DR BEEGOOD’S TATTOO PRESERVER “I WILL ONLY USE THE DR BEEGOOD’S TATTOO PRESERVER TO HEAL MY TATTOOS …THE STUFF IS THE BOMB. IT HEALS MY TATTOOS SUPER FAST WITHOUT ANY LOSS OF INK” -KATE W
“WOW, I USED YOUR STUFF AS SOON AS I STARTED GETTING MY TATTS, HEALED THEM FASTER AND BETTER THAN THE MEDICATED CREAMS – AMAZING, KEEPS THEM SOFT AND COLOURS BRIGHT, NO MORE ITCHY, FLAKY SKIN AS THEY HEAL, THANKS JILL!” MART B – MARTY
FRESHLY MADE IN TASMANIA, ALL NATURAL. (& ETHICAL OF COURSE)
WWW.BEEBEAUTY.COM.AU PH. 03 6274 1955
East Brunswick Tattoos Give us the run down of East Brunswick Tattoo. Establish in 2009 over the last 6 years EBT has built its reputation as one of Melbourne’s premium tattoo studios. Maintaining a diverse balance of resident and guest artists. What sets East Brunswick Tattoo apart from other studios? All custom, no flash, no egos. Designs are based on the client’s ideas/concepts developing through the process of consultation between the client and artist to create a unique piece but still being open too timeless bold designs and walkins. Tell us about the interior - the objects and knick-knacks in East Brunswick Tattoo. The layout is simple, clean and open creating an inviting atmosphere with a rustic waiting/reception area. Each artist’s area is littered with an array of artworks that we have personally collected over the years from fellow artists to movie memorabilia. List your residents and what qualities they bring to the shop? Spud: hellbilly/metalhead – black and grey/gore Bradley Button: fancy shirts/loud noises – colour/neo trad/oriental Jai Weston: humble/puns – soft black and grey/fine detail Yas T: bubbly/tea – traditional Dani V: neon goth/sarcasm – lettering/ black illustrative. What guests have worked at East
Brunswick Tattoo and what guests do you have coming up? We recently had the legend Jess Martucci from France (@painlessjess) guest with us on his travels which was an absolute pleasure and hoping to see him again later in the year. Tell us a bit about the shop’s surrounding establishments, and the locals. Located at the north end of Lygon Street with kitschy cafes, bars, vinyl stores and Lost & Found market all within the same block. A great destination whether it be for brunch, thrift shop hunting or hitting us up for a walk in appointment! Does East Brunswick Tattoo offer any other service apart from tattoos?
We have merch and artists’ prints available, as well as recommendations for hilarious YouTube videos. Sum up East Brunswick Tattoo in one sentence: A group of talented and friendly artists with a professional and welcoming approach to creating your next piece.
ADDRESS: 526 Lygon St, Brunswick East CONTACT: ph. (03) 9383 5694, info@eastbrunswicktattoos.com.au WEBSITE: eastbrunswicktattoos.com.au INSTAGRAM: @eastbrunswicktattoos3057 FACEBOOK: facebook.com/eastbrunswicktattoos
Addikted To Ink Give us the run down of Addikted To Ink. Addikted to Ink was opened in October 2014. The idea started after me and my brother Jake were throwing around business ideas. We had always been interested in starting a business however initially we weren’t sure of what type of business we wanted to start. My brother had spent countless hours getting tattooed by Aaron Farina in our local town of Kyneton. Aaron was keen on the idea of getting a place at a shopping centre due to the large amount of foot traffic it would bring. We thought about other shops that were started by nontattooists and believed it was possible - it would be something that we would be highly passionate about and enjoy being around everyday. We were lucky enough to get a gig at Northland Shopping centre after countless meetings and presentations to their high level management. We have now moved to Sydney Road Coburg to a much bigger shop (5 times the size) simply due to demand. We have quickly become one of the best tattoo shops in Melbourne in only a years time through hard work, passion and a will to succeed. What sets Addikted To Ink apart from other studios? Addikted to Ink is unlike any other tattoo shop in that its not only about the tattoo you walk away with. The layout and look of the shop makes you feel like you are in another world. With the entrance and reception area being covered in graffiti art you really get the hipster art inspiration that Sydney Road is known for. The shop then extends up to a well set out, clean, sharp and professional look which reflects the way we operate. Customer service is number one at the shop. Whether that is providing refreshments for clients, response times on enquiries, attitude P A G E
6
and our general treatment of clients which is first class. We also focus on the fact that the customer is to have the most comfortable experience whilst getting tattooed by having the best equipment to sit or lay on, TV’s placed so the client can sit back and enjoy themselves while getting tattooed. We also have a full sound system that mostly plays hip hop music which coupled with the lay out gives the client the feel that they are walking into a place that is cool - because at the end of the day tattooing is an edgy, cool industry and people feed of being a part of that. Lastly we make sure that a relationship is built with each and every client to show that we care about the piece and the people we are tattooing. Sometimes we are more of a psychologist listening to peoples serious family and personal problems. But its whatever we have to do to make that person leaving the shop in a better mood or state of mind that when they entered. Tell us about the interior and general theme of the shop. The shop interior is based off the combination of a few different styles flowing into each other and representing the image the shop is trying to portray. As you walk into the shop it’s industrial, grungy, art inspired and as you move to the tattoo area it is clean, sharp and professional. The reason we went with these two ideas is because tattooing is art, it requires inspiration and it is also a little bit taboo (even though this lessens by the day) therefore graffiti art is the perfect thing to portray this. List your residents and what qualities they bring to the shop. Luke Dyson: Luke is a funny dude, dedicated and has swag. His special talents are in Chicano (gangster theme), portraiture and black and grey realism.
Aaron Farina: Is a bit of nerdy dude with a keen sense of humour and has a fact for just about anything. His skills lie in colour realism, black and grey realism, Asian and Mandala. Nina Grierson-Jones: Is a strong character who definitely takes the intelligence stakes. Her specialisations lie in colour realism, black and grey realism and portraiture. Huynh Chino Ly: Brisbane made, Texas raised and one of the nicest blokes you’ll meet. Preferred styles realistic black and grey, Chicano (gangster theme) and religious themed. Tyler Illman: The graffitti artist who started his trade painting some crazy stuff on walls. He is well versed in Neo Traditional, Neo Traditional portraiture and Mandala. Luke Poposek: Hes a quirky vegan with a sick sense of humour always playing pranks on people. He’s styles include realistic black and grey, black and grey old school and mandala What guests have worked at Addikted To Ink and what guests do you have coming up? We have the following guests in coming in December: Mystik (@mystiktattoos) from the Gold Coast, BJ (@dointatsbj), Dan Millar
M E L B O U R N E
(@danmillartattoos) Does Addikted To Ink offer any other service apart from tattoos? We also offer Laser Tattoo Removal, clothing and aftercare products. What are some memorable shop experiences? The most memorable time for the shop has been opening the new shop. We were running a shop and building another one at the same time which took sheer blood, sweat and tears. We had our day jobs, so we worked until 2am every night for 6 weeks straight. By the end of it we were that tired we could barely talk, a lot of head nods and grunts were present at this point in time. The result was amazing, as the shop is literally one of or if not the best looking shop in Melbourne. Some memorable clients? Luke Poposek tattooed Thom Green - the drummer from the UK bank Alt-J. One other that I thought was particularly funny was a guy got ‘fuck off ’ tattooed on his arm so that when his boss was annoying him he would not speak but simply show him the tattoo. I’m not to sure how long this guy kept
