Category Events

Point 89: Camp APP Review

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Angel Horsley

Photos by April Thomas

Carl Kimberly takes a moment between activities and classes to reflect by the pond.

I had the pleasure of attending the 5th annual Camp APP this past year in Oregon. Usually, this event is held in Georgia, however, Bethrah Szumski decided to go above and beyond and organize this event entirely on the other side of the country! I honestly can’t thank her enough for facilitating what was one of the best experiences of my life.

Matthew Masterton, Ryan Tantay, (back, Aaron Solomon and Kelly Carvara), Jay Johnson, and Cale DiFrancesco

It was held at Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp right outside of Portland, Oregon, so it was a very easy and scenic drive for me. The weather was exactly what I hoped to get camping in Oregon humid, cold, and rainy. These conditions may not sound super ideal for some, but it was MORE than perfect for me. Any walk or hike that I was a part of was just gorgeous. Moss was everywhere, there was a waterfall not far, and I was in my element.

A group collaborates during a Needle Improvement techniques
workshop discussion led by Becky Dill

Where do I even start with this amazing experience? The beginning of the first day was intense for me; mainly because there was an opportunity to introduce yourself in front of everyone at Camp. I’ve always opted out of things like this, so this made it nerve-racking for me. That said, I did it and this paved the way for an incredible week actually making new friends and memories. My personal goal was to not hide in my room the entire time like I do at Conference and actually start being able to integrate myself into our giant piercing family.

Directional sign at Mt. Hood
Kiwanas Camp

All of the classes were so fun and constantly kept my attention with intriguing information. I’ll start with my favorite class, Charging Windmills and Slaying Sacred Cows with Jef Saunders. This class was impressive in its goal and execution. Cale DiFrancesco is an aesthetic genius and had a million tips and tricks on achieving your goal results for multiple piercing placements.

The workshops were well planned out and very fun to be a part of because of how hands-on they were. Rob Hill helped me get over being a little spooked by polishing wheels. Pablo Perelmuter showed us things about Statim cassettes that I went home and immediately applied to our cassette at our studio. I love improving/modifying needles, so it should go without saying that Becky Dill’s Needle Improvement workshop was my favorite. John Johnson, Cale DiFrancesco, and April Thomas’s workshop for Web Design, Content Sharing, and Email Newsletters definitely opened my mind to ways to appeal and be seen by my local community. We also had a team-building exercise where each group got on a huge seesaw and you’re supposed to stay balanced at all times while other people get on. My group was the only group that crawled onto it to make it work. I truly don’t understand how the other groups stood up the whole time.

Randy and the Crushers discuss team strategy as they prepare for the Piercing Ninja Warrior competition.

Monica Sabin is an absolute angel. They came up with the idea to put together the Piercing Ninja Warrior Relay Race. This race was so much fun and I’m not just saying that because I was on the winning team (Goldemorts 4 lyfe). It was very dead on with the tasks that we deal with on a day to day basis being piercers. I have awful social anxiety (bless everyone involved for their patience), anyone that knows me can tell you that. This race showed me that my peers are just people and I shouldn’t be so intimidated to make those connections with them and just be myself.

Monica Sabin prepares to see their idea for the Piercing Ninja Warrior competition come to life for the first time.

Each night ended with something very fun that involved everyone. The first night was bingo, the second night was a Campfire Talk APP session, and the third night was a raffle and closing ceremony. The Campfire session with John Johnson, Bethrah Szumski, and Paul King was such an eye-opening experience. I wish I could thank them more than I already have for sharing themselves with so many people. The closing ceremony was essentially a follow up on your introduction at the beginning of the week and if you got what you wanted out of Camp. A lot of people got way more out of camp than they intended and it was lovely hearing everyone’s experiences. There were so many feelings during the closing ceremony and I thank everyone that shared themselves.

