and along with Steve Haworth is someone I consider to be directly responsible for the way that Western scarification has evolved. He’s influenced the best in the world and in 2006 at Scarwars LA  I was honored to present him with the ‘Keith Alexander Award for the Advancement of the Art and Culture of Scarification’. To date he’s the only artist who’s been given this award. He recently hosted ScarCon; an international gathering of Scarification artists hosted in London England and has graciously contributed photos exclusively to ModBlog and Scarwars (so check there for pictures not included in this update!)

The artists for the inaugural London ScarCon were: Christiane Lofblad, Ryan Ouellette, Bruno BMA, Iestyn Flye,  Ron Garza and Brenno Alberti .

I’m going to be rolling more photos out soon, here and over at Scarwars, so check back!

As always… discuss!

---

Shawn has spent the majority of his ife in the modification world.
In addition to writing poorly for Modblog, he also edits the often neglected Scarwars site, the more frequently updated Occult Vibrations tattoo blog as well as his personal diary at Sacred Debris. He lives in Philadelphia with his faithful Italian Greyhound Bailey, his roommate Megh and a steadily growing Pushead collection.

Amber Rose gets an enormous tattoo of Wiz Khalifa’s face

Love is in the air for Amber Rose and Wiz Khalifa as the former has taken a creative way to express her love for the latter! Tattoos are becoming extremely popular with people these days and they are being used for variety of reasons other than a style statement. These days’ people take the help of tattoos to support a noble cause and some of them also get inked to express their love or affection for their loved ones. It surely is a wonderful way to say I love you forever!

Amber Rose and her new tattoo

You will find not one but many celebrities who have inked their bodies in order to show their unending love for their lover. Amber Rose has just made an entry on the list and she has done with a bang. She got a tattoo of Wiz Khalifa’s face on her arm and it looks really awesome. Amber and Wiz Khalifa is not just a dating couple but they are indeed the engaged couple who also have a darling son named Sebastian. Amber found a good way to show Wiz Khalifa that she is going to love him forever and no less than that.

Amber Rose is a known model and Wiz Khalifa is a famous rapper and both of them are truly and madly in love. Amber showed her tattoo to her fans on April 18 along with the words ‘True Love’. The tattoo on her arm has been done by tattoo artist Bobby and it shows Wiz Khalifa in white T-shirt and a black hat. Wiz Khalifa is grinning in the tattoo and has a gold chain as an accessory. The tattoo sure looks great and it is an ultimate way to express love to someone.

The news is not yet over as Amber did get the tattoo of Wiz Khalifa but that was not the only one she got on her body. The famous model also got a great tattoo of her mother which also looked phenomenal. She chose a vintage photograph of her mother and you should also know that Amber addresses her mother as Ms. Dottie. Amber Rose has been in the news recently because of her latest additions to her list of tattoos. Both the tattoos are inked in order to show her love for the two very important people in her life.

UK Casting Call

We are shooting a music video on the 9th May.
We are looking for black guys with script tattoos.
Also black guys with body modification and or scarification.
The talent we film will also be paid for his time.

A little slash and burn…

Have we ever considered designating May as ‘International Scarification Month”?
Going back to 2005, May was the month that I hosted the first organized gathering of Scarification professionals in the world under the banner of ‘Scarwars‘ and eight years later my old friend Ron Garza is hosting ScarCon this weekend in London. I’m sure the two things are just a coincidence, but it’s worth looking into. I mean, right now the only thing we really have to compete with is National Masturbation Month.

One of the artists who attended all three Scarwars events was NYC’s multi-talented Brian Decker of Pure Body Arts, who did this amazing cut/cautery hybrid scarification.

From Brian:

Since thighs don’t typically scar that well, I made sure to keep the main parts bold, and am hoping the burning will do more damage to the tissue than superficial removal. We’ll see…..