P E R M A N E N T
his job but I thought it was pretty funny. Might be frowned upon that we did this tattoo but apart from people who are drunk or under the influence we will tattoo what your heart desires, we aren’t here to judge or make life decisions for people. What are your thoughts on the rapid proliferation of tattoo studios across Melbourne? I think it simply happened to the rapid increase in demand and really that has happened mostly in the last two to three years. The question I have is are people in the industry for the right reasons. Tattoos and tattoo shops are considered cool and fashionable at the moment. If its one of those trends and those people float back out of the industry when it is not so popular thats disapointing and would show people aren’t in it because they are truly passionate about tattooing. ADDRESS: 111 Sydney Rd, Coburg CONTACT: ph. (03) 9386 4496, addiktedtoink@mail.com INSTAGRAM: @addiktedtoink FACEBOOK: facebook.com/ addiktedtoinktattoo
EAST BRUNSWICK TATTOOS
526 Lygon St, Brunswick East | ph. (03) 9383 5694 | info@eastbrunswicktattoos.com.au
Bradley Button | Instagram: tattoosbybradley
Dani V | Instagram: @daniv600threescore6
M E L B O U R N E
Jai Weston | Instagram: jaiweston_tattoos
T A T T O O
C U L T U R E
Spud | Instagram: @spudztattooz
P A G E
7
Lucky 13 Tattoo Give us the run down of Lucky 13 Tattoo. Lucky 13 Tattoo was opened here at 13 Burwood Hwy, Burwood as a tattoo studio over 9 years ago in 2006, but under a different name. It was sold a few years ago, so has a different owner and the name was changed to Lucky 13 Tattoo, but has been a continuously running studio all that time. Vond Barta who’s been back here now was here in the early days as well. We also have Rob Mopar, Meighan Mary and Edie Mopar tattooing here now. What sets Lucky 13 apart from other studios? I guess one of the main things is the scope of the different genres of quality work that comes out of here. We’re not restricted to being just another tattoo studio that mainly only specialises in traditional tattoos. We do that too, but Rob and Vond also do really large Japanese pieces up to bodysuits. Vond also does sacred geometry, amazing mandalas, dotwork and spiritual/Buddhist tattooing. We also do portraits, Meighan does colour animal interpretations that really capture the essence of a particular animal and Vond does realistic black and grey portraiture/realism as well. There’s not too many other studios around that can offer the same depth and standard of work across the tattoo spectrum. List your residents and what qualities they bring to the shop. Vond’s doing a lot of really involved custom designed Polynesian/Marquesan/ tribal as well as having a large clientele getting spiritual Buddhism and sacred geometry. He’s also doing black and grey photo-realism, fantasy, Japanese, Tibetan. There’s not really much he can’t do and he’s really fantastic at bringing vague concepts to life. Rob’s is rad. Lots
of super cool trad tattooing and big Japanese work. Meighan Mary is just a lovely, level-headed person who’s just a natural at putting people, especially firsttimers at ease and her animal portraits are phenomenally nice. Does Lucky 13 offer any other service apart from tattoos? Funny you should ask. We’re just in the process of partnering with a really reputable laser removal company who’ll be working from here by appointment. Rob Mopar also has his own bespoke customformulated brand of numbing cream available for purchase from here. He does a lot of really big sits on a lot of his clients and they definitely seem to appreciate the cream. What are some memorable shop experiences? There’s one in particular that was nuts. We did a Charity Tattoo Flash Day for two animal welfare groups, Oscar’s Law (the anti-puppy farming organisation) and Second Chance Animal Rescue. It sort of snowballed into a monster. The doors didn’t open until 11am, but by 8:30 that morning people were already lined up
around the block. Hundreds and hundreds of people through the studio and a lot of people who could wait just donated. We had Meighan, Rob and Vond from here and also Kate O’Hara and Kye Wulff helping out. First tattoo at 11am, started the last at 12:30 that night, with basically no breaks. Exhausting, but we raised $8K for them. It was nice to do something for the creatures that really need as much help as they can get.
Can you tell us about the infamous tattoo that was done at Lucky 13 Tattoo that recently received worldwide attention? Yeah, that was out of the blue. One of Rob’s regulars, Matt, who has lived in India for a number of years previously and who loves the people, the country, the cultures there, and Hinduism, implicitly, got a tattoo of the goddess Yellamma on his shin. Matt and his partner who have jobs over there teaching kids were at a restaurant with the tattoo showing when we surrounded by a mob of Hindu
nationalists who threatened to skin the tattoo off his leg. Pretty scary… The police eventually showed up, but they were on the mob’s side, so some other security police had to come and take them to the relative safety of a police station where Matt had to write a letter of apology to the mob. Lucky they didn’t see his back, which is a Ganesha tribute. That tattoo was done out of love and respect and our point is that intolerance and prejudice is unacceptable no matter what form it presents itself in.
ADDRESS: 13 Burwood Hwy, Burwood CONTACT: ph. (03) 9888 8668, contact@lucky13tattoo.com.au WEBSITE: lucky13tattoo.com.au INSTAGRAM: @lucky13tattoomelbourne FACEBOOK: facebook.com/ lucky13tattoomelbourne
Korpus Tattoo Studio Korpus was opened 2007, in a small lane called Sparta place, Brunswick in the city’s north. It’s the brain-child of Brian Graydon and Steve Cross, two tattooist who cut their teeth in outer suburban studios. Both originating from different states, they moved to Melbourne in 1998 after completing apprenticeships elsewhere. Korpus is a melting pot of world class artists from around the globe, with guest artists dropping in about once a month to do some time. The studio interior is open plan with a vintage labaratory feel – a collection of prints, paintings and knick-knacks from days gone by dot the walls. Korpus has an array of artistic styles to offer. With 100 sqr mtrs of floor space and an over hanging mezzanine purely made for drawing, it houses 8 tattooists and an ever amazing floor manager; Lauren Darling. Each artist concentrates on their particular style, so you have broad selection of portfolios to choose from. Ranging from technical pattern work from Alvaro to illustrative colour work from Teniele Sadd. Benny Bones focus’ on Neo-Japanese as does Brian Graydon, Andrea is the resident American Trad tattooist, Caleb is the font style master who has a diverse array of techniques, and Steve and Sammy work a lot on illustrative pieces with a bit
of everything in between. International and local guest artists are a frequent in the studio, refreshing the creative flow monthly. They’ve had the likes of - Adam Kitamoto, Sophia Baughan and James McKenna just to name a few. Cross reminisces about the time Korpus staged the event ‘Sacred Heart Day’ a couple of years ago before Christmas for the Sacred Heart Mission, “we had a line trailing out the door and around the corner by 10am on a Saturday. We had 310 people register for a tattoo but we only completed 132 tattoos in a 7 hour ink sling. All tattooists donated there time and we handed over $5500 to the organization for their Xmas lunch, feeding Melbourne’s homeless and needy for Christmas day.” Korpus has an ethos that literally bleeds into their beliefs and actions. They have pure desire to make marks on people that will benefit and add to the owners’ lives.
ADDRESS: 16 Tripovich St, Brunswick CONTACT: ph. (03) 9387 0006, korpustattoo@live.com WEBSITE: korpus.com.au INSTAGRAM: @korpus FACEBOOK: search Korpus Tattoo M E L B O U R N E
T A T T O O
C U L T U R E
P A G E
9
LUCKY 13 TATTOO
13 Burwood Hwy, Burwood | ph. (03) 9888 8668 | contact@lucky13tattoo.com.au
Vond Barta | Instagram - @vondtattoo
P A G E
1 0
Rob Mopar | Instagram - @rwmopar
M E L B O U R N E
P E R M A N E N T
KORPUS TATTOO STUDIO
16 Tripovich St, Brunswick | ph. (03) 9387 0006 | korpustattoo@live.com
M E L B O U R N E
T A T T O O
C U L T U R E
P A G E
1 1
I S
O-inked
T A T T O O I N G
A
P I G
A R T ?