Matt Bavougian rests after serving delicious home cooked food for all 70+ Campers

The last thing I want to express my gratitude for: the food. Everything that was made was delicious and incredibly accommodating to anyone with dietary restrictions. Seriously, I ate better this week than I have all year. After going back and forth on attending Camp, I’m so happy I did. I will see y’all every year I can because Camp is not something I’m willing to skip anymore. Thank you again to everyone involved in facilitating such a life-changing event.

Pablo Perelmuter explains Statim cassette maintenance to a small group during a workshop discussion

Point 89: Covid & APP Events

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APP CONFERENCE 2020 COVID-19 UPDATE

APRIL 30, 2020, 2:00PM PDT

25TH ANNUAL APP CONFERENCE (ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED JULY 5-10, 2020)

After a long and complicated process the APP has finally come to an agreement whereby we will not be penalized the $200,000+ for cancelling the 2020 Conference.

We have felt strongly that cancelling this year’s conference is the very best action for our association, our attendees, and for the industry, worldwide. Piercers, studio owners, jewelry/counter specialists, and manufacturers face numerous challenges from the impact of this health crisis. Not only is this in the interest of health and safety, but this will also allow all of us to focus on business and family at home and to make sure we are opening under safe protocols.

We will miss all of you and the positive energy we all get from our Annual Conference and Exposition. We appreciate that you have remained steadfast in face of uncertainty.

ATTENDEES
  • The APP has sent an email to those who have registered for the 2020 Conference. If you need a refund now, or did not receive the email we ask that you complete a very brief form to request a refund (in full or in part).
  • If you did not request a refund by May 15th we will roll over your payment to next year. Attendees who rollover their fees will need to register next year but will use a code to apply their credits at the time they register. If you rollover your registration fees, at any time between now and next year, May 1, 2021, you may request a full refund without penalty.
  • The annual Conference is the primary source of income for the Association. Should you be financially able to contribute any part of your fees towards this year’s APP operating expenses, we would greatly appreciate it. Please use the same form to designate your contribution amount.
VENDORS
  • The APP has sent an email to vendors who have registered for the 2020 Conference. If you need a refund we ask that you respond to the email and request the refund (in full or in part). If you didn’t receive the email, please contact the office at info@safepiercing.org
  • If you did not respond to this email by May 15th we will roll over your payment to nextyear. Vendors who rollover their fees will need to register next year but will use a code to apply their credits at the time they register. If you do a rollover, and at any time between now and next year, May 1st of 2021, decide you need a refund, the APP will honor that.
  • For those companies who contributed to the Al D. Scholarship fund we ask that if you are able, to leave those funds with the APP. The APP has informed the scholars that their scholarships will rollover to next year. These scholars will fill our slots—if all scholars are able to make it next year—we will not take on additional scholars for 2021.
  • The annual Conference is the primary source of income for the association. Should you be financially able to contribute a portion of your fees for this year to the APP, we would greatly appreciate it.

Regardless of your decision know that we are all a part of a really awesome community and we will get through this.

HOTEL ROOM BLOCK

Planet Hollywood will automatically cancel any room reservation booked in the Association’s room block, which will trigger the refund of any deposit/payment. It will usually take 7-10 business days before you see the credit in your account. You will get an email confirmation from Planet Hollywood.

2020 APP MEMBERS’ RETREAT/CAMP APP & IN-PERSON MEETINGS

In addition, we have cancelled the 2020 APP Members’ Retreat / Camp APP and all in-person APP gatherings including board meetings and committee workgroup meetings. For questions regarding Camp cancellation, please contact Marina at mpecorino@safepiercing.org.

Please stay healthy and financially well as the world moves forward through this crisis.

We look forward to seeing you June 6-11, 2021 at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas for Conference and the APP Members’ Retreat in 2021!

  THE NEXT SCHEDULED APP IN-PERSON EVENTS:                                           

2021

  • Annual Conference & Exposition
  • Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas — June 6 11.
  • APP Members’ Retreat
  • Atlanta, Georgia — Dates to be determined.

2022

  • Annual Conference & Exposition
  • Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas — June 12 17.
  • APP Members’ Retreat
  • Atlanta, Georgia — Dates to be determined.