It’s super important to go into a cutting/branding piece knowing that the results can be unpredictable, with technique, healing method, genetics and just plain luck factored in. Some folks may want the reassurance of knowing exactly how a modification will heal, but as Mr. Decker says: “We’ll see.”

---

Shawn has spent the majority of his ife in the modification world.
In addition to writing poorly for Modblog, he also edits the often neglected Scarwars site, the more frequently updated Occult Vibrations tattoo blog as well as his personal diary at Sacred Debris. He lives in Philadelphia with his faithful Italian Greyhound Bailey, his roommate Megh and a steadily growing Pushead collection. 

Call for actors

I was sent this request looking for people to appear in a music video. As we always do, I’m posting this request here for anyone who might be interested in taking part.

Good morning,

My name is Jonathan Cozzo, I’m working for a music video production company called Prettybird and we are currently organizing the making of a music video for a major American singer. We are actually looking for people with African scarifications or scars (from wounds for instance) and people with tattoos (of words or sentences) to appear as actors in that video and I was hoping you could help me on this subject.

To give you more details, we’d like several dark-skinned persons with either scarifications on their body and/or face or tattoos (words or complete sentences) to participate in a video shoot next week, on Thursday the 9th. Their participation will of course be paid and expanses covered.

Thank you for your time and help,

Is anyone interested in history?

Rachel has graciously allowed me access to the ModBlog control panel. I’m not really sure what I’m going to do with it, to be honest. I already have a bunch of blogs that you may or may not read- ScarWars, Occult Vibrations and my own personal diary site, so what can I offer to you folks here at Modblog?

History maybe?

My passion is the documentation of the things that I love. Always has been. I’m one of those folks who wants to know everything about the things that interest me. Luck (and a birthday in the 1970s) placed me right smack dab in the middle of the cultural shift in the Body Modification community, when the older generation and the younger generation met and everything changed. Jack Yount (pictured above) was instrumental in teaching me about those who came before me as well as instilling a desire in me to document and preserve those lessons.

So tell me ModBlog… If I post it, will you read it? Are there still folks out there that want to know who Jack Yount was, or what a U-Tube is? What connection Cliff Raven had to Ed Hardy or how old Brian Skellie was the first time I saw him naked?

Remember that there’s a comment section and let me hear from you. I want interaction on Modblog!

Stay Calm is coming soon!

Hey folks;
Jen has been kind enough to post on our behalf about the upcoming STAY CALM: Celebrating the life of Shannon Larratt memorial here in Philadelphia, but since I’m going to be posting on ModBlog when the whim strikes (mostly history content. There’s no school like the Old School) I figured now would be as good a time as any to post my first post and what better subject than the event that’s coming up soon!

Here’s the basic rundown:
The Philadelphia area IAM community- known for the last 13 years as ‘the Weirdos’- were always one of the most active IAM groups and when our friend passed away, we decided to throw a small get together to say our respects and our goodbyes. We figured that we’d get around thirty of our old friends, kick back at a bar and tell some stories and raise our glasses.

It’s sort of grown beyond thirty people; to date there are slightly over 200 folks making the trek to Philly by car, bus and plane. The Stay Calm planners have arranged a full day of fun- a family friendly park visit on the morning of 27th April leading into a wild night at Philadelphia’s only Leather Bar (which is owned by IAM members) that’ll feature raffles, drinks (both virgin and alcoholic) and a whole lot of fun.

Once we saw how many people were coming, I reached out to our amazing friends and asked for goodies that we could raffle off- with 100% of the profits going directly to Ari Larratt. They responded generously.

Our sponsors include:
Jimmy Buddha/Diablo Organics
Maya
Anatometal
Bishop Organics
Scylla Body Designs & Corsetiere
Gorilla Glass
Luis Garcia @ No Ka Oi
Diabolik DVD
Bella Vendetta
Rites of Passage
A ‘glider heart’ implant + procedure by Brian Decker
Scarification by John Joyce, Efix Roy and Ryan Ouellette
Jewelry (multiple manufacturers) courtesy of John Joyce/Scarab
Original Painting by Twitch
Tattoo gift cards from Off the Map Tattoo
Glider Heart Pendant by Jeremy Smith
… and more!