B Y F A R E E D K AV I A N I W W W. T H E 4 T H W A L L . N E T
Of the many roles pigs play in our society, artists’ muse is not the first to spring to mind, but it is a role they have fulfilled quite often. Recently, in her work Pig 05049, Dutch artist Christien Meinderstsma spent three years following the posthumous journey of a (eponymous) pig in order to uncover where its various parts came to rest. In total, she found 185 products containing vestigial elements of its skin, bones, meat, internal organs, blood, and fat. Pig 05049 was used as an ingredient to produce biodiesel, bread, medicine, photo paper, heart valves, chewing gum, porcelain, brakes, cosmetics, cigarettes, wine, beer, soap, and even ammunition. The transformation of fragmented body parts into sundry objects renders the pig irrevocably alienated from its entirety. It is within this public space bereft of intact, live hogs, that culture fills the void with fictitious illustrations of swine. The representation of these complete pigs as anthropomorphized characters in film and cartoons further helps to dissociate crude reality from plastic-wrapped pork chops. After visiting the swine-friendly streets of a 19th-century New York City, when livestock were still a common sight in urban settings, Charles Dickens implored the readers of his 1842 travelogue, American Notes for General Circulation, to “take care of the pigs” because, as he wryly put it, the “gentlemen hogs” were “mingling with the best society, on an equal, if not superior footing, for every one makes way when he appears, and the haughtiest give him the wall, if he prefer it.” His sardonic admiration for the humble hog’s status was a pointed barb at “haughty urbanites” who conceded their space to swine. Pigs, of course, vanished from New York City streets as the urban and rural grew ever more separate. But 135 years later, in Denton, Texas, an artist returned hogs to the realm of the sophisticated, by exhibiting a live little piggy named Minnesota, flanked with resplendent tattooed wings no less, in a gallery for all to see. Invitation to view Little Minnesota, the world’s first tattooed pig. Invitation to view Little Minnesota, the world’s first tattooed pig. In 1977 Andy Feehan was completing his master of fine arts at the University of North Texas when he made an unconventional and, to some, disturbing choice. For his project, The Tattooed Pig as an Aesthetic Dialectic, he tattooed large wings on a small Chester White, a breed of domesticated pig ideal for husbandry owing to years of genetic modification. “I wanted to extract them permanently from the pig factory,” He told writer Susie Kalili in Artlies magazine in 2000, “I wanted them to be art. I wanted them to have an unusual life of luxury, like a pet, like a precious weird animal in the circus of humanity.” He told Kalil he hoped it would cause people to reconsider how they felt about eating meat and that the wings were a nod to the escape of the animal from the slaughterhouse. As Feehan planned his project, his research led him to studies that detailed similarities between hog and human skins. His confidence was bolstered, and he set about trying to obtain a pig. The very act of trying to purchase a pig for the project revealed contradictions in the way people approve of using animals. In an email he wrote to me Feehan says he tried to obtain pigs from the Hanford Site, a U.S. government testing facility that developed Hanford Minature Swine specifically for laboratory testing, and was refused. He also said he contact a laboratory that was intoxicating P A G E
1 2
the same breed of pig with alcohol and performing necropsies, and they also turned him down. In both cases, Feehan says the labs refused to supply him with pigs because what he had in mind was inhumane, an irony that was not lost on the artist: “What I wanted to do in the name of art wasn’t cruel at all compared to what I saw done in the name of science.” Eventually, Feehan visted a hog farm near Denton and purchased a two-month old Chester White pig, who he named Minnesota. For his project, Feehan employed a professional veterinarian and a tattooist. “I was turned down by at least a dozen tattooists, veterinarians, and laboratories before I found a team that would accept what I was doing,” he wrote. Minnesota the pig was administered an intraperitoneal injection of sodium pentobarbital, which rendered him unconscious. He was shaved, coated in a liberal amount of green tincture soap, which is commonly used to prep human skin for tattooing, and the tattoo stencil was transferred onto his body. The tattooist, Randy Adams, started with the outline of the wings, then the feathers and finished with color shading. The next day Minnesota woke up, as Feehan proudly asserts, “the only winged pig in the world”. Feehan’s project had no shortage of detractors who decried the work as an act of animal cruelty, something that Feehan denies. “I believe the manner in which I had the pig tattooed was as humane and painless as possible. My intention was, in addition to making them art, to save their lives,” he wrote. That wasn’t the assessment of Kim J. Campbell, who wrote about Feehan’s MFA thesis exhibition in the February 4, 1977 edition of The North Texas Daily. A drizzle of swine urine trumped Feehan’s sincere intentions, according to the critic: “Suffering through a tattooing is humiliating enough, but having the operation photographed and videotaped is outright overkill. The slippery plastic flooring compounded Little Minnesota’s embarrassment as he tried in vain to maintain his footing at Saturday night’s debut . . . The best part of opening night was the spectators, comprised of numerous Feeme [sic] Fatales and Screaming Fags trying to out-strut each other. Maybe it was Little Minnesota, the Texas Tattooed Pig, who finally made the most sincere statement of the night when he urinated in his plastic pigsty,” wrote
|
I N S TA G R A M : @ FA . FA . FA . FA . FA
Campbell. Campbell’s comments revealed what the artists were “up against” Feehan writes. “I did the project when the world was very different. It was difficult then . . . Both tattoos and weirdness in general (even in Texas) were fighting an uphill battle for existence, much less acceptance.” After the exhibit, Minnesota became Feehan’s pet. Although the artist and his two dogs developed a strong bond with the pig, urban living arrangements behoved his subsequent gifting of the pig, on the condition he never be slaughtered. Later, a man from Santa Fe commissioned Feehan to tattoo another pig. The pig was named Artemis, and was to be given as a gift to a former Congressman. Feehan agreed, provided the pig would live like a family pet. But, as works of art, the pigs were high maintenance. Eventually, both pigs were slaughtered. Minnesota’s owner had him stuffed. Feehan was left feeling as though the whole purpose of tattooing the pigs was defeated. During the 2000 interview, Kalil asked the artist if Minnesota would be received differently today. He surmised that today’s audience might not be so quick to label the work as cruel. “We’ve seen so much since then,” he said. But outrage over the act of tattooing pigs has not waned, nor has the strange history of tattooed pigs ended with Feehan. Artist Wim Delvoye followed in Feehan’s foosteps, tattooing pig skins starting in 1990s, eventually moving on to live pigs. He decorates swine with everything from images of daggers to Disney princesses, and has showed live tattooed pigs at exhibitions. Eventually he took the experiment a step further, establishing an “art farm” in Beijing, where pigs were raised exclusively to be tattooed with his artwork. The pigs are killed and their flattened skins sold to customers who display them as works of art. The industrialization of his work became a commentary on the art-industry demand. A Facebook page devoted to the artist offers ample proof that plenty of people are outraged by the tattooed pigs. Commenters call the work ugly, sadistic and disgusting. Devoyle is called a bastard. “YOU ARE NOT AN ARTIST!,” Writes one angry commenter. “You are not expressing anything. You are a little man craving attention by bullying those weaker than you. You are a psychopath animal abuser. This is not conceptual art. It is the torture and killing of innocent, unwilling creatures. May you rot slowly of
M E L B O U R N E
an incurable disease you waste of space.” The casual observer might think that two men who both tattoo pigs could find a common ground, even friendship. They would be wrong. In an interview for Antennae magazine, Delvoye was asked if he might have the capacity to form a close bond like Feehan did with Minnesota and Artemis, that would prevent him from killing his pigs for customers. Delvoye did not mince words. “Listen to these arty-farty names,” he said. “How pretentious! My pigs are called Elisabeth, Henry, John, Wim, and Vladimir.” I presented Feehan with an occasion to respond “Opinions,” he wrote, “are like arseholes. Everybody has one. He is cruel. His work is derivative of mine. He is a careerist who saw my work published in the early eighties, and he nicked the idea . . . I was not interested in making a commodity or making money. Delvoye is a hack.” Feehan and Devolyes work had one very important thing in common, of course: tattooed pigs. But both used them to different ends. Feehan used art to emancipate several pigs from death row, intending them to live in luxury as abattoir ambassadors lobbying for a change in use-value. Delvoye replaced the meat-worker’s tools with those of an artist’s, using art to shackle pigs into a chain of production similar to when they are commoditized into sundry objects. Delvoye’s art farm “rescued” pigs en masse from slaughterhouses to sedate, shave and tattoo them. It was a costly operation, consisting of tattoo artists, pig carers, a skinner and a tanner and even a professional fly swatter, but with reports of the skins being sold for over 100,000 dollars, Delvoye was likely not out of pocket. The swine, up to thirty at any given time, lived indulgently, literally growing in value like a piggy bank until death. They
P E R M A N E N T
were then skinned and sent to their new, urban stys—art galleries—until Delvoye’s farm ceased production in 2008: The Chinese Year of the Pig. Stijn Huijts was director of The Museum Domain, a contemporary art museum in the Netherlands, during a 1998 exhibition of Delvoye’s tattooed pig Marcel. He wrote a piece on the experience, entitled UBN 2408356 or Marcel’s Song. In it, he claims that, if taken from an intellectual standpoint Delvoye’s work may be considered immoral and criminal, but these concepts are universally amorphous. The pigs, he wrote, are “living proof ” of the fact that a contemporary work of art can be a vehicle for ideas that question the validity of ethics and law. Moral philosopher Peter Singer, who authored the influential book “Animal Liberation”, does not believe Delvoye’s tattooed pigs provoke the status quo. “It probably just reinforces the prejudice that animals exist for us to use—if not for meat, then for art,” he wrote in an email. “It may be better for the pigs he tattoos than the fate that would otherwise have awaited them. Taking these pigs out of meat production will just mean that other pigs are bred to suffer. “Art” is no excuse for failing to show respect and concern for animals.” Feehan and Delvoye’s work, however, accomplish something that many food or animal rights activists would also like to do. The process of transforming these swine into consumable art parodies the process of commoditising flesh into meat, and undeniably encourages, at the very least, further discussion about our relationship with swine.