2023

  • Annual Conference & Exposition
  • Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas — June 11 16.
  • APP Members’ Retreat
  • Atlanta, Georgia — Dates to be determined.

Point 89: The President’s Corner

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Cody Vaughn

 A lot has changed since I initially wrote this article. Originally I had written about how excited we should all be for our upcoming Conference, and how 2020 was going to be a great year for our piercing community. Little did I know…

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on everybody, and our piercing community is no exception. I understand and sympathize that we are all facing incredible challenges, and the closure of our businesses has been a massive blow to us all.

The Board immediately began working on appropriate responses to the pandemic and how it affects our community. We issued our statement early in March recommending we all discontinue piercing services due to the high risk it could present to our staff and clients, prior to most states issuing mandatory closures. It  was a necessary recommendation, but the economic impact of closures did make it a tough pill to swallow. Each response we have issued regarding COVID-19 has required multiple updates because of how quickly information has been changing, on a near daily basis.

A big question from our community has been whether or not our Conference would still happen this year. The health and safety of our conference attendees, volunteers, speakers and vendors has been our top priority while looking at Conference. The Board put in a lot of work creating protocols and plans for how a scaled back Conference could look given the current situation, and every avenue was investigated as to how we could safely make it happen. Initially there were no Federal guidelines for us to follow and everybody was in a bit of a holding pattern. Information continues to become available about COVID-19; the White House and CDC have begun making suggestions for each state outlining phases to determine when businesses can safely start to reopen. These developments made it clear to the Board that with the current state of affairs our 2020 Conference should not happen.

Prematurely canceling our Conference wasn’t a simple option. Contract negotiations are a sensitive and complicated process and the fiscal impact we could have created by prematurely canceling would have been a heavy financial burden for our organization; a $200,000+ penalty in addition to losing our biggest source of annual revenue.

On a national level, nobody knew how long these forced closure measures would last. A couple of weeks? A month? Our host hotel was initially only willing to discuss options when we were thirty days out from our Conference. But thanks to our Board Members’ decisiveness, and a lot of scheduled meetings, we successfully came to a favorable negotiation earlier than that with our host hotel, which allowed us to cancel our 2020 Conference AND avoid penalties.

We thank you all for your patience and trust while we’ve worked on this. From the outside I can understand how people would think, “You should just cancel it,” and my goodness how we all had hoped it could have been that quick and simple! As Board Members we have a responsibility to be stewards of the organization, and to look out for its well being. That includes upholding our mission statement of health and safety, and looking out for the financial health of the organization.

I am incredibly proud of all of the tireless work our Board Members, Officers, APP staff and volunteers have been putting in to best address all these issues. Like everybody else, we all have our own family, financial responsibilities, and work/studios to worry about. Even with all that, everybody has truly risen to this challenge and continues to do so.

It isn’t to say we are anywhere close to being out of the woods yet, as there is still a lot of work to be done and planning ahead. How this pandemic will affect our community long-term is not yet known. But I know the APP’s Board, employees, and volunteers will all continue to do the absolute best job we possibly can. I implore all of us in the piercing community to be kind and encouraging to each other in these difficult days ahead. We are a large extended family and now is the time for us to come together and show our support for one another.

I hope all of you reading this stay healthy, stay safe, and hang in there. It will be especially sweet when we are all able to safely meet each other again, and come together with our shared passion for safe piercing.

Point 88: Upcoming Educational Conferences

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Outreach Committee

Upcoming Educational Conferences

The 5th Annual APP Members’ Retreat

Portland, Oregon: October 1–5, 2019

With the theme of ALIENS, the five year anniversary of Camp APP will be taking place at Mount Hood in the Pacific Northwest! Spaces are limited so register soon. Learn more about this amazing retreat on Facebook or by using the Member Login at safepiercing.org.

The 4th Annual UKAPP Conference

Manchester, United Kingdom: October 6–8, 2019

Join piercers from the UK and surrounding countries for another astounding educational conference at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel and Convention Center. Find out more information on Facebook or visit ukapp.org.uk.

