This stunning tattoo that makes me think of some sort of alien anatomy, the “musculature of Mars” or something, was done by Graven Image Tattoo (facebook.com/gravenimagetattoo or gravenimagetattoo.com) in Mountain View, California. Paco Dietz has a number of pieces in his portfolio that are intelligent hybrids of colorful biomechanical with Giger-esque (amusing trivia — my spell-checker wants to turn that into “grotesque”) or even dieselpunk influence as well, creating his own unique contribution to the tattoo lexicon, but this has to be one of my favorites both because of its sci-fi appeal and because of how well it must move with the body.
Joe Munroe (joemunroe.co.uk) who you may remember from earlier ModBlog mentions just went to Divine Canvas and had permanent eye-liner added to his already extensive collection of facial ink — note the beautiful custom rotary tattoo machine made by Uncleroy Rotary that they used by the way. And yes, those super-cool stickers really do exist, but don’t ask me for them — you may have to go fly to the UK and get tattooed to earn one for all I know. Click to get a closer look, and don’t miss the tiny little piercings tucked amid the tattoos.
By the way, since I haven’t posted a traditional portrait of him to ModBlog yet and I’ve been typically lax in moving all my old posts over from the inaccessible digital dump known as Facebook, I want to give readers a proper introduction by way of this beautiful portrait by Tim Churchill (tim-churchill.com) — which also gives you a chance to see what an intense difference the eyeliner tattoo makes.
Most of the time my friend Eva Medusa really lets her freak flag fly so to speak — you may remember my recent post on her awesome green eyeball tattoos — so I was surprised to see this photo she posted wearing a wig. It’s quite amazing how different she looks “dressed down” like this — not better or worse per se, just… different. But different in a way that’s so traditionally feminine that it really shows off her double transformation. The other half of her transformation — into a dragon lady — somewhat overpowers most photos and it’s what I see first most of the time. But I hope I’m not revealing my predilection to traditional gender appearance, but add long hair to the mix and I really see the male to female aspect first. Actually I’m putting that wrong — saying it more accurately, I’m not seeing that aspect at all. I’m just seeing a beautiful dragon lady and not thinking about what may or may not have come before. Metamorphosis indeed!!!
Finally, for context, let me show you two “before” photos, one very recent, and another definitely not so recent, from when Eva was still known as NoMan Pan — how many people get to be a bodmod icon (NoMan was one of the first people to get implants from Steve Haworth), more than once in their life? I’m not talking about being recognized for multiple aspects of the same person — I’m talking about being recognized in ways that the majority of people may not even connect. Eva may well be the only member of that very short list right now, although she mentioned that she is aware of a small handful of others doing a “double transformation”. If you have an interest in this subject and are looking for support, I’d urge you to get in touch with her.
I assume everyone knows who Lucky Diamond Rich is, but if not, let me pop up a picture from one of his very first appearances on ModBlog, back in 2006, when he was already widely recognized as the world’s most tattooed man — and easily history’s most tattooed man as well.
Not only is Rick tattooed black-head-to-toe, but he’s been fully tattooed something like seven or eight times over. The white lines in the picture above are not untattooed areas. They are white ink tattoos done over top of the field of black. As these would fade slightly over time and Rick set his sights on new a body, changes would be made, sometimes with piercing or scarification, but usually with tattoos. I have made some recent posts about tattooing white ink over black and even tattooing full color over solid blackwork, and I think the time has come to update Rick’s latest stage of evolution.
Tattooist Brad Bako has been covering up Rich’s many layers of blackwork (and more) with a new field of biomech, starting with his arm. The progress has been quite remarkable, to such an extent that many people would think it wasn’t even possible. I really want to emphasize that this is not just being done over black, but over a mottled skin filled with many layers of black, some colour, some white, and probably some residual scarring as well. What Brad Bako has achieved is quite remarkable.
In addition to the bright sleeve work, they are also working on his head, transforming his full-black zen demon sort of appearance into a more traditional biomechanical tattoo icon.
So when people ask you the question, “what will you do when you run out of skin”, now you know that you’ll never run out of skin because you can recycle your tattoos. On a side note, I have to admit that it’s rather amazing that 10,000+ years into tattooing that we’re still figuring new stuff out every year.