Blue Lady Tattoo Give us the run down of Blue Lady Tattoo. Blue Lady was opened in 2013, with the intention of creating a relaxed space to work from. Why Blue Lady Tattoo? Blue Lady is the name of a song by an 80s pub rock band from NZ called Hello Sailor. The song is rad, it’s loosely slang for a type of needle people used to shoot up with in the 80s and also a slang term for ladies of the night. What sets Blue Lady Tattoo apart from other studios? First and foremost the artists working here. Our team is super friendly and experienced in helping clients get the best work possible. Our team has over thirty years combined experience. We guarantee all of our work, and stand by what we do and the advice we give. Tell us about the interior, the objects and knickknacks in Blue Lady Tattoo. We have a great space, with lots of natural light, beautiful floors and a super convenient CBD location. Also, we have air conditioning and heating to make the customer experience as comfortable as possible. The usual assortment of paintings and prints from local and international artists, and a Rolling Stones poster. List your residents and what qualities they bring to the shop. The current roster is Rachie Rhatklor, Ben Koopman, Bradley Hampstead, Jamie August, Lacroix, Maisen Hall and Mike Tea. The styles covered run from black and grey, to Japanese, to American traditional, to blackwork. The crew is very relaxed and very friendly, the most important thing for the shop is having a great atmosphere where we all love coming to work each day. Everyone on the team is great at what they do, and they are also great genuine people. What guests have worked at Blue Lady Tattoo and what guests do you have coming up? Recently we had Mark Noel from Germany, David Agostino from Italy, Dane Tutty from NSW, Tilly Dee from QLD, Jaya Suartika from SA, Max Fecondo from NSW, Mitch 13 from QLD, Stevie Scott from QLD, Aaron Clapham from UK, Alexis Hepburn from QLD, Aaron Luckman from NZ, Josh Solomon from NZ, Leonie New, Mikey Sharks, Clare Clarity, Lauren Fenlon.....heaps of amazing and inspiring characters, email us at blueladytattoo@gmail.com to arrange a guest spot. Tell me a bit about the shop’s surrounding establishments, and the locals. We are located on Rankins Lane off Little Bourke St, which has Brother Baba Budan at the entrance to the lane, and Manchester Press down the lane. Two great cafes, lots of friendly faces, lots of great food nearby....
we are spoiled for choice for lunch and dinner. Does Blue Lady Tattoo offer any other service apart from tattoos? We are a tattoo shop, and we feel like concentrating on great tattoos is what we do best. What are some memorable shop experiences? I got given a kit-kat by my client the other day as a tip....also once a 2 litre bottle of orange juice....and some coffee from Brazil....I feel like we have the nicest clients, they are always bringing us coffees, or little treats. Some memorable clients? All the clients are memorable in some way, it may be a story about diving with sea turtles, or some new band they tell you about...it’s pretty great that everyday someone makes someone laugh. Is there anything that Blue Lady Tattoo won’t allow to be tattooed? Anything racist, and visible areas on people without much existing work. What are your opinions about shows like Miami Ink and Tattoo Tales etc? T.V. shows like this are there to sell ad spaces....it is what it is. Do you think these reality shows are good for the industry? Could you imagine Blue Lady Tattoo on television? I have seen a few Miami ink episodes from the first season...I don’t have a TV or bother watching shit like that online. I don’t care, it’s just entertainment, working in a tattoo shop is nothing like that. They M E L B O U R N E
have scripts and pick people with stories for the show that will evoke a viewer reaction, good or bad. Blue Lady would be boring on television, because we are all too mellow as people. For enough money, I guess most people would do it though. What are your thoughts on the rapid proliferation of tattoo studios across Melbourne? Melbourne has some of the best shops and tattooers in the world, if you do good work and you are a good person, there is nothing to worry about. What sort of music could one expect if they were to enter Blue Lady Tattoo? Something between Rolling Stones, Blondie,
T A T T O O
C U L T U R E
Creedance Clearwater Revival, Black Sabbath, Desmond Dekker, Huey Lewis and the News, Exploding Hearts, Eddy Current... Sum up Blue Lady Tattoo in one sentence: “What’s up Koopman?” - Lacroix Anything else you’d like to add? To get a great tattoo, visit the shop in person, look through the folios of the tattooers, check their instagrams. Once you know who you want to work with, listen to their suggestions, to get the best tattoo possible. Remember, you are paying for an expert opinion as well as time. ADDRESS: Level One, 2 Rankins Lane, Melbourne CBD CONTACT: ph. (03) 9972 3371, blueladytattoo@gmail.com WEBSITE: blueladytattoo.tumblr.com INSTAGRAM: @blueladytattoo FACEBOOK: facebook.com/blueladytattoo P A G E
1 3
BLUE LADY TATTOO
Bradley Hampstead Instagram - bradley_l_hampstead
P A G E
1 4
Level One, 2 Rankins Lane, Melbourne CBD | ph. (03) 9972 3371 | blueladytattoo@gmail.com
Jamie August | Instagram - @jamieaugust
M E L B O U R N E
Lacroix | Instagram - @lacroixtattoo
P E R M A N E N T
Maisen Hall | Instagram - @maisenhall
BLUE LADY TATTOO
Level One, 2 Rankins Lane, Melbourne CBD | ph. (03) 9972 3371 | blueladytattoo@gmail.com
Mike Tea | Instagram - @mike_tea_tattoos
Rachie Rhatklor | Instagram - @rachierhatklor
M E L B O U R N E
T A T T O O
C U L T U R E
Ben Koopman | Instagram - @tattookoopman
P A G E
1 5
Elle Diablo BY BAM BAM
Elle Diablo is basically a super-hero. By day she saves lives as a bio-medical scientist, and by night she risks her own as a swordswallowing burlesque badass. You can also catch her teaching poledancing classes at Bottoms Up! Burlesque School, or producing the award-winning show Chest Of Wonders. Q: How would you describe your performance style? I think the best way to describe it is ‘cirque-lesque’: circus burlesque. It seems like even if I’m doing something that would be considered traditional circus like aerials I’m in a state of undress... Q: You are also a scientist! Do you feel you incorporate your medical knowledge into your performances? My medical science background has definitely informed my performances. Having a in-depth understanding of anatomy and physiology certainly allows me to look at sideshow in a totally different light. When I first began to undertake my biomedical science degree I was amazed at all the wonderful things that bodies can do, even on a cellular level. I guess sideshow is just the actualization of that. Sideshow and science really do go hand in hand. Q: What sideshow stunts do you mix into your performances? Have you ever injured yourself? I’m a sword swallower, fire performer, sword walker, human blockhead, aerialist
and my bread and butter job is teaching pole dancing. I have been injured and quite seriously. To all who ask the question ‘Do you really swallow the sword or is it an illusion?’ I can assure you it’s for real. I, very early on in my career, perforated my oesophagus and in the process gave myself a partially collapsed lung. You know what sucks? 7 days nil-by-mouth. That’s a “hangry” that is beyond explanation. Other than that though I’ve only had one or two burns. Oh and broke my collar bone falling off the pole a couple of years ago... Q: Do you have a career highlight so far? My favourite show was Perth Fringe World 2015 with Chest of Wonders, the company I started with my dear friend and burlesque performer Tiki Amazon. That season included receiving a nomination and subsequent award. Q: What attracts you to having tattoos? Do you feel it affects the way people think of you as a performer / scientist? I’ve always wanted to be tattooed! I
remember seeing my first tattooed person when I was about 9 and I was fascinated! I ended up getting my first tattoo at 14 and it’s been a pretty regular occurrence since. When I was at Uni being heavily tattooed made a difference. I felt like I had to work harder as I grew up in an environment wherein I was told that tattoos would negatively affect your chances of getting a job. Ha! Anyone else with a whole bunch of tattoos will know that you tend to be fairly memorable in a crowd so lectures will remember if you do well or not, no blending in... After biomed I started nursing and I experienced some discrimination on behalf of the lovely old dears on my aged care placement, with some old fashioned sexism thrown in there too. ‘You’re such a pretty girl, why did you do that to yourself ?’ But that was really it and a generation gap thing. As a performer I don’t think it’s ever really made a difference, I’ve never auditioned for any ensemble pieces that require me to look like the person next to me. It’s helped me to exist in a niche, I’ve performed at the NZ International tattoo convention, Melbourne Tattoo Convention and I’m the current 1st Runner Up Miss Ink Melbourne. Get in where you fit in I guess. Q: Where can we catch up performing next? In the next few months I’m spending a lot of time in WA actually. First for the Disconnect Festival with The Danger Cabaret, then WA Circus Festival with The Syndicate and then Perth Fringe again with The Danger Cabaret. In 2016 there’s plans to go back to Europe for shows too.
