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

  • Keloids Transforming Into A Skull

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    My friend Tony Snow (of Voodoo Tattoo in Paradise, Nevada), who I first at a taco shop while passing through Nevada about a decade ago, did the scar-half of this superb tattoo/scar combo piece. A lot of the time when tattoo/scar combos are done, the scar can stand on its own, but at some later point the tattooing is added to breathe more life into it. In the case of this piece though, the two artforms dance beautifully, with each half desperately needing the other half. The scars that Tony did keloided beautifully, raising up like flames of tissue hinting at some subcutaneous inferno, hinting at the demonic skull that the tattooing then draws into focus.

  • Inverse Tattoos

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    Dave Temby, AKA Bleach Methane (bleachmethane.com), is a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based tattoo artist that did this pair of negative/inverse-level tattoos on Joe Galkin, garnering him constant compliments on their uniqueness. I’m sure if you stare long enough at them and let the image work its way into your rods and cones, and then stare at a blank wall, you’ll see the real image floating in front of you, but I’ve made it easier by animating the process for you. Click the picture to see it bigger (but un-animated).

  • Supradermal Cross “Implant”

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    This isn’t really an implant of course — it’s a cross that’s been semi-permanently mounted on the wearer’s chest using three microdermals to hold it in place. Christopher Lee Shelafoe of Marquette, MI’s Rendezvous Tattoo & Body Piercing (I recently featured an anarchy scar he did) is who installed it, said that in an ideal world he would have like to use a lighter cross, but the client specifically needed that exact cross because it had belonged to his child. So they did it as best they could, with the understanding it was an experiment. It was still in place last time he spoke with the wearer, who has since moved away. Christopher and I were talking about how he’d tackle this next time, and he’s working on having microdermals mad with magnetic ends so that the cross (or whatever) can be solidly mounted, but will pop off without injury if it gets snagged.

  • Wiccan Goddess Pubic Scarification

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    I want to share with you this alluring scarification done by Italy’s Alicia Lady Mamau (ladymamau.tumblr.com). The cutting is well scarred at ten months into healing. For those that don’t already recognize it, this is the triple moon Wiccan goddess symbol, which refers both to the Goddess and the phases of the moon.

  • Suspension-Themed Ink Rubbing

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    About a year ago Misty Forsberg of Southtown Tattoo and Body Piercing (southtowntattoo.com/) in Fort Smith, Arkansas, did a suspension-themed cutting (note the accuracy of the knot) on Kyrsten, which was then rubbed with magenta ink, which you can see here fresh. The right side picture was taken at eleven months, showing the scar successfully mottled with color, the magenta tint giving making it look permanently inflamed.

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