I was recently asked if I’d seen the “animated tattoo” that was recently done for the first time, and I replied that I didn’t think this was possible with current technology. The person who asked me the question did a little searching, and discovered that it wasn’t truly an animated tattoo — the tattoo didn’t move — but a tattoo of a QR-code type link that would cause a cellphone to display a specific YouTube video designed to sit as the center piece of the tattoo. This is the very misleadingly labeled news report they got back to me with:
The tattoo was done by French tattooist K.A.R.L. in June of 2011, and claimed to be the “first ever” animated tattoo, but of course readers of ModBlog know that it is neither an animated tattoo, nor is it even the first “augmented reality” tattoo of this type — let alone a particularly impressive one. For example, in May of last year, before K.A.R.L. did this PR stunt, Rob had already covered the subject of augmented reality tattoos here on ModBlog, and over the years many have been posted. A simple search shows that QR-code tattoos like the one K.A.R.L. claims to have invented, are not only incredibly common, but are regularly used in marketing in the form of temporary tattoos.
However — and this is a big “however” — people considering this should be aware that QR-tattoos do not translate well to skin. For starters, most tattoo artists are not particularly adept at the sharp and consistent linework and geometric perfection that QR-Codes demand, and to make matters worse, the undulating contours of the skin are anything but flat, and while QR readers are able to compensate for skew (taking a picture of the code at an angle), they are not able to compensate for warping that comes from the code being on a surface with multiple curves. This limits QR-code tattoos not only to the best artists, but to flat areas of the body. I took a random sample of ten clear pictures of QR-code tattoos, and tried to scan them. I was successful only with two of them. It’s likely that in real life, with careful repositioning and better lighting that I might be able to scan a couple more, but I don’t see more than half of QR-code tattoos being functional, which is pretty depressing — it’s the digital equivalent of a spelling mistake so bad as to make your quote gibberish.
You can zoom that in and see if your phone does any better if you want.
In addition to QR-code tattoos — which are really just an odd way of writing text data that I would argue would be better achieved just using regular letters — there are augmented reality tattoos. These don’t just give your phone a URL. They actually provide a “junction point” for the world of virtual reality to interface with your body. As you may have realized if you read Rob’s article, they provide your phone or computer information about the location, size, and orientation of your body by showing it a symbol that it can recognize from many angles. The computer is then able to take the video shot of your phone and add three-dimensional elements that move synchronized with your body’s movements — thus the term augmented reality. You can find more videos with a simple search for “augmented reality tattoo”, but let me show you a couple relevant videos to get you started. The first one, of the dragon, is from 2009 and one of the first that I know of. The second is more recent, but notable because it uses a realistic skull as its recognition symbol, showing that you don’t have to use a blocky icon that instantly identifies your tattoo as a digital interface.
I know, this falls far short of what people hope for when they hear the words “animated tattoo”, but it’s a start. It shows the dreams that people have for their bodies. It also points out that people are starting to see their bodies as interfaces to the virtual world, which is an important first step for cyberpunk and transhumanist body modification. One day we will surely have animated tattoos in the literal sense, but these QR-code and augmented reality tattoos are an unrelated trend — they are however very interesting for their own merits.
Facilitators and practitioners — the very people who bring so many suspensions to life — often pour their energy into others, quietly setting aside their own opportunities. Brenton and Brittany are one such example. Traveling all the way from Houston, TX, they came to the… Read more: Held by Hooks, and Each Other
In 2010, a German study was published involving subjects with tongue piercings. The tongue piercing was used as part of a device designed to relieve obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder affecting many individuals. Severely affected individuals may suffer from various long-term… Read more: When Tongue Piercings Meet Medicine
There’s something undeniably powerful about watching someone working through the stages of suspension. We all build up ideas about ourselves—what we’re allowed to feel, how much we’re allowed to express, when it’s okay to break. For some, suspension is not about pushing physical limits its… Read more: Suspended, Not Silenced
Some stories take their time, unfolding over decades, through life’s long detours and diversions. But dreams never rest until they’re fully realized. Even after 15 years, Robb knew there was still a suspension experience waiting for him. Something left unfinished, something essential. At the Ontario… Read more: A Nightbird’s Passage
First suspensions are rarely just about the body—they’re a meeting point between the physical and the deeply personal. Stepping into this experience isn’t simply about trying something new, but about stepping outside yourself to a version you had always sensed was waiting. I’ve had a… Read more: What Lifts the Body, Shifts the Soul
One of the most powerful things about being at a convention like OSC is the sheer concentration of experience, creativity, and capability in one place. When you’re surrounded by people who not only understand the technical complexities of suspension but are excited by the challenge… Read more: Skin and Strings: The Art of Human Puppetry