Hanging with Badsville
The Cutting Scene. Mandan O-kee-pa Ceremony from George Catlin’s OKee-Pa: A Religious Ceremony; and Other Customs of the Mandans
B Y F A R E E D K AV I A N I W W W. T H E 4 T H W A L L . N E T
|
I N S TA G R A M : @ FA . FA . FA . FA . FA
Although hampered by a fondness for commas conventional in 19th-century academic works, George Catlin’s 1867 anthropological work O-Kee-Pa: A Religious Ceremony; and Other Customs of the Mandans provided pale faces in the ‘civilized’ world with their first images of body suspension. The suspension itself was just one event in the elaborate religious ceremony. With the lifelessness of corpses, young men were suspended for fifteen to twenty minutes until they fainted, whereupon they were lowered, unhooked, and left to convalesce without any assistance. Regaining consciousness was a sign of the Great Spirit’s approval. A hundred years on from Catlin’s ethnography, Fakir Musafar, self-described shaman, artist, master piercer and body modifier, appropriated and modernised the practice, introducing it into American subculture. This lent him the title ‘Father of the Modern Primitives’ movement, a coin he termed. For Musafer, body modification is a spiritual exercise. Hindus, for instance, have been practicing suspension for over five thousand years. As part of the Thaipusam festival, celebrated mainly by Tamils on the full moon of January, many perform a Kavadi, a type of dance emphasising debt bondage. One particular type is Paravai Kavadi: a suspension where the practitioner is hung by hooks in his back and legs from a beam, the undulating motion of which causes the suspender’s body to oscillate in a birdlike manner. In this way, the body is used as a means to transcend itself and attain a state of grace. Today, however, Musafar guesses that a lot of people are doing suspensions ‘for sheer novelty, attention, and ego satisfaction’. In fact, he believes suspensions fall into three categories: spiritual suspensions for deep self-knowledge and inner wisdom; sports suspensions for thrills and physical/ emotional challenges like bungie jumping, hang gliding, rock climbing, etc; and egobased performance suspensions for the aforementioned self-indulgent shock-andP A G E
1 6
awe reasons. Musafar feels very strongly that if a custom is borrowed from another culture, ‘it is your obligation to respect and understand, as best possible, the significance and mystery of the practice.’ In saying that, he believes ‘everybody has a right to do what they will with their body even if it is for sheer exhibitionism.’ I tracked down one of Musafar’s ‘modern primitives’, Emily Badsville. An iridescent young woman, Badsville first got into body modification at the age of sixteen, practiced her first suspension at nineteen, and started a sideshow circus troupe in Perth a couple of years after that. ‘We did the usual freakshow/sideshow stuff, like human blockhead, bed of nails, brain flossing, etc., and incorporated self-piercing and flesh pulling/suspension into our acts. I left Perth a few years later and performed on and off again in Sydney. Then I moved to Montreal, where I started a suspension duo with my performance partner, Natasha Nebula, (we were called Bella Obscura), which was a bit more fetish orientated but incorporated her dance and fire training with my sideshow antics.’ Badsville’s impetus for a suspension depends on the suspension. ‘If I am performing, it’s obviously exhibitionist. If it’s private, usually I’ll be seeking some sort of emotional or mental release.’ She kindly offered to perform a suspension for me. ‘I usually do what’s called a ‘suicide’ suspension: two hooks in the upper back. I find this the easiest to perform as it gives me free movement of my arms and legs, because I love swinging and spinning around. I’ve also done a ‘lotus’, which is where you’re lifted in a seated lotus position [legs crossed] with two hooks in your back and one in each knee and ankle. For performances I’ve had hooks through my forearms for hanging weights from, and [hooks in my] lower back for lifting others and flesh-pull tug-of-wars!’ ‘Things like two-point knees, single-point anywhere, etc. [The number of points is
a reference to the number of hooks.] I’m just not interested, as I like to thrash about on the hooks a lot. So I go for dependable suspensions mostly, where there is a lot of movement available and less risk in terms of ripping.’ The most essential element for her is mental preparation: ‘Getting your mind ready to deal with the thoughts of self-doubt by taking a minute to control your breathing. It’s pretty easy to hyperventilate, which affects your mental state and body’s responses when you’re suspending. I usually grab some form of sugar prior to it, which just gives me the energy reserves I need.’ While enduring a veritable stabbing of the back with fishhooks, Badsville (on both occasions in which she suspended in my presence) remained faithful to the silence of the Mandan initiates. In contrast to the practioners of old, however, she also while undergoing the suspension itself refrained
M E L B O U R N E
from any kind of audible ejaculation or ritualized anguished chanting. I later asked her to provide me with a retrospective stream of consciousness. ‘When you’re getting them pierced, it feels pretty brutal. So you can understand the heightened response your body and mind are having to the pain. This automatically triggers a reaction within your brain, and it compensates by flooding your body with adrenaline and all kinds of delicious endorphins. At this point I’m very happy, welcoming the old feeling of this incredible buzz within my system, and after a couple of smokes and some sugar, I’m raring to go up!’ ‘When I’m rigged up and about to go up in the air, I’m trying to steady my mind and make some promises to trust myself and my body to do this. Your mind is trying to convince you at this point to get out of danger. To quit doing what you’re doing and run far away. Very much like
P E R M A N E N T
being in fight-or-flight mode. I don’t get this feeling much anymore because of performing suspensions for years, but from somewhere deep inside there’s still that little voice saying ‘No! Maybe it won’t go so well this time!’ And it’s good to fight against that little voice, because it increases the buzz and because it’s vital to the act of suspension—you need your body’s natural painkillers!’ ‘Once you’ve achieved the steel resolve to get off the ground and up in the air, it’s just fucking fun! It doesn’t hurt much anymore as far as I’m concerned, because you’ve pretty much supported your body weight on whatever points you’ve chosen to suspend from, so it’s like the pain receptors aren’t even registering it anymore. There’s nothing like feeling like you’re flying, dancing in the sky: moving around up there feels amazing. I get a feeling of absolute clarity and my senses are heightened.’
FULL MOON TATTOO 19/23 Izett St, Prahran ph. (03) 9510 1892 | fullmoontattoo.com.au
Nestled away in between Melbourne’s trendy shopping boutiques, healthy brunch hotspots and the prestigious vehicles lapping Chapel Street, hides one of the most authentic tattoo studios in the South East suburbs - Full Moon Tattoo. The long-standing Prahran studio has been tattooing thousands of clients with an array of styles, each uniquely designed and customised between artist and client. The studio is currently filled with three artists, Rhys Pieces, Chino and Cholo Ink, with upcoming neo-traditional apprentice, Yu. Each artist specialises in a different form of tattooing ranging from script and lettering, to black and grey realism, to traditional. You will find the crew at Full Moon always up for a laugh, sharing food and coffee and bonding with clients between needle and skin. For these guys, it is more than an artform and their passion for the industry is showcased in their mountains of port folios spread across the shop and on their social media. Whether it is a small addition, big back canvas or cover up, drop by 23 Izett Street, Prahran and turn the idea into something real. Meet the team on Facebook Full Moon Tattoo or Instagram, @fullmoontattoo, @rhyspiecestattoos, @chinoxlytattoo, @cholo_ink, @blankdeckproject.
CRUCIBLE TATTOO CO. - Q&A with José 309 Racecourse Rd, Kensington | ph. (03) 9376 1585 | crucibletattoo@outlook.com
How long have you been tattooing for? 4 years Why did you become a tattooist? Originally I was working as a commercial and fine artist, tattooing was just a natural extension of my lifestyle and art practice. How many years were you an apprentice for, and how was the experience? I never attended an official apprenticeship, however I have had many strong women along the way who mentored my tattooing, nurtured my creativity and allowed me space to grow while instilling a strong sense of history. In Berlin I was mentored by Ela Pour and in London by Lesley Chan. Describe your style. Black work with a queer twist. What is your greatest strength as a tattooist? My greatest strength would be the rapport I have with my clients, taking time to understand people’s motivations or sometimes lack of motivation for tattoos is very important to the complete process. Most memorable moment of your career thus far? I created the worlds first queer tattoo event in Berlin and London last year, with plans on continuing this year Is there anything about the tattoo industry you’d like to see changed? 90% of the industry are cis straight white men, all kinds of people are getting tattooed, this diversity should be reflected in the people tattooing also. If you could give every potential customer one bit of knowledge about tattooing before they came in, what would it be? take your time, choose your artist wisely, be tattooed by someone you like, not just someone whos work you appreciate, you will carry the experience of meeting your tattooer with you everywhere, its important to like the person who did the work What are your feelings about people buying machines and tattooing from home? Its fine, I personally have no problem with it, alot of very well respected tattooers started this way, just be careful, tattoo yourself before your friends
Are you a proponent of earning the right to have your extremities or face tattooed, or would you tattoo anyone anywhere? And why? I completely agree that if someone is of age, in their right state of mind, then their bodies are their own to do with what they what, I completely agree with body autonomy. If technology rendered you obsolete how would you persuade someone to choose human over machine? Tattoos are an experience not just a product, knowing and liking who you are tattooed by is an important part of the process. Weirdest thing you’ve been asked to tattoo? I tattooed the word hello on a friends penis Do you think there’s currently a tattoo bubble that may pop, or is the rise in tattooing and getting tattooed the new reality? Well everything comes and goes in cycles, I think tattoos are very much here to stay, in cities like London and Berlin tattooing is definitely becoming saturated but places like Australia have a lot more room for movement.