We’ve also got an AMAZING 18×24 hand screened print (printed in Philadelphia by Awesome Dudes Printing) by legendary poster artist Johnny Thief (pictured above) for sale, and again- 100% of profits go directly into Ari Larratt’s savings account.

If you’ve never been to a BMEfest, Bowling with Weirdos, East Coast BBQ- the events that helped shaped the IAM community- we’d love it if you could make it out and see what all the fuss is about. If you haven’t been to one in years… now’s the best time to come back home.

We have a Facebook RSVP page here that has up to date information on room and ride shares, local Philly tourist information and more as well as our event specific Stay Calm blog.

Thanks for having me here on ModBlog, and I’ll be seeing you all real soon!

Stay Calm Update

This is an update about the Stay Calm event posted below.  Can’t be there in person?  Read on.

What I’d like for you folks who can’t make it to do, if you still want to be here in spirit… is to record a short video talking about your connection to Shannon and the IAM/BME Community. How it’s affected your life. Met a spouse? Had a baby? Traveled to Mexico for BMEFest and used a swimming pool as a gravity bong?

Tell your story!

Then either upload it to YOUTUBE (tagged staycalmbme) or get a dropbox.com account and link me. We’re going edit them together and put them online; shared here on SCPhilly as well as BME. There are some great stories out there; sweet, funny, raunchy… let’s not let them be forgotten.

Oh. Did you guys like the STAY CALM Hand Screened print that Johnny Thief designed for us? Well get this! If you submit a video to the THANK YOU SHANNON! Project- your name goes into a drawing to have one sent to you on us! They’re available exclusively to attendees of the memorial, so you’ll be the coolest kid on your block!

Once you’ve got it online, email staycalmbme@gmail.com with the youtube or dropbox link and you’ll be set.

OH! This is really important. All submitted videos must be shot “properly”.

Videos should be under five minutes, 720dpi or higher if possible, m4v or mov format.

You can read the full post by going here.

We here at BME would really love it if you submitted the videos to BME as well. Please do share your memories of Shannon, whether they be photos, a video or if you want to write up a story or memorial, or anything really, about him. You can submit content via your BME account or by sending it to submissions@bme.com. If you run into any problems at all please email BME support for help.

Look at my shirt!

TRIANGUL-R sent in this really cool photo of himself and I just had to share it.

Fashion design by Triangul-R – http://www.disparage-fashion.be
Photography by fab5 – http://www.fab5photography.com
All implants and piercings by Indy Voet (Brussels)

Our hearts are in Boston

All of us here at BME want to express our sympathies and condolences to everyone in Boston and those who were watching or participating in the Boston Marathon today.  Our hearts and thoughts are with you.

If you’re in Boston please check in with us and let us know that you’re OK.

If you were at the marathon today consider adding yourself to the Safe & Well List offered by the Red Cross so that your family and loved ones know you’re OK.

Google is also offering a person finder to check on loved ones.

Stay Calm

On April 27th, in Philadelphia, there will be a gathering to celebrate Shannon’s life and the friendships he helped to foster.  To read more about the event, please visit this blog.  Below is an excerpt from the site about the event:

The weekend will have something for everyone, reminiscent of BME BBQs of the past. There’ll be time at the park, private suspensions, a party/fundraiser at a bar and the eventual hotel shenanigans that IAM events made famous.

We’ve worked out a special group rate at the LOWES Philadelphia (update: SOLD OUT! We’re working on a second block at another local hotel so please stay in touch if you’re in need of accommodations) and are working on other perks. Checking back here or the Facebook event listing will be your best way to keep up with the latest news.

