Embracing female tattoo culture
It’s time to pull out those fluffy jumpers, sip on pumpkin spiced lattes and fall in love with the sound of crisp leaves crunching under foot. What better way to celebrate the new season than a collection of some of our favourite autumn inspired tattoos?
Thursday 18 October 2018,
7.30pm – 10pm (doors 7pm)
Science and Industry Museum
Liverpool Road, Castlefield
Manchester M3 4FP
You Have Been Upgraded, a live conference responding to theme of Future Bodies. Looking at how we choose to enhance our sensory and physical selves, with talks, interactions and performances that share a positive open approach to considering body enhancement. The curators have included tattoo in this discussion programme, and you can get involved with this traditional form of human enhancement.
Do you want to be part of the event?
Unlimited Theatre is looking for a model to be tattooed live as the headline performance at You Have Been Upgraded. One applicant will be selected to receive a free tattoo by Rebecca De Cadorette, a blackwork tattoo artist and former biologist at the University of Manchester with a particular interest in human evolution and futurology. Working out of her studio in Stretford, Manchester, ‘DC’ uses her backgrounds in research, science and art to design future bodies and ritual tattoo to transform the wearer beyond the ‘normal’. This piece will be fitted to suit the body of the successful applicant: fully custom, the client will receive a blackwork, hand span sized original design.
Unlimited Theatre invites Manchester or North West based sci-art enthusiasts to apply for a free tattoo here. (application is open for longer for blog readers).
The curators would like to hear from applicants who:
– Have an interest in transhumanism
– Are passionate about science and art
– Are enthusiastic about sharing their experience with press and social media
– Are over 18 years old
– Are based in Manchester or the North West of England
– Are willing to submit to the artists’s final say on the look of the design
– Are available to participate in You Have Been Upgraded on October 18th in Manchester
– Are available to attend two sessions at a Long Time Dead Tattoo Studio during the months of September-October.
Tattooist Rebecca De Cadorette speaking on the power of tattoos:
Tattoo is ancient as well as transhuman. visual and honest – it’s the blood magic of self ownership. Building our future selves. Post-trauma. Post-joy. Transformative literally, brave because it is painful, committed because it is permanent and joyful because it is honest. Determinism and being the master of your fate for whatever small snippet of time and however many square inches of matter you are give, and knowing that all of this can be filled with choices made, experiments in self run, skins shed and cast aside. Who am I – who do I want to be and how will I become. How you do anything is how you do everything – so choose. People have been choosing to mark and alter their bodies with ink for thousands of years, and it’s a process that transforms. Adrenaline, cortisol, dopamine are the chemistry of our transformation. There’s some old fashioned alchemy of having that tattoo with the right person, at the right time for the right reasons is very powerful. And no, it’s not all that permanent,we all die, we are all mortal and it’s all going in the bin sooner or later. How you do anything is how you do everything. This is the philosophy of Long Time Dead. Get mortal.
Giffard are a french brand of liqueurs and syrups that are distributed all over the world in cocktail bars, restaurants and hotels. Since 2015, Giffard have been exploring the interlaced world of tattoo and mixology. They’ve launched a book called Spirit of Art showcasing tattooed bartenders of Asia…
Spirit of Art is all about storytelling. It’s a peek into the secret lives of drink makers across Asia, and a dive into the interlaced worlds of tattoo and mixology.
After launching in the UK in 2015, this year’s second edition covers the rich cocktail culture of Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. Giffard’s liqueurs and syrups meet the top-shelf demands of the world’s leading bartenders and baristas.
They as the binding ingredient between concoctions in the glass and connections across the bar. The perfect cocktail is born when bartenders pour their hearts, personalities and expertise into their creation, whether tattoos or drinks. Both ingredients and ink tell us where they’ve been, what they like, and who they are – cementing the relationship between these two subcultures.
Things&Ink met up with Sarah, owner of jewellery brand Sugar & Vice to talk tattoos, inspiration and pizza…
How did you get into jewellery making? Making jewellery was actually something I fell into completely by accident. I was working in an office and was terribly unhappy, so I started making jewellery as a hobby and a means of getting some extra income. Before long it become a bit all-consuming. So as soon as I was earning enough, I left my job to concentrate on it full time and it’s gone from strength to strength since then.
What inspires you? There’s no short answer to that, really. Everything inspires me. Animals, fashion, food, patterns, nature, weather, places, people, art, tattoos, the list goes on. I love nothing more than taking inspiration from something pretty mundane and turning it into something fun and colourful.
What draws you to jewellery? Jewellery can come in so many different forms and I think the sheer variety of what’s available is a large part of why I love it. Not only can you make jewellery from just about anything, it can come in so many forms that it’s just endlessly fascinating to me. Ironically, I wear very little jewellery on a day-to-day basis, but I’ve accrued some amazing pieces for special occasions, some that I’ve made myself and some that I’ve acquired from friends and industry peers. I just don’t think an outfit is complete without jewellery, be it subtle or statement!
Is your work inspired by tattoos? Some of it is, definitely. I’ve been collecting tattoos for more than a decade, as have most of my friends, so it’s difficult not to let that filter into other aspects of my life, including my working life. With tattoos, as with jewellery, the possibilities are endless. It’s a pretty odd parallel when you really think about it, but jewellery and tattoos have a lot in common. Both are a form of decoration and they can both be for show, in memorium, for religious purposes, a reminder of something – or just fun, colourful and frivolous.