M E L B O U R N E
T A T T O O
C U L T U R E
P A G E
1 7
Empire Collective Tattoos
Give us the run down of Empire Collective. Empire Collective was created in the winter of 2015, over many late and sleepless nights of hard work by Levi Barnett and Montana Inez to transform the Prahran location into it’s current glory! What sets Empire Collective apart from other studios? We’ve worked to build an exclusive and personal atmosphere here; we want every day to be a positive and memorable experience for each client, which leaves a lasting impression to recall fondly. Tell us about the interior and general theme of the shop. Levi and Montana have brought their own interior design skills and taste to the studio. The look and feel is crisp, modern and monochromatic with bursts of natural light, plants and pop culture. You can spot a few of Levi’s favourite Star Wars collectibles around the studio amongst some artwork and ornaments. From the beginning we’ve encouraged each member of the collective to feel as if they’re an essential part of a family. Humour, light heartedness and a strong sense of purpose and ambition are all important here, and everyone brings their unique spin on those qualities to the table. List your residents and what qualities they bring to the shop. Levi Barnett specialises and is revered for his skill in realism, striving to make his tattoos smooth and flawless. He is playful, relaxed, and always engaging in banter with Jake from across the room. Jake Danielson is a notable name in neotraditional with a dark and mysterious flair, with traditional Japanese influences. His youthful energy and natural spark keeps his sessions running smoothly and quickly and he is a constant joy to be around. Matt Curzon was introduced to the collective in October, and he brings a definitive neo-traditional style to the studio with geometric persuasions and a unique balance of black and grey with colour. He is easy going and engaging; you can hear Matt chatting away with his clients all day. Montana Inez operates her own business, P A G E
1 8
Inez Eye Design under the Empire Collective umbrella, and she is really a breath of fresh air every time we are graced with her visits between sessions. She is witty, driven, friendly and adored by her clients and co-workers alike. Clair ‘Deluge’ Breyley is the apprentice here under the watchful eye of Levi, she has trained herself to be versatile in many styles but hasn’t settled on one yet. She is excitable and down-to-earth, with a strong awareness of the responsibility to stay on top of things in a very busy studio, however never forgetting to keep things fun and entertaining. They all compliment each other and there is a refreshing balance of personalities and artistic style. What guests have worked at Empire Collective and what guests do you have coming up? At Empire Collective it’s important to us that we stay connected with the tattoo community as it progresses, and we hope to continue sharing the talent of international artists with Melbourne. We’ve been graced by artists Brendan Boz, Mitch 13, Ashley Luka and Charlotte Timmons and can look forward to the likes of Alex Dorfler, Ben Ackerman and Anrijs Straum joining us. Tell me a bit about the shop’s surroundings. Located in the heart of Prahran, just off Greville Street and a short stroll from the ever lively Chapel Street Precinct, Empire Collective is still private and tucked away enough to avoid too much foot traffic and
any curious strangers. The studio boasts accessibility to some really great cafes, restaurants, supermarkets and alternative convenience stores, about a 5 minute walk in any direction is something for everyone. Prahran Railway Station is literally just around the corner, so it suits any clients that choose to take public transport without having to stroll too far. Does Empire Collective offer any other service apart from tattoos? While other studios may provide piercings and other body modification services, Empire Collective are strictly all about tattoos, and that includes the progressive and innovative work of Montana Inez. Montana runs her own business, Inez Eye Design, 100% founded and operated by this dedicated craftswoman. Inez Eye Design offers “feather stroke” eyebrow tattooing, designed specifically for each individual client. You can take a peek at her beautiful studio and work on her website, www. inezeyedesign.com What are some memorable shop experiences? Every day in the studio is full of fun and new stories, most involving ridiculous Youtube videos, someone’s motor skills failing momentarily or playfully heated debates about music, cars and food (Clair was once brought to tears over how good lunch tasted that day). Is there anything that Empire Collective won’t allow to be tattooed? Each artist has their own preference and priorities when it comes to their work,
M E L B O U R N E
since it is a ‘collective,’ everyone operates on their own terms and the artists are not limited by shop policies. It is to the discretion, personal views and professional conduct, what is and isn’t tattooed at Empire Collective. What are your opinions about shows like Miami Ink and Tattoo Tales? It is a common consensus among professional tattooists that “reality” TV shows that are written and fabricated to show the inner workings of a studio and it’s artists, are an exceptionally poor representation of what this job is really like and what it involves. Drawings don’t get completed in the time is takes for 3 advertisements to play, there’s no time for personal drama. The Empire artists work with and support each other, making decisions in unison with the clients and take this industry seriously. Creating permanent artwork on someone’s body is not to be cheapened or exploited after all. If Empire Collective was approached to do a TV show, would you do it? If Empire Collective had it’s own TV show, it would probably focus on the exchanges between our artists, rather than between us and our clients. How we decide on lunch, the music we listen to, the impromptu dance breaks and rapper impressions, discussions about world issues/ society and keeping up to date with work by our favourite artists. To most people it would probably be very boring, but we would watch it all together religiously and find it hilarious.” What are your thoughts on the rapid proliferation of tattoo studios across Melbourne?
P E R M A N E N T
There’s a few theories on why the growth of the tattooing community has exploded down here in Melbourne; one is an enormous amount of artists being pushed out of Queensland and South Australia due to laws that criminalise the work and make it unfair for people trying to operate an honest business and keep their career and lives afloat. It’s really disappointing and concerning to see an industry that should be celebrated for changing lives being torn apart by crime and politics. All we know is that for us, as Melbournians and members of this community, it’s important for us to do our part in being accommodating and helpful to our fellow tattooists and friends in a difficult time. What kind of tunes can one expect to hear in the studio? It’s a bit of everything here, everyone has similar taste but we try and maintain versatility. Hip hop, R&B, alternative acoustic, punk and hardcore, a little of the latest pop hits for fun. Mostly Drake. If you have never heard Drake you can expect to know his music and the entire progression of his career by the time you leave us. Sum up Empire Collective in one sentence. Empire Collective is a relaxed, personal and engaging environment with a modern touch, different to any experience our clients will encounter anywhere else, and ultimately the way is should be for 21st century tattooing. ADDRESS: 42 Charles St, Prahran CONTACT: ph. (03) 9510 3190, info@tatsup.com INSTAGRAM: @empire.collective
EMPIRE COLLECTIVE TATTOOS 42 Charles St, Prahran | ph. (03) 9510 3190 | info@tatsup.com
M E L B O U R N E
SOUTH YARRA INK
1/238 Toorak Rd, South Yarra | ph. (03) 9827 4414 | southyarraink.com.au | Instagram: @southyarraink
T A T T O O
C U L T U R E
P A G E
1 9
The Ruined Give us ‘The Ruined’ story. Ran: I set up The Ruined 3 and a half years ago, originally under the name Ruin Art Collective, but I changed the name as every other damn studio has Collective in the name now. Also Sullen I think has that name tied up, and I didn’t know about them when I thought of the name. Yes, I am that unaware of whats going on in the tattoo world. I wanted to be outside the main Melbourne areas, and thought what Suburb will be completely confused by my ideas… Sunbury. Its a growing area, but very crafty, very beer’n’parma, and even a bit Christian… So I set up here to not fit in. What sets The Ruined apart from other studios? R: We are about doing our own thing, we don’t care what everyone else does, we don’t care what a tattoo shop is meant to be. Mike: We specialise in the not so traditional style of tattoos, embracing post modern abstract art as a tattoo style. What’s this ‘One Hit One Sit’ business all about? R: Thats my thing, it came about when I wanted to do more big pieces in my style, so I offered one hit one sit, $500. Usually, I can do a sleeve in my abstract style in one sitting. I enjoy it, and I think thats enough money for that style of sleeve, its not like black n grey work or intricate dot work that can take many sittings. I get told I should charge more, and when I travel I do charge more, but at home, I think its a fair price, the client gets a large piece, I get to do what I want, and they feel happy with cost. List your residents and what qualities they bring to the shop.