Point 88: LBP 2019 Review

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by Luis Garcia

Photos by Autumn Swisher

I had the pleasure to attend the 6th Congreso Internacional de Perforadores Profesionales, and as  usual the Latinoamérica Body Piercing A.C. did not disappoint. Usually held  in fall during Dia de los Muertos, 2019 brought a change with it being held in the first week of April. Many attendees and instructors welcomed this, as the warmer weather made for more recreation time by the pool. The conference was held in Taxco, Mexico for the second year in a row. Taxco is a small mining town known for silver mining and silver jewelry.

The journey to the conference starts in Mexico City. Attendees and instructors met at LBP Board Member Axayacatl Nochipa’s studio, Ónix MX Estudio Tatuaje Piercing, for registration and to wait for the four large buses that would take us all down to Taxco for LBP. Many would dread a several hour bus ride, but the ride is always a lot of fun as everyone is excited for the conference and in great spirits. Before we knew it two hours had gone by and we were at the host venue. We had a few hours to settle down and have some lunch. Then there were classes before the opening party; a relaxed dinner by the pool with traditional local performers and dancers.

Now, let’s get to the best part of the conference: the classes and instructors! This year the instructors consisted of Sergi Tinaut, Didier Suarez, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Mauricio Torres, Aldo Gissi, Alicia Cardenas, Autumn Swisher, Paul King, Elayne Angel, Danny Yerna, Erika Gomez, Jef Saunders, Roberto Briseno, and yours truly. I got the chance to check out most of the classes taught by these instructors (except for the ones that were going on while I was teaching), and as usual all were stupendous. A personal stand out for me was Mauricio and Aldo’s class How to Elevate Your Studio to its Maximum Potential. They did some interesting things to make studio owners consider how they deal with their employees, and employees consider how they deal with their managers and bosses. Their approach created a great dialogue between the two groups. Another stand out for me was Paul King’s XXX History of Piercing in Porn, which isn’t shocking, as Paul’s classes tend to be very informative and entertaining.

Let’s not forget about the coveted jewelry expo, held in a lovely old church building. This year had more vendors than ever, featuring Namaste Adornments, Xamacalli, Gold Piercing, Tsar Jewelry, GL Pyrex Jewelry, Biometal, Industrial Strength Mexico, Diamonds MX, Kraken Jewelry, Ukuri Jewelry, Inari Organics, Quetzalli Jewelry, Gorilla Glass, Kiwi Jewelry, Sacred Symbols, Maya Jewelry, and Auris Jewelry. The expo hall was often packed between classes (and a little during classes), with everyone trying to maximize their time for buying all the gorgeous jewelry.

Mid week, the organizers set up a caminata (translation: walk or hike) through town to the center of Taxco and back. Guided by locals with donkeys carrying beverages, and local musicians, we walked through the small streets taking in the local architecture and artwork until we reached the zócalo (or “main square”), where we milled about the lively area and mingled with the locals. It made for an amazing evening.

As the conference came to an end, the Gala provided an interesting way to close out the event. After  dinner we were treated to a very powerful performance from Grupo de Danza Ozomahtli and Alfredo Martinez. The performance was a fusion of traditional Mexica (Aztec) and traditional Japanese butoh dance. They took us on a journey of all the animal energies of the Aztec calendar using slow rhythmic dancing that paid homage to Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain.

The LBP always puts on a great conference for the Latin American piercing  community,  and  I  look  forward to hopefully being invited again to participate in the future. If you are a Spanish speaker, I highly encourage you to go and take part in this amazing experience.

Point 88: APPE (Asociacion Profesional de Perforadores Espanoles)

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by Luis Garcia

Photos by Ruben Mac-Lean and Kent Tonning

APPE Attendees

The APPE (Asociación Profesional de Perforadores Españoles) is a newer organization— about 4 years old—and I’ve been lucky to have been invited to teach at their conference for the last two years. Held an hour outside of Madrid at a camping style resort with cabins, it’s a relaxed and laid back event. Attendees meet in Madrid and then board buses for the hour-long drive to the resort. The conference organizers and instructors are taken a day early to the venue, so we can get everything ready for the attendees to arrive. I enjoy this time, helping the APPE Board, and watching how they’ve evolved and improved everything over the last year.

