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.

Category: ModBlog

  • Superman never made any money

    Written by

    Rob

    One of the best things about the suspension community is its global presence.  All around the world people are able to suspend thanks to the hard work of suspension teams that are constantly in touch with each other, looking for ways to improve.  These teams are made up of individuals that donate their time to facilitate suspensions for people.  What makes these teams unique is that they don’t operate for profit.  The money given to suspend is used entirely to pay for the materials used.  It’s important to remember this whenever you see suspension photos like the ones below.

    Teams like Skindependent Suspension from Christchurch, NZ are a shining example of how dedicated the individuals are.  I met Eden and Krysten from Skindependent at Dallas Suscon earlier in the year.  After surviving the devastating earthquake that struck Christchurch, the couple packed up their bags for a weekend on the other side of the world just to learn from other practitioners the world over.  They paid for the trip themselves, and returned to New Zealand with knowledge that they passed onto their team.  Since then, they’ve hosted “For the Love of Hooks“, the largest suspension event ever held in New Zealand, and they’ve started up “Sunday Sessions“, to allow anyone who wishes to suspend a place to do so every month.

    So from now on, whenever you see photos of people suspending, remember that it’s not just the person in the air enjoying themselves, but also the facilitators.  They don’t do it for money, they do it because they love suspension and they want to be able to give those people who want to suspend a safe and enjoyable experience.

    You can see more photos from Skindependent Suspension events in their BME gallery.

  • It’s just one of those days

    Written by

    Rob

    A BMEGirl kind of day. Meet SaschaMein.

  • Guess What?

    Written by

    Rob

    I thought I’d end today’s post with a round of “Guess What?”  If you’ll recall, the last time was an image from the hard galleries involving play piercing and CBT.  For today’s picture, there’s no visible blood and no play piercings, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t from the hard galleries.  You’ll just have to guess what it is and see if you’re right.

    Alright, take a guess and keep on reading to see if you’re right.

    If you guess a finger, then you’re spot on.  This piercing, which comes from the non-deep hand piercing gallery, was done by Dominick269 over a year ago.

    Yep, you read that right.  This piercing has been in place for over a year now and it’s not showing any signs of rejection.

    That’s an impressive feat when you think about how difficult piercings in the hand are to heal.

  • A dash of colour

    Written by

    Rob

    I know that I post a lot of tattoos by Joey Pang from Tattoo Temple so it’s easy to forget that she’s not the only artist working there.  This stunning piece comes from Wang, another one of the artists at Tattoo Temple in Hong Kong. It’s definitely got an abstract vibe to it, but it maintains the brush stroke style that Tattoo Temple is famous for.

  • Book Review: Deviled Art

    Written by

    Jen Savage

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    Recently, I received the book Deviled Art: Sketches and Paintings by Travis Franklin for review. This isn’t a tattoo book like I have reviewed recently but rather contains artwork and sketches by tattoo artist Travis Franklin.

    Click through to read the rest of the review.

    You won’t find any photos of tattoos within this book, it is strictly a traditional art book but that doesn’t mean the appeal for body modification enthusiasts is non-existent. The artwork is focused mainly on darker images, skulls, skeletons and zombies and much of Travis’ work is the design product that would then be used to create a tattoo.

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    One thing that sets this book apart and makes it more than a simple sketchbook is the fact that the book includes notes and thoughts by the artist. The font for the text is meant to look like hand writing and the effect is one I really like as it feels like I have been allowed to glimpse deeper into the artist, his method and the things that motivate him.

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    While the book might have benefited from an editor to eliminate the few grammatical errors, it certainly is not lacking in interesting artwork. This is definitely not a book of flash art but rather a journey through a tattoo artist’s process both on and off the page.

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    While the paintings certainly speak to the artist’s talent, for me the sketches are even more enjoyable as they show the hesitation, the thought and the process of realizing a piece of art. It seems quite common for people to believe that a tattoo artist merely copies a design from a piece of flash onto someone’s skin. This book reminds us that a tattoo artist is just that, an artist.

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    As far as I can tell the only current way to purchase this book is directly from the artist through his website, travisfranklin.com. The book retails at $40 and is hardcover printed on high quality paper meaning this book will hold up to repeated viewing.

    Travis Franklin has been tattooing professionally for just under 20 years and credits Tattoo Charlie for letting him in the industry at age 17. He works out of his shop, Oddity Tattoo Studio & Art Gallery in Sarasota, Florida.

    Editors: Tammy Zeitler Zeitler, Travis Franklin
    Illustrated by: Travis Franklin
    Contributors: Brittany Helmer, Travis Franklin
    Hardcover: 124 pages
    Publisher: Poor Mel, 2011
    ISBN 0615493262

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