Ran: (owner) abstract, geo, black and dot work, etching style, all things a bit unusual. Mike Van: blackwork, geo, abstract and watercolour, traditional. Cha Cha: anime, cute, girly, realism Mya: piercing and apprentice tattooist, fallen child of darkness. Tuff as nails and smiles while she knocks you out. What guests have worked at The Ruined and what guests do you have coming up? R: We have had a few now, Sven from Germany has been over a few times. Ania from Poland also. Nae and Shannon Meow from Perth also dropped in a while back. We try and get obscure artists to visit, we aim to be the studio they want to guest at. We also have Anna from Wizards of Ink drop in every now and then. Robo from the UK was with us for a while but moved over to St Kilda, and Faye from Thailand did the same. We are a bit out of the way which works for some and not others. Does The Ruined offer any other service apart from tattoos? R: Besides tattooing we do have Mya, and she is a fully qualified piercer. Not one that did a 2 day course, she did a full apprenticeship. We also sell art and display art all year round. What are some memorable shop experiences? R: Really the best was the group of christians out the front, praying for us, with signs, bibles in hand. Some memorable clients? R: I had a young man start touching himself while I tattooed him. Seems the pain was pleasurable, and he kept getting a bit hard, I just kept yelling at him, and said if he didn’t keep his hands by his side
I’d stop tattooing him. Is there anything that The Ruined won’t allow to be tattooed? R: If you want your neck, face or hands tattooed and you are not already well covered, we generally will not tattoo those areas. Its a bit of a nod to the old days, our way of showing some respect to the tradition of tattooing. We steer away from anything racist, just because being racist is pretty shit. Anything else you’d like to add? R: just cheers to all our clients for allowing us to express ourselves on you, and for allowing us to help you be you.
ADDRESS: 84 Oshanassy Street Sunbury CONTACT: ph (03) 9744 3585 WEBSITE: ruinartcollective.com FACEBOOK: facebook.com/theruinedelectrictattoo INSTAGRAM: @ the__ruined
Punktured Give us the rundown of Punktured. Simon (Piercing co-ordinator): Punktured Body Piercing was formed back in 1997. Michael (Tattoo co-ordinator): Punktured Tattoo was formally founded early in 2014 once we opened our Surfers Paradise studio. We had previously run tattoo studios in Elizabeth st Melbourne, and still currently have a studio in 143 Swanston st Melbourne. Since opening we now have 3 tattoo studios. 143 Swanston St Melbourne, Cavill Ave Surfers Paradise, and Queen St Mall Brisbane. What sets Punktured apart from other studios? M: We have a great range of skilled and award winning tattoo artists here at punktured, but apart from having highly professional skilled artists, I think what else sets us apart is our customer service. We give 100% to every customer whether, its a small or large tattoo were always happy to help in any way we can, making first timers feel at ease, and comfortable and veterans the professional service they’ve come to expect. S: We don’t employ rock stars, we take the time to make sure we only employ piercers who love the industry and want to make everyone’s piercing experience awesome. Our body piercers also all receive ongoing training to our very own high national standards, we have many systems in place to make sure our quality of skill and hygiene are always leading the industry, and that’s how we have so many happy clients return time and time again. Tell me about the interior (or general theme of the shop), the objects and
P A G E
2 0
knick-knacks in Punktured etc. M: Our Punktured tattoo studios are stacked with custom artworks done by all our professional artists from all our studios, whether it but custom prints, canvas’s or custom skate decks, there’s plenty to look at including a range skate, surf, snow, freestyle mx, dvds playing throughout the day on our plasma tvs, to keep your eyes entertained while getting tattooed. S: Punktured studios are currently inside the alternative lifestyle store Off Ya Tree and our studios are all very clean and open and have a great vibe Tell us about your artists. M:We have a great range of professional and international award winning tattoo artists at punktured. We have artists specializing in black and grey realism, traditional, neo traditional, but we all like to do any style that comes in the door. Were all one big family here so there’s always a little bit of friendly banter and joking going on, a lot of our customers love coming to the studio, as its such a fun, hostility free environment and they get to take away a killer piece of artwork at the same time. Tell me a bit about the shop’s surrounding establishments, and the locals. M: All our Punktured tattoo studios are located in highly populated city areas, for example 200-300 meters out of our surfers paradise studio, is the beautiful surfers paradise beach. S: Piercing is nationwide in 30+ locations. What are some memorable shop experiences?
M: Weve had a bunch its to hard to pick one. We have a great range of customers come through the studio doors, including professional athletes, tv stars, and models, but as long as we can put a smile on people’s faces that’s always the best experience. S: It’s always memorable when a client gets pierced, tells all their friends how awesome we are, and they all come back to get pierced. We already know we’re doing a great job, but it’s more rewarding and memorable when other people acknowledges it. Is there anything that Punktured won’t allow to be tattooed? M: We don’t like to tattoo hands, necks and faces, if the person isn’t heavily
M E L B O U R N E
tattooed. What sort of music could one expect if they were to enter Punktured? M: We like to mix it up, we listen to everything from hip hop, to metal, but you can always expect to hear some tunes when you in our tattoo studios. Sum up Punktured in one sentence: S: piercing the nation one hole at a time
ADDRESS: 143 Swanston St, Melbourne CBD CONTACT: ph (03) 9639 4535 WEBSITE: punktured.com.au FACEBOOK: facebook.com/ PunkturedBodyPiercing
P E R M A N E N T
THE RUINED
84 Oshanassy Street, Sunbury | (03) 9744 3585 | ruinartcollective.com
Ran Maclurkin
Mike Van
M E L B O U R N E
T A T T O O
C U L T U R E
P A G E
2 1
CURRAN JAMES Sideshow Tattoo - 534 Mount Alexander Rd, Ascot Vale ph. (03) 9326 1264 | sideshowtattoos.com.au Instagram: @curranjamestattoo
How long have you been tattooing for? Four years, going on five. Why did you become a tattooist? I was always interested in tattoos, ever since I saw my uncles pirate pin up when I was 10. How many years were you an apprentice for, and how was the experience? It was about a year, I started doing regular tattoos about 6 months into that. I worked 6 days a week unpaid, spent 4 hours a day on trains and rarely got 6 hours sleep. Describe your style. Eclectic, Sideshow is a bit of a street shop at heart. You need to be able to do a little bit of everything. What is your greatest strength as a tattooist? I think its working with a client, trying to make something that exceeds their expectations. What’s your favourite thing about being a tattooist? It’s something different every single day. A favourite moment? “My safety word is banana” Who are your top 5 tattooists? And why? Emily Rose Murray, James Tex, Nick Baxter, Justin Hartman and Jeff Gogue. All have incredibly bold well designed work and distinct styling. Favourite tattoo? Mine? some misspelt Rancid lyrics on my leg. Top 5 most annoying things you’re asked by customers? Can you turn the machine down, is that a fresh needle, do you do temporary tattoos, do you use glow in the dark ink, if I get big work can you do a discount. What are your feelings about people buying machines and tattooing from home? Hmmm I don’t know if bowel movements count as feelings. If you could give every potential customer one bit of knowledge about tattooing before they came in, what would it be? Listen. A tattooist will usually give you advice for a reason. What piece of advice would you give to someone looking to get their first tattoo? Make sure your ready for it to hurt, then go big. Do you think the industry needs to be regulated? If governments spent fees on health inspections rather than assuming criminal connections, and that meant outdated organ/blood donation rules were withdrawn, sure. Weirdest thing you’ve been asked to tattoo? “The cool crisp taste” above someones dick.
Beware of the Thing In association with Things & Ink and INKED magazine, Thing Gallery presents a unique exhibition of tattooed silicone hands and sheets, featuring some of the best artists from Australia and beyond:
Apro Lee, The David Cote, Guy Le Tatooer, Lauren Winzer, Kim-anh Nguyen, Sam Clark, Susanne König, Kelly Violet, Grace Neutral, Amy Unalome, Sarah Herzdame, Matty D Mooney, Ly Aleister, Kola Hari, Rachie Rhatklor, Alexis Hepburn, Onnie O’Leary, Brian Povak, Chaim Machlev Plus many more to be announced…
All profits from the sale of artworks go to Safesteps and WIRE, two Melbourne based organisations dedicated to providing support to women and children experiencing domestic violence. February 26th at Melbourne’s Neon Parlour. Follow @thinggallery for more details or visit www.thinggallery.com. Proudly sponsored by Sailor Jerry, Polymech, Protat, and Metal Couture.
