BME: Body Modification Ezine

A tattooed person suspends from hooks, laying flat, one leg higher than the other. Their head is back, and they seem to be smiling, dark hair dangling like an anime character.

Celebrating body modification culture since 1994.

Author: Shannon Larratt

  • Matt Black’s nose knows the scalpel

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    Another person I could have included in my post about Iestyn Flye’s scar work and upcoming seminar with Ron Garza was the brilliant and aptly named blackwork tattoo artist Matt Black who works at London’s Divine Canvas, since he has some eye-catching skin-removal on his nose by Iestyn. Even though you don’t see this type of facial scar that much, it has a strong historical basis and in fact Maori mokos, which are based on their wood carving art, were first done as “skin carving” before they became the more commonly seen “normal” tattoos.

    I hope seeing it and similar pieces will encourage more people to explore this artform on their faces. The nose seems to really carry the scar well — although I would urge people to only go to the best for this sort of thing… Your nose is not a piece of anatomy you want someone learning through trial-and-error on!!! Here is a recent picture of Matt’s face showing both the scar and the rest of his amazing facial tattooing.

    mattblack1

    But I also wanted to share two recent blackwork tattoos that Matt has done. I’m not sure who the hand work is on, but the chest is on another great body artist, Damien Voodoo, who has an incredible collection of work that I will certainly show more of in the future. You can find Matt at divine-canvas.com along with many other top-notch artists specializing in (but not exclusive to) the modern neo-tribal tattoo style. By the way, look carefully at these tattoos and you’ll see they’re not just a “boring old solid fill” — it’s actually a dense field of dotwork.

    mattblack2

    mattblack3

  • All Plugged Up

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    I have the feeling that if even one of these black plugs gets pulled — if one of the stoppers is de-corked — that bathtubs full of blood would come pouring out. But seriously, I just love the look of all these matching black plugs that Burkitt’s got in, but what I especially like is the high placement of his philtrum, resting right under his nose. The meaty jewelry just suits him perfectly, and it’s a superb example of using body jewelry not to create a new look, but to pump up what’s already there.

    burkittblackplugs

  • Lukas Zpira Update

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    Old BME favorite Lukas Zpira has recently begun a blog at (which lukaszpira.com currently redirects to) to keep his fans updated, adding to his large repetoire of websites including Hacking The Future and The Chaos Chronicles. But one of my favorites by far of his recent projects is Danse Neurale — here is the flyer:

    danse-neurale

    I like that tagline a lot — and of course am 100% on side with the idea that there is a reality that we can reach only through the intellect, not only with the senses. And really, as the son of a mathematician and engineer, how could I feel any differently? In any case, you must watch the video if you haven’t already — it’s a performance in which Lukas is tied to a breathing mic and a heart monitor, so it’s very easy to get intimately connected to the ritual, especially if you have some hands-on experience yourself. Watch it right through too, because it ends with some interesting interview material.

  • Bloody Sea Dragon

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    Brian Decker (purebodyarts.com) who did this scarification, admits that he didn’t know what a Leafy Sea Dragon was before doing the cutting, so I think I’ll use this as an excuse to tell you because it’s really a remarkable creature. It’s very much like a sea horse, which is a type of sea horse that hides with it’s extreme anatomical camouflage, drifting peacefully among plants that it looks very much like. It moves using two tiny and almost transparent fins, one on its neck and one near the tail, with the rest waving in the breeze as if they were vegetation. To survive it sucks up tiny shrimp, plankton, and larval fish through its anteater-like snout. It’s flamboyant yet serene body makes it a perfect image to capture in body art. I got to see them in person at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium when Barry of Anatometal took us, if memory serves, and they’re quite wonderful.

    Above the scar by Brian, and below, the amazing lifeform it mimics.

    leafy-sea-dragon-scar

    leafy-sea-dragon

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    Dotwork Scarification

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    I shared this tattoo when I posted a gallery of Iestyn Flye’s work on ModBlog (click here if you don’t remember — it is in regards to the scarification seminar he and Ron Garza are hosting that you don’t want to miss if you’re a London-area professional in the field), but I also wanted I’ll just share this wider shot of Dom here, because I also really like her dotwork scars. I can imagine an entire body done in these, and have seen such things in Africa of course, but not as often in a “modern” context. Beautiful work.

    dotwork

    PS. Ignore the “smartphone” on the picture, it is only of use if you’re trying to track her down on Facebook!

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