Celebrating body modification culture since 1994.
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Approach with extreme caution. Do not attempt to use magic against this woman. Any information leading to the arrest of this woman shall be duly rewarded. Notify immediately by owl the Ministry of Magic.
Wizard Matt Vermillion used a very specific scarification curse on prisoner Symantha_ to prevent her from blending in with muggles.
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For those of you unfamiliar with Wings of Desire, they’re one of the world’s finest suspension teams and hosts to The Oslo SusCon. Håvve and the rest of the gang are always at the forefront of modern suspension and now they’re about to do something that hasn’t been accomplished in many years, and that is publish a book on suspension. Now in order for the book to be published, a minimum number of pre-orders need to be made. The book, featuring the photography of Helene Fjell, is a chronicle of the past 10 years that Wings of Desire has been together. Here’s a bit more about the book.
The book has been a long term project; planned since the very beginning of the Norwegian chapter in suspension history. Helene, our photographer, has been present since Håvve first came out as a Fakir in 1991 and has followed his work for more than two decades. As our official photographer, most of the body suspensions facilitated by Wings of Desire (WoD) can be found in her archives.
Helene’s photographs show more than the beauty of suspended bodies, they also capture the emotion of the moment. There are also a multitude of stories belonging to the people depicted. To give a slight impression of their various feelings and experiences, we have included selected quotes from people who have been suspended by Wings of Desire.
The foreword is written by Håvve’s first mentor, Allen Falkner. The history and philosophy behind WoD practice is put into words by the Norwegian suspension pioneer and creator of WoD, Håvve.
Instead of choosing a publisher, we have decided to publish this book ourselves. We know that we have the experience and ability to make this book a striking visual and emotional testimony—as well as an historical artifact of a decade’s worth of continuous improvement of equipment and technique. What we need is your help to make it happen!
Wings of Desire have partnered with a Kickstarter-like site for independent authors. What this means is that all the funds that go directly into the creation of the book, with nothing being tacked on by a publisher. The down side to this is that in order to be published, they need to sell 500 pre-orders by May 7th. So if you’re interested in getting a copy of what is sure to be an incredible book, head on over to this site to order your copy.
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If you are a piercer, or a piercing enthusiast and have wondered how to get your photos published, well here is the opportunity you have been waiting for.
We, Sean Dowdell (of Club Tattoo) and Matthew Martyr, are putting together a coffee table book. We are looking for piercers who are interested in taking part in this project, as the ultimage goal is for this to be a community collaboration.
It will be a photograph-heavy book on beauty in body piercing. The photo content will range from elaborate corsets, to simple nostril piercings.
If you are interested (or know someone who may be interested), please send an email to [email protected] for more information!
Thanks,
Matthew Martyr and Sean Dowdell
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Elayne Angel admits she’s more conservative about piercing than many others, and as far as her new book, The Piercing Bible, is concerned, that probably works to her advantage. Over five years in the making, the book is billed as “the definitive guide to safe body piercing,” which ostensibly seems like a dicey proposition; there could be some (understandable) apprehension to an actual guide to piercing for public consumption. Angel cuts this off at the head, though, in an early section in which she states that “piercing (is) not a do-it-yourself hobby,” and that this is not meant to be a handbook for hacks or people who think they can blow off an apprenticeship. On piercing kits sold in some shops, for example, she writes, “These are no safer than a home root canal kit and must be avoided.”
What the book actually is is a user’s guide. As it methodically goes through all the necessary steps one should consider before getting pierced (choosing a good shop, advice for kids and parents, etc.), it strips away any notion of piercing as something underground and deviant. Angel explores the different motivations one may have, but places the act itself in the context of normal behavior—something so normal, in fact, that one can write a sober, conservative guide to it.
As the book progress, Angel discusses most piercings in detail: what is appropriate placement? Appropriate jewelry? Appropriate anatomy? How long will it take to heal? A long section on aftercare follows, filling in any holes that may have remained. Beyond that, many of the latter sections of the book are dedicated to piercing as an element of modern culture, whether it’s looking for work with visible piercings (and what a person’s priorities should be), dealing with prejudice and even what to do if one wants to become a piercer oneself.
It’s an incredibly thorough piece of work, but it doesn’t fall into the trap of becoming a manual. There’s enough there to help you understand each procedure and what goes into making it successful, but stops short of making you feel as if you can perform a certain procedure simply because of what you’ve read. There’s really not much bad to say about The Piercing Bible; Angel only briefly touches on subjects like microdermals, with which she has little experience, so there’s certainly room for expansion here, but as both an offering to the mainstream and a guide for the experienced, the book is certainly a success.
Visit PiercingBible.com for more information.
As well, here’s my interview with Elayne Angel, in which we discuss how the book came together, her career as a piercer and how Hurricane Katrina changed her life. Stream or download the podcast below. Enjoy!
[podcast]https://www-img.bme.com/uploads/bme-podcast-20090502.mp3[/podcast]
Right-click and “Save Target/Link As” to download the .mp3 directly
Music featured:
The Gutter Twins – Down the Line (Jose Gonzalez cover)
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros – Coma Girl
The Twilight Singers – Bonnie Brae
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Hey, that’s a pretty good self-portrait, HEHNGHH? Oh wait, never mind, Tomasz fills us in:
The Shrike is designed by Artur Szolc, on the basis of excerpts from the book Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. It’s not based on any other drawings of the creature, and it’s supposed to be as accurate as possible. The head is only the first part of the tattoo. The upper body of the Shrike will cover my whole arm, and Shrike’s four arms will encircle my arm and go all the way up to the shoulder and down the elbow. Its blades shall seem to pierce the skin. Possibly, a thorn-tree background will be added as well to complete a half-sleeve.
Thanks, Tomasz! A closer shot of the tattoo, after the jump.
