Celebrating body modification culture since 1994.
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Congratulations to Danny from Wakantanka here in Mexico (so far the only APP studio in the nation) for having one of his customers (and piercings) featured in PLAYBOY magazine this month. Here’s one of the photos (click for an uncensored version); pick up the (Mexican edition of the) magazine for the rest.
If you’re ever in Mexico City, Danny’s studio is definitely worth a visit if you’re looking for a safe and experienced place to get work done.
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PURE BODY ARTS
134 Boerum St.
Brooklyn, NY USA 11206
718 384 3377
Brian (iam:xPUREx), body piercer and modification artist extraordinaire, has finally followed the advice of his friends, going solo and opening his own shop in Brooklyn, New York. Brian’s name has become synonymous with quality body modification and impeccable attention to detail. In the years since I first met him (when he was working part-time as a piercer in Connecticut), his skill reputation has grown in leaps and bounds.
In the opening days it will be only Joy (iam:maat) and Brian. If everything goes as planned, in the next few weeks a gentleman named Brett (who tattooed the phenomenal leg sleeve of iam:turtle) will moving from Texas to join the crew, along with Monica Henk (iam:MalaSangre). Joy’s work was highlighted in the first entry of ModBlog.
I am the owner, but far from being a "boss". the shop will be very casually run, at least for now, to where everyone will have a say about anything that goes on. of course, I'll have the final word, but I can be pretty easily pressured.
How I chose these particular artists is a tough question. Beside Joy, who was originally going to partner with me until that fell through, the other artists just happened to fall into place. I've known monica for years. She's a great artist, and I really like her a lot.
As a strong drug free advocate, Brian got the word PURE tattooed in large letters across his lower back about eight years ago. When he first logged onto IAM, he decided to use PURE as his IAM username (xPUREx). People familiar with the modification industry began recognizing him by that name — and sometimes only that name — so when it was time to open his own place he couldn’t think of any other name that would be as suitable.
I asked Brian if there is a direct affiliation between Pure Body Arts and the Rites of Passage suspension group in which both he and Joy are heavily involved.
Even though Joy and I are both part of ROP, the shop has no affiliation other than all of my close, close friends being part of ROP and helping me out tremendously with the shop as well.
Because Brian is the professional here, I’ll let him tell you about the jewelry he’ll be using:
I did a LOT of homework and made orders with a large amount of companies for my jewelry. Namely Anatometal, Liquid Metal, AC Steel, Leroi, a little bit of Titanium from Cold Steel, and step-down external from Blue Mountain Steel. Those are for the basics. Starting display case jewelry from Death Star Organics, Glasswear Studios, and some novelty things from Steel Skin.
As a bit of a voyeur and as someone who is fond of both Brian and his long-time lady friend Caitlyn (iam:Angie Dickinson), I’ve been following the progress of the preparations for Pure Body Arts. I’ve read their blog entries in which Caitlyn designed the web page, drove Brian wherever he needed to be, and was just an all-around awesome friend to Brian and to his business. I didn’t want to let an opportunity pass by, and asked Brian if he had a few words to say about Caitlyn:
Caitlyn has helped me tremendously with everything. She did a LOT of driving for me, helped with building when she could, Loaned me things I'd need, gave me others, built my website, started building the shop website, designed my business cards, and loved me very much.
Pure can be reached via subway, taking the L train on the Montrose stop. Walk west on Montrose off the train, and hang a left onto Graham Avenue. You’ll find them on Boerum Street, on the corner at Graham. Also, the J, M, or Z train will take you to Lorimer where you can walk one block north and 2 blocks east on Boerum Street. Either way, it’s a 3 block walk. They are open from noon until 8:00 p.m. every day except Wednesdays.
So, there you have it. Pure Body Arts is now open for business. If you are considering piercing and modification or tattooing, do yourself a favor and add Pure to the list of studios you check. (I’d say, “If you’re in the area,” but Brian and Joy are worth a road trip.)
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The Needled tattoo blog beat us to the punch and has a longer entry on it that you should check out, so just let me say: HAPPY 75TH BIRTHDAY FAKIR!
“The body belongs to the spirit that lives inside. And to no one else.”
– Fakir Musafar
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Rape is an act of violence that, in practice, takes something beautiful and turns it into something ugly. We are familiar with acts of rape in prison, of our women, and of our children.
Rape by tattoo is not a new concept; most of us are familiar with the numbers etched onto the arms of concentration camp victims. (Survivors’ stories are in the news all the time, but they’re generally not part of the BME Newsfeed. We did, however, log David Blaine honoring Primo Levi by getting Mr. Levi’s number, 174517, as a permanent tribute.) I first read about this cruel practice in the noir thrilled Flood. In a very moving scene, the beautiful Flood shows the scar from when she used gasoline to burn off the tattoo bikers put onto her thigh. Later, I learned more about it in the rec.arts.bodyart FAQ. What makes this a particularly brutal crime is that the survivors’ scars are visible as well as emotional.
This crime has been prelavent in the news in recent months. Dr. Gregory Roche removed a vulgar tattoo from the face of a New York teenager after some former friends and he got into a fight over a girl. A gay inmate in Texas has been granted permission to sue the state; in addition to sexual abuse, the inmate’s face had been forcibly tattooed.
Recently, the tables were turned in the UK. Jackie Clarke lured her alleged rapist to her home, drugged him, and then used a pin and ink to tattoo “Rapist” onto his penis. While fellow victims around the world may cheer her on, the judge hearing her case says that her actions “amount to torture.”
A pimp in Illinois tattooed his nickname, “Mr. Cream,” onto the bodies of two teenage girls. In a happier turn of events, justice may be served: he crossed state lines, and the FBI and US Attorney now plan to make an example out of Mr. Cream.
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I woke up a few short hours later and, as I’m prone to do, headed straight for my computer. I hopped on IAM, checked my messages, and saw one that read simply, “Sad day.”
With the London terror attack fresh in my mind, I jump over to CNN, expecting to see the end of the world — but nothing. Then it occurs to me, Of course, BME is under attack again — we’re being shut down for good this time. I go right for Shannon’s page, and that’s where I see it.
Kind of like stepping out of bed and into a bus.
It doesn’t seem real because it can’t be.
CLICK THE PICTURE
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"The original Nazis tattooed their targets so they could always find them later. The new ones tattoo themselves. So we can find them.Hitler'd be ashamed of the morons."
- Andrew Vachss, in Dead and Gone
While I can see the temptation in breaking some laws, by golly, stupid criminals crack me up!
Case (or five) in point: Arizona Republic just listed its Top 10 most wanted. Five — half — of them are tattooed. New York recently debuted its new high-tech command center, which will provide officers crucial data about crimes and suspects including convicts’ nicknames and tattoos even before police arrive at a crime scene (click here for an online demonstration), and Ottawa recently unveiled its new parolee database. From police reports to rap sheets, if you’re modified and you’re arrested, your modifications are going on record.
Of course, the “winner” is Justin Breakspear of Massachusetts, whose tattoo reveals the serial number of his illegal gun.
Gives all new meaning to “tattoo gun,” eh?
