other interesting stuff...

Just as there are an immeasurable number of tattoos existent in the world, so too are there a sizable amount of blogs regarding them. The same goes for the variance in type of tattoos; the blogs about them range in voice, consistency and premise.  My own personal interests are directed in the philosophical and social aspects of tattoo, though I can appreciate interests in aesthetics, authority or even humor. 

The most alluring that I have run across is a blog that deals with the social effects of tattoo, from the perspective of one witty, educated, and tattooed woman. Marisa DiMattia writes daily blogs that "look at the fine art and culture of the world of tattoos, she covers artist profiles, event listings, convention news, tattoo's impact on society and more". The artistry that goes into needled's structure is remarkable, and there's loads of multimedia to keep oneself amused. 

On the complete opposite side of the spectrum,  I ran across a blog that frankly, made me laugh out loud. Perusing "Horrible Tattoos" is funny, mindless activity, much like watching reality television shows. We want to see what other people are like, especially if they do something outrageous... like have a giant tattoo across your back that's misspelled. It covers the side of tattooing that most aficionados shy away from, especially when arguing for the normalcy of tattoo. After all, it's hard to defend a practice that has been historically categorized as deviant behavior, when there are individuals who make (by means of "horrible tattoos") the entire medium seem absurd. Though, that raises an interesting question, as tattooing is a way to adorn the body, much like fashion; do we laugh at people who choose to wear clothes that are not in vogue? Well, most likely not, but even if we do, it's nothing more then mildly amusing, given wearing clothing is a temporal phenomenon. The permanence of the faux pas somehow takes "horrible tattoos" to a whole other level of hilarity. 

The field of Visual Anthropology is severely lacking in its blogospheric representation. Nonetheless, I have found a few sites and one blog that might be able to clear up exactly what the discipline is all about. Don't think that just because I see the lacunae in the blogosphere having to do with my specialization, that I intend to do anything about it. I do plan to incorporate the jargon and ideologies, concomitant with explication, but a whole new blog is not something I'm equipped to launch; I lack the time and inclination. 

who's talking tattoo?

After my initial posting, it seemed pertinent that I should try to find other blogs out there if I indeed want to become a part of "a larger conversation" of tattoo. In searching for blogs that I thought might be relevant to my own, I stumbled upon "Tattoo Blog". At first, I scoffed at the title, thinking it was ridiculously vague. As it is no secret that my experience in the blogosphere is somewhat minute... okay non existent (see first essay-like post), and after scrutinizing "Tattoo Blog's" different posts, I realized how liberating a vague blog title could be. This blog is about tattooing in the broadest sense. In fact, there are different authors (7 bloggers) who proceed to display "cavemen ramblings" (MJones) from an array of perspectives. From science and technology and medical suggestions/opinions to "how to" material; as long as it is somewhat related to tattoo, it belongs on the blog. The most recent posts touch on politics, artists, skin,  celebrity gossip, and even conspiracy theory. Not to mention, tattoo "do's and don'ts".

This blog is obviously related to my own endeavors in many ways. I can navigate through and find certain posts that match my own areas of interest, or I can see what else people have to say about tattoo. My own blog's theme is more theoretically driven, and not as dialectic as an open topic like "Tattoo Blog". The flavor and fervor of these bloggers is stirring to me, as I have no idea what I'm doing here in the blogosphere. Each log-in or google search, to me, is a learning experience. "Tattoo Blog" has showed me that there are ways to have a specific audience (people who are interested in tattoos) and also be interesting to others (by means of colorful language). The most important thing I got from reading this blog, and any blog (I think I have read 3?), is that the blogosphere is dialogue driven, hence the text should reflect a conversation.

Unfortunately, where I'm at now is still what one in the Web 2.0 religion would rank as amateur status... or a newb... or is it noob? That being said, I believe that the frequency of postings is "high", as there appears to be at least one a day, and according to technorati, they rank 4,978,471... which is also a high number... so... good? I do know that these bloggers are interested in tattoo, and keep their eyes and ears open to any news relating to tattoo. For instance, Dr. Hook's post "Tattoos By Big Brother" is all about a new ink technology. Dr. Hook explains what it is, RFID ink or radio frequency identification ink, a product that will be injected into skin and used to track animals. He proposes the inventors are using animal tracking as a ruse, and will eventually be violating human rights. He likens the possibility to that of the Nazi's use of tattoos in tracking the Jews/Gypsies and other unfortunate bystanders during the Holocaust. On a completely different train of thought, MJones posts about the detriment the sun can cause on tattoos in "(Don't) Fade to Black". Like Dr. Hook, MJones discusses a product in the world of tattoo, a treatment called "Tattoo Inkgaurd" to prevent sun damage. It's interesting that these two posts are back to back, it makes for entertainingly dynamic and informative reading. 

I recommend checking it out...

Hello

The origins of the academic discipline of Anthropology were rooted in the study of the exotic “other”. The ritual institution of tattoo has been a scholarly interest since the beginning of Anthropology as a discipline. These first anthropological pursuits were structured categorically around perceived identity. Recently, scholar’s interests have turned to more complex notions of modernity, authenticity and representation. The word “tattoo” literally translates to “to mark”, though the practice is a tad more intensive then simply marking the skin. Tattooing is inserting pigment into punctures in the epidermis, commonly with a needle, (though any sharp object may be employed) to produce a permanent design. As you might imagine, pain is involved.

As possibly the first canvas upon which humans have inscribed, skin has been a subject of continuous interest in Anthropology, from the early descriptions of “exotic people” to postmodern theorizing about the body in contemporary society, a subject that theorists such as Michel Foucault and Claude Levi-Strauss have thoroughly elaborated on. I believe such research is relevant to my own inquiries, and plan on keeping the subjects of both the body and identity in the scope. In fact, it is my theory that the profusion of tattooing, especially before the institution of blogging, is the original myspace. The body, the skin, is a space that is proprietary of the person on the one hand, and the utilization of the skin as a “forum” of visual self-expression, on the other.
 

The tattoo industry takes many forms all over the world. It has an extensive diverse history rich in cultural traditions. All nations have their own stylistic background and body art history. It is my goal to utilize this space, to express these histories culturally, practically, and aesthetically. Furthermore, drawing from the traditional structural-functional discourses of ritual, I propose the practice of tattoo to be a form of rite of passage. From this analytic standpoint of tattoo, along with the historical tradition of the art, the custom can be deconstructed into its proverbial ritualistic stages. I desire to elucidate how a person goes into a tattoo shop and leaves transformed.
 

Likely areas of discussion include transcription, (trans)culturation and (trans)formation of the body. Future themes will include symbolism, mysticism and world view. Also, the existing contemporary literature on tattoo such as Victoria Pitts, Nikki Sullivan and Arnold Rubin will be analyzed and used to initiate further dialogue. As a Visual Anthropologist, I will be conducting participant observation and interviews and providing ethnographic data (written and visually documented) for those with curiosity towards the subject in and of tattooing as well as my academic field. I am hoping to include narratives of both tattoo artists and tattoo recipients to express the subjectivity of the institution, provide pictures of tattooings, as well as discuss where tattoo fits into postmodern cultural theory. The experience I have already had in the specific world of tattooing has led me to see tattoos as, and here I quote myself, “public communications of private narratives”. There is no one reason to get a tattoo, so the question of why is subjective. However, “why” provides a splendid opportunity for fascinating discourse. The stuff that anthropological dreams are made of.