What is your favourite piece you have created? That’s a tough question to answer as it changes so frequently. I like to think that with experience, the pieces have got better, so my favourite is almost always the most recent. I think a constant favourite will be always be the Gemstone Necklace, though. It’s what I consider to be a signature Sugar & Vice piece and in an industry where it’s so difficult to stay original, it’s the one I’m most proud of in terms of uniqueness.
Can you tell me a bit about your tattoos? My tattoos are a bit all over the place, literally and figuratively! Most are pretty meaningful, some are just silly things, but they all make me smile. I have three Sugar & Vice tattoos, and counting, so I like to think that shows just how closely linked my ink and my work are.
Who are your favourite tattoo artists? There are so many! Leah Moule’s style just blows my mind, I’d love to get tattooed by her someday. Suzi Q as well, I love her stuff, and one of my earlier pieces actually came about after seeing a nautical pinup girl tattoo of hers and getting inspired around seven years ago. I think Dan Henk is pretty special too, his horror tattoos are like nothing else I’ve seen.
Do you think there is a relationship between tattoos and fashion? Absolutely. I think tattoos can influence fashion and vice versa. I’ve been, infrequently, reading tattoo magazines for around 12 years now and you can definitely see changing trends – although there will always be certain styles that remain popular. The troubling thing is when fashion influences tattoos and people start getting them for the wrong reasons, it’s the quickest road to regret in my experience.
What’s next for Sugar & Vice? Global domination with any luck! In reality though, I’m just so grateful that I get to make a living doing something I love so much, and if things continue along the same path, then hopefully there’ll be bigger things in store. For now, I’ll just keep making jewellery that brings a smile to peoples faces.
First published in Issue 4 The Art Issue of Things&Ink magazine
We chatted to 24-year-old Hannah Mai who works at Lucky Rabbit Tattoo Cult in Birmingham about her stylised tattoos, love for Disney and travel plans…
How long have you been tattooing? I have been tattooing proffessionally now for two years but I started my apprenticeship three years ago.
What inspired you to become a tattooist? I wouldn’t say at a young age I was surrounded by tattoos as none of my family had tattoos, but my Grandad used to tell me about how his parents had them which initially fascinated me. His mother had a clover on the top of her arm that covered up an ex-partner’s name and his father had a mermaid that swam when he tensed his arm. I also used to draw doodles on my friends in primary school with gel pens. I can’t imagine that was particularly good for us but I found it too much fun!
What did you do before? Art. Art has been my language since I can remember. It’s something that has never left my side. It’s the only thing I was decent at in school that I’d look forward to. I wasn’t fond of homework but when it came to art homework I’d practically be doing it as soon as I left the lesson. I have always loved the idea of creating artwork based on imagery taken from my childhood, and now I get to do this for a living!
As a young female you have great pressure by society and what the media tells you – that your value is in your appearance. I however am a firm believer that ‘as long as what I am creating is beautiful, so am I!’
How would you describe your style? A lot of people have told me my style is quite vintage and slightly rag-doll like. I would agree with this. When I first started out I did mainly floral and animal work but I soon switched to doing what I had really aimed to do all along which was Disney. However I knew I didn’t want to just do carbon copy Disney. I wanted to bring something new to the industry a style that was recognisable as my own and I’d like to think I’m on the right path with this! So I’d describe my style as delicate stylised pastel Disney which I know is a bit of a mouthful!
You tattoo mainly Disney tattoos, are you a Disney lover? I’ve always been obsessed with Disney it is one of my favourite things ever! It means so much to be in a position where I get to create this magic on fellow Disney obsessed lovers. My customers really keep me going I’m super thankful and I always look forward to having a week filled with Disney conversations with my customers.
Who is your favourite character and why? It’s so so hard to pick just one! I have a few. One would have to be Megaera from Disney Hercules. Her sass and independence taught me feminism from a young age. Another would be Judy hopps from Zootopia. I can super relate to her emotional ways and yet such strong positivity. If I was a Disney character I would like to think I’d be her.
Do you have any Disney tattoos? Yes! And I’m planning more when I have the courage. I super suck at getting tattooed and I’m running out of the lesser painful areas to get covered! I have a Snow White and Prince Charming on the top of my arm done by Sarah Cooper and went back to get my second tattoo which was Marie from Aristocats on my thigh, but I’ve also had Disney work from Angharad Chappelle and Isobel Morton.
What would you love to tattoo? Ahh I have so many ideas! I’m always excited to do lesser known characters from Disney movies. The ones that seem to be a bit forgotten about. I’m dying to do any of the characters from the Disney Robin Hood or Princess and the Frog. I’m also a huge fan of the Don Bluth movies.
Are you doing any guest spots or conventions? I have so many already planned to get through before the years out! I wouldn’t know where to start. The best thing to do would be to check my Instagram for all my dates!
Although I am in a Birmingham studio with my pals at Lucky Rabbit Tattoo Cult. I am mainly travelling this year. Recently I’ve been lucky enough to do Europe based guest spots as well which is great because it means I can cater to my European followers and soak in some culture at the same time!