P A G E
2 2
M E L B O U R N E
P E R M A N E N T
9383-5694 i n f o @ e a s t b r u n s w i c k tat t o o s . c o m . au w w w. e a s t b r u n s w i c k tat t o o s . c o m . au M E L B O U R N E
T A T T O O
C U L T U R E
P A G E
2 3
Bearskins Tattoo Removal Bearskins has been in operation for a little over 2 years, with thousands of treatments performed and has built a reputable name on the Mornington Peninsula as the ‘go to’ laser clinic for quality, result driven laser tattoo removal. Bearskins has recently relocated from Seaford, into Bayside Shopping Centre, Frankston. With 2 top of the range Medical Grade Q-Switched Laser Machines, covering all 3 wavelengths, they’re able to treat ALL tattoo colours (even tricky blue and green inks with the ruby laser). All treatments are performed by fully qualified and experienced skin therapists who are also certified laser clinicians, so clients are guaranteed safe and effective removal treatments. Typically a professional tattoo requires 6-10 sessions for complete removal, however, if you’re just wanting the tattoo faded for a coverup, 2-4 sessions is usually suffice. The clinic is a little bit retro and a little bit quirky while maintaining a clean and professional environment. Bearskins want all clients to feel happy and comfortable when coming for treatments. The clinic is a place for every person to come to for the highest quality laser treatments, completely judgement free. With the grand opening of the new Bayside clinic, they’re offering 50% off All 1st treatments. For enquires and appointment availability, call (03)9769 6555 or for more info and photos, head over to the website bearskins.com.au, check out the Facebook page or Instagram page.
BEFORE
JAMES SKARVELLIS
The Greville Inn Tattoo Studio - 187 Greville St, Prahran Instagram: @bobbydunbar
How long have you been tattooing for? five and a half years Why did you become a tattooist? Art has always been a big part of my life and being a massive tattoo fan, that’s the only thing I’ve wanted to be If there was one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you first started tattooing, what would it be? Always listen, when tattooers are talking there’s always a little tip how to do do something better Describe your style. I mostly special in lettering, I love the crazy line work all the way down simple script but from time to time I do a bit of girly traditional What’s your favourite thing about being a tattooist? The people I get to work with, the people I get to tattoo and the things I get to tattoo. What’s the most memorable thing about your tattoo career thus far? Being apart of owning The Greville Inn, it’s been a massive challenge but it’s been fun! What piece of advice would you give to someone looking to get their first tattoo? Always do your research, every tattooist specializes in something, find the right artist for what you’re looking at getting. What are your feelings about people buying machines and tattooing from home? I don’t agree with people doing that at all, it takes years of experience to become a good tattooer, if they are really passionate about tattooing then they should do it the right way! Weirdest thing you’ve been asked to tattoo? Someone’s ball sack! It’s a long story, haha. What do you enjoy doing outside of tattooing? I still enjoy art outside of tattooing, having paint days and drawing. I like to chill with my girlfriend and Husky
P A G E
2 4
AFTER
ADDRESS: Bayside Shopping Centre, 195 Beach St, Frankston CONTACT: ph. (03) 9769 6555, rachael@bearskins.com.au WEBSITE: bearskins.com.au INSTAGRAM: @bearskins_lasertattooremoval FACEBOOK: facebook.com/BearskinsLaserClinic
CHINO LY
Full Moon Tattoo & Addikted To Ink - 19/23 Izett St, Prahran and Addikted To Ink- 111 Sydney Rd, Coburg Instagram: @chinoxlytattoo
How long have you been tattooing for? I have been tattooing for 6 years. Why did you become a tattooist? I always had something with art. tattoo always had my interest. Describe your style. Black and great realism and Chicano style. What’s your favourite thing about being a tattooist? Meeting new people with the same interest as I do with art. And sharing past experiences and life stories... I like stories. Is there anything you won’t tattoo, and why? A butthole.. thats just disgusting... What’s the most memorable thing about your tattoo career thus far? The most memorable thing about my tattoo career is how it started in the Texas State Penitentiary . Tattooing in prison was a escape from reality and also a way to hustle by all means. It was there were I put my passion from drawing to tattooing. WE all gotta eat one way or another right? Favourite tattoo? My favourite tattoo at the moment is one I did on my mom. The woman that gave birth to me need believed in my career choice. But I never stopped believing in what I can do with my future. Now she believes, understands, accepts and supports me in whatever I do. She got a tattoo from me when she came down recently to visit. It was a key and a rose with my siblings initials. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learnt about tattooing? Patience... you gotta have some patience... still trying to learn patience. Weirdest thing you’ve been asked to tattoo? Not to me directly. but a middle aged man walked into the shop and asked if he could get the number “69” tattooed on his arm in remembrance of his aunty. ‘Cause that was her favourite position. What do you enjoy doing outside of tattooing? I like taking long walks on the beach on a warm summer night drinking wine .. nah fuck that. I like taking the bikes out with the boys and talking shit. If you weren’t a tattooist what would you be doing? I’d be getting tattooed. M E L B O U R N E
BOBBY DUNBAR
JESSE DEE
How long have you been tattooing for? Three and a half years. Why did you become a tattooist? I’ve always been interested in the work the goes into creating tattoos and I’ve always had a thing for drawing. I love everything about tattooing. If there was one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you first started tattooing, what would it be? I wish I knew patience. I’ve never been a patient person and in the beginning it was tough. Knowing now that if you put the hard work in, you reap the rewards. Describe your style. I would describe it as more neo-traditional. I try to add my own style into it along with some realism. What is your greatest strength as a tattooist? And what are you hoping to improve on? I really enjoy line work. I would say it’s of my strengths but I hope to improve on everything. I’m hardly ever satisfied with the work I do. What’s your favourite thing about being a tattooist? Doing what I love to do every single day. The job allows me to travel and meet new artists all the time. Is there anything about the tattoo industry you’d like to see changed? I’d like to see it be less criminalised. With all the tattoo laws and licensing coming out it seems to be getting a bit far fetched. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learnt about tattooing? You come across a lot of ego’s along the way. What piece of advice would you give to someone looking to get their first tattoo? Make sure you do your research and that you’re 100% happy with your ideas. Also to never rush into getting tattooed. I’ve come across a lot of people that want cover ups because they hate the tattoos they’ve received from other artists. Are you seeing more requests for original, unique work, or are people getting the same shit? I tend to do only a lot of custom work so for me it’s always something different! I really enjoy that!
How long have you been tattooing for? ive just recently entered my 9th year of tattooing. I apprenticed for about 3 years. it was a pretty busy work environment so I picked things up pretty quick. Why did you become a tattooist? i first had the idea put to me early in my high school years. it was always a dream of mine, but it wasn’t realised until I was 20 years old. and I haven’t looked back since What’s your favourite thing about being a tattooist? The greatest thing about beting a tattooer is the fact you get to do what you love every single day of your life. There’s such a small amount of people that get to do that. What’s the most memorable thing about your tattoo career thus far? I’ve had the pleasure of travelling and working my way across a few countries, meeting so many rad people I would had never known if I wasn’t tattooing. I’ve been to so many amazing places. tattooing has taken me there. I’m ever so thankful. Are you a proponent of earning the right to have your extremities or face tattooed, or would you tattoo anyone anywhere? And why? Places like hands and neck used to be reserved for tattooers themselves, but it’s not that way anymore - it’s a lot more common. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, it just shows society has evolved. As far as tattooing faces goes, that’s one thing that has to eared. I will not tattoo someones face who isn’t heavily tattooed. Do you think the industry needs to be regulated? I would love to see the tattoo industry regulated but not by the government. They have their hearts in the right place but they have no knowledge of the tattoo trade. I would love to see an organisation within the industry have some sort of power in decision making. I would like to add, a big thanks to my sponsors, Electric Ink and my good friends at Tats Up for helping me out. I would like to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to get tattooed off me. without you guys I would be no where. a massive thanks to Kenno, Kurt Anthony and Scotty, again I couldn’t ask for a better crew to work with.
The Greville Inn Tattoo Studio - 187 Greville St, Prahran Instagram: @bobbydunbar
P E R M A N E N T
Diamond Eye Tattoo - jessedeetattoo@gmail.com instagram @jessedeetattooer @diamondeyetattoo
M E L B O U R N E YH-MPBeat-FullPageAd.indd 1
T A T T O O
C U L T U R E
P A G E
2 7
13/11/15 3:28 PM