The next day around noon, the attendees arrived at the venue, got assigned to their cabins, and had a few hours to get settled before the welcome meal. APPE doesn’t mess around and had four classes scheduled for the first afternoon and evening of the conference.

Checking out the
jewelry selection

Being a newer, smaller conference, there were only a few of us as instructors, with most of us teaching two classes. This year they had Anskar Caballero teaching Piercing History of Spain and Empathy and Laughter, and it’s Application in Piercing, Lani Soleil teaching Piercing Kids’ Earlobes, Eugenia Delphine teaching Optimizing Buying, Selling, and Displaying Jewelry, Laura Vikt teaching Nipple Piercing and Sterilization, Ruben Lew teaching Mystical Daiths and Photography and Portfolio, and lastly I taught Honing in on High Nostrils and Industrials: Keeping it Simple. The classes were all great, and it made me happy to see newer instructors like Lani and Eugenia kill it with their first classes.

Lani Soleil, Luis Garcia, Jesus “Sala” Cabanas, Laura Vikit, Anskar Caballero, Gladix Porca Miseria, & Ruben Lew

The time between classes was designated to use in the Expo for jewelry buying. Expo vendors included Quetzalli Jewelry, Sacred Symbols, Millennium Body Jewelry, Kraken Body Jewellery, Maya Jewelry, Industrial Strength Europe, Auris Jewellery, NeoMetal, Tsar Jewellery, Neilmed Piercing Aftercare, and Inari Organics. The Expo and the classes were in the same area and separated by a curtain, so this worked well to keep people focused on classes when needed, and gave vendors some breaks in between rushes.

Luis giving a presentation

On the evening of the second day they had their gala dinner at the resort’s restaurant and then the closing party, featuring sideshow entertainment from Håvve Fjell, Princess Tweedle Needle, and then a dance party with Norwegian DJ, MDR. Spirits were high, and the dancing went on well into the early hours of the morning.

Havve Fjell performance being captured by an attendee

The APPE Conference this year was a great experience, and I hope to be invited back for next year, so I can continue to see the organization grow and evolve. Many thanks to Jesus “Sala” Cabanas, Gladix Porca Miseria, and Jose Carlos Calvo (who are the three sole Board Members for the APPE), and all the instructors, attendees, and vendors that helped make this conference so great!

Point 88: The Remembrance Altar

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by Alicia Cardenas

Photos by Marina Pecorino

As the professional community grows in so many ways, we also have experienced some profound losses including industry pioneers, longtime vendors, and close supporters of the APP. This year at Conference and for the coming years, we will have a community remembrance space that is open to all to participate in. It is an ongoing movement to learn our past as we spring into the future. Each and everyone of us has also experienced loss and some of that loss makes us who we are. This is also the space to honor those people as well.


Point 88: The Golden Ticket Raffle

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Thanks so much to the above Conference Sponsors that contributed generously to the Golden Ticket Raffle and allowed the program to be a success.

  • Adeline Roz
  • Auris Jewellery Saint Petersburg
  • Body Gems
  • Buddha Jewelry Organics
  • Danila Tarcinale
  • Designs by Helen Andrews
  • Diablo Organics
  • Gold Heart Woodworks
  • Gorilla Glass
  • Grand Standard Displays
  • H2Ocean
  • Industrial Strength Body Jewelry
  • Jewelry This Way
  • LeRoi Inc
  • Maya Jewelry
  • Namaste Adornments
  • Netherworld Body Piercing Jewelry
  • Obscureye Designs
  • Oracle Body Jewelry
  • Origins Handmade
  • Onetribe
  • Precision One Jewelry
  • Pupil Hall
  • Quetzalli Jewelry
  • Sacred Symbols Jewelry
  • Scylla Fine Jewelry
  • Seasons Handmade Jewelry
  • Sleeping Goddess Jewelry
  • Steri-Wash
  • Steve Haworth Modified LLC
  • Tawapa
  • Tether Jewelry
  • Tsar Jewelry
  • Uzu Organics