If you know of any other gatherings taking place please feel free to post about them in the comments below.

We just wanted to say thank you, again, for the love and support the community has shown all of us here at BME.  If you’re going to an event please do take pictures and share them with BME, we would love to see them, especially those of us who live too far away to attend anything.

Disney inspired tattoos

The world of tattoos and body art is gradually opening up new doors and vistas, when it comes to bringing innovative and unusual elements within its realm of doable art. Body art, which till yesterday was only for etching skulls on fire and other such grotesque caricatures of other such synonymous topics, is no longer limited to just these clichéd and old print material. As people all around the world open up their mind to the rest of the world, as localization gives way to globalization, more and more people are finding out alternative matter to print on their skin.

It’s a new world as people go back to their childhood days, get back in touch with their spirit of innocence and in the process imagine it up as a decipherable matter enough to get it done on their skins. It is the age of Disney characters, of childhood days cartoons and animations, of the so many characters that rustle up a whole plethora of memories. That is why people are increasingly deciding to touch their soul back from their toddler days, which over the decades have been overwhelmed by this increasingly commercial and pragmatic world.

The history of these tattoos of course lies on the pages of the history of the world of movies. The primary reason why Disney characters attained such heights of popularity was in the first place, due to movies. Over the centuries, as more and more Disney characters got animated into the sets and films of movies. The result: Say “Hello” to an era where Disney characters such as Ariel and Snow White are the desired role models of every girl. Buzz Lightyear became the next big word on the tongues of boys and adults alike. Toy Story is the highest earning animation film till today. That in itself is reason enough to comprehend why animated characters got such critically acclaimed in the first place itself.

Up and into the 21^st century, where speaking out your views was no longer a taboo, and body art became the next big medium to day exactly what you had in mind, without even opening your mouth. Bam!! Introducing an age where more and more people got in love with Disney characters and more and more people got into tattoo shops to get their views for a lifetime, etched on ink. All’s fair in love and war, they say, and who couldn’t be in love with these cute characters from the world of Disney??

One direction tattoo competition

In what may be one of the outrageous publicity stints gone astray without success, and also one of the most ironical of all times, One Direction has cancelled their former announcement that fans who can show off their One Direction tattoos on their Twitter profiles will get free tickets to their soon to be released 3D film. However, fans who have begun already to race to the tattoo parlors, please refrain from doing so, for everything that you last heard was a hoax, and the competition has been pulled off due to certain miscellaneous reasons, that have forced the boy band to cancel, what would have been a highly popular publicity strategy.

For those who have no idea, what One Direction is, it is an English-Irish boy band that specializes in the genre of pop music. The band members include Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson. The band first rose to the limelight, when they became the second runner ups in te popular British singing competition, The X Factor in 2010. After delivering several chartbusters and other Top10 Hits, they are today one of the fast growing in popularity boy bands all around the world.

The band, in a recent attempt at popularizing their upcoming film, which is to be shot in 3D, posted a tweet on the social networking site, to all fans to post photos of their One Direction tattoos, the best getting a chance to win free tickets to their film, when it does release. However, in a publicity stunt gone awry, they had to pull off the post and cancel the competition all at once, for the simple reason that the general age pattern of the majority of the band’s fans and followers, do not even qualify for the minimum age that is necessitated in order to get a tattoo. Thus, much to the band’s disappointment, due to sheer pressure of the law extending their hand, they had to cancel the competition.

Had it been pulled off with a fair amount of success, it would have been one of the most ingenious stunts that have ever been pulled for the simple goal of attaining popularity. A spokesperson of the band stated that the post had been posted in error, and thus has been now removed and that everything stated in the post was false and a complete hoax. However, in recent times as has been found, many of the fans still retain their already done tattoos, which is a beacon of light as to what people can do in an attempt to show off their loyalty.

Gulf shores restrictions

In the bleak shores of Gulf Shores, situated in Alabama, USA, a major decision has laid the lives of several body artists and other tattoo craftsmen in a wild state of confusion. The City Council, during the tenure of last week’s session has very responsibly “forgotten” to discuss the agenda of the allocation of land and area to tattoo shops and other such ventures. This move, at the same time has also allowed the city’s Planning Staff to mobilize some more time for the consideration of bringing within this decision’s jurisdiction, other shops of a similar nature, such as pawn shops and cash lending services, rather businesses. In this way, the purposeful delay of the City Council is only to bring other immoral and possibly illegal businesses within the ambit of its restrictions. The city’s Mayor, Robert Craft has admittedly commented on the topic, that there is talk going on for the differentiation of such shops from the to and fro of other places of businesses and work. Since these works are of a different nature, there is a very serious, necessity to compartmentalize such businesses, so as to keep the collateral effects of such places of business away from the hustle and bustle of other places of public inhabitation.

In addition to all of these restrictions, there has been further insult to injury on the part of the City Council. The new regulations that are soon to follow will compel the tattoo businesses, not to operate within the vicinity of less than 1000 feet of other businesses of a similar nature. Moreover, the minimum distance that has to be maintained, when it comes to constructing such places of business within the radar of public institutions such as schools, colleges or parks, is not to be less than 500 feet, at the very minimum.

However, it’s a bonanza, as the City Council hurls insult after insult at the body art industry. With the new decisions passed, there has been a restriction passed on the issuing of new licenses, for at least a period of 120 days. Thus, within the range of this time period, no new tattoo businesses can be set up in any part of the city. What is more, other Baldwin county cities such as Orange Beach, Fairhope and Spanish Fort and Daphne have also issued similar memorandums to take stringent steps and necessary action against the setting up of such body art shops and pawning activities.

 

A girl and some big holes

The_holeyone sent us in this beautiful self portrait showing off her large-gauge piercings.  Maybe it’s just me but big stretches like this seem to be a lot less common on women than they are on men.  Do you agree?  Disagree?  Do you think my title could have possibly been sadder?

I really enjoy the symmetry in these piercings and, of course, we all enjoy pretty girls.

Ode to Joy

Alessandra Favoritto sent us this photo from the Diabos Mutantes Team Suspension of a first time suspension.  The facial expression is wonderful and I hope it makes you feel as much joy as it did for me.  This is what it’s all about.

BMEgirls are lovely

It’s no secret, we love our BMEgirls.  Thanks to Gisella_Rose for the gorgeous new photo.

Photographed by: Hatter Marie
Side piece by: Tyler Murphy (Sins of Style – CT, SA)
Heart sub dermal: Steve Truitt

Ladies, keep those submissions coming.  Men, why are you letting the girls get all the attention?  Let’s see some BMEboys!

Mechanical Demon

Arseniy Andersson‘s submissions to BME are never dull, that’s for sure!  He did the ear pointing and tongue splitting in the photo below.  The transdermals were done by Lari Lahti and Samppa Von Cyborg, the eyeballs by xRonix.

Ear pointing and tongue split by Arseniy Andersson
Transdermals by Lari Lahti and Samppa Von Cyborg.
Eyeballs by xRonix

Research Request

Occasionally we receive requests for help from people who are doing research.  The following is one such request.  If you’re interested in helping with this research please get in touch via the contact information below.

I am conducting research into the experience of people who define themselves as transabled and am looking for participants.  It is not a medical study but one focusing on what it is like for transabled people, their thoughts, feelings, desires, hopes, stories, relationships and so on – indeed any and all aspects of their lives which they are willing to share.  It is hoped that the research will promote understanding and awareness of transableism.  If you would like to know more, please contact me at Baldwin@stu.ca or go to: http://wp.stu.ca/narrativestudies/?page_id=355

Clive Baldwin, Canada Research Chair in narrative Studies, St Thomas University, Fredericton, NB