Golden Tickets were provided (at no additional cost) to the first 500 eligible attendees who registered
for a full or partial Conference pass.
There were 50 unique winners, who received a $50 or $500 gift certificate from one of our Sponsors.
That’s a 1 in 10 chance of winning, just for registering early

Point 88: Technical Innovator Award

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Gorilla Glass “Cells” Collection

Interview by Kristina Outland

There is beauty in the complexities of nature. Gorilla Glass has done an incredible job capturing those complexities in their limited edition 2019 collection entitled “Cells”, winner of this year’s Technical Innovator Award.With this design, Gorilla Glass celebrates the building blocks of life; the creation of their jewelry is even environmentally friendly.

“The process used to make this collection involves up-cycling our waste glass to create a high quality, limited edition jewelry line. Reducing our impact on the environment is a major concern for Gorilla Glass, and the new techniques that we are developing are showcased in the ‘Cells’ collection. The ‘Cells’ line is a way to acknowledge and celebrate life on the most basic level,” Jason Pfohl, owner of Gorilla Glass, remarked.

Jason went into an in-depth description of the creation process, and it is incredibly fascinating. “The concept always comes first. In this scenario I wanted the technical innovations that we are developing at Gorilla Glass to be reflected in the design and theme of the collection as well, so the design is married to the up-cycling process. The ‘Cells’ collection is a contemporary version of a very ancient technique that the Venetians perfected, called murrini. The core elements of these pieces are made through a pattern bar technique, where stacks of different strips of colored glass are grouped together somewhat randomly and fused into blocks in a specialized fusing oven. You never see or touch the glass after it is shut in the oven. The result depends on the viscosity of each color, and how gravity manipulates the stacks. Afterwards, the pattern bars are picked up on a steel rod (punti) and dipped in a crucible full of molten recycled glass, creating an even layer of color around the bar. Using gravity, the encapsulated pattern bar is stretched into a long rod using heat as well. Later, the rod is cut into sections and reassembled in a mosaic pattern. The mosaic design is fused again and then cut up, ground, carved, and polished into the final forms. It is a very labor intensive process.”

The process of up-cycling even helped determine the color scheme for this beautiful line.

 The designs include understated off-white tones, with an intense black for contrast. Jason mentioned the hidden transparent blue pictured, can only be seen when the pieces are backlit.

“I enjoy when the colors shift and are revealed, creating a surprise discovery for the viewer. The colors were also chosen from stockpiles of waste glass.”

Twelve different specialized artisans have their hand in this process, and usually work in teams. Jason is personally involved in the hot working of all the murrini up-cycling designs. He mentioned he definitely enjoys being a part of the production process.

“I remember in high school looking at slides through the microscope.  There  was  an amazing feeling of discovery looking at these incredibly beautiful alien and hidden worlds surrounding us and inside us. Cells are the building blocks of life, creating the basic structure, functional, and biological units of all known life. The word ‘cells’ come the the Latin ‘cella’ meaning ‘small room’. Every element in the ‘Cells’ designs are encapsulated in one or two layers of up-cycled glass, creating random geometrical designs in the finished jewelry. I do not try to control the designs, but allow the glass to find its own patterns. The artwork of the German zoologist Ernst Haeckel was also an inspiration for this collection. Haeckel documented thousands of new species as a marine biologist, including many microscopic organisms. His book Art Forms in Nature, has been a big influence for me over the years. What I love about the cells theme is that on the microscopic level everything becomes disembodied and abstract.”

In summary, much time, consideration, curation, and research has gone into this line, making this an award-winning experience jewelry fanatics can wear and enjoy.

“I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of my team at GG. I would also like to thank all our great customers and the body modification community at-large, for their long and ongoing support that made this innovation possible. Thank you!”