Category News

Point 88: The Remembrance Altar

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: BPA: Fakir Musafar, In Pursuit of the Spirit

From Inside the Archive: by Devin Ruiz-Altamura

I wasn’t prepared for the magic I felt when entering the completed exhibit room for the first time. I had probably handled each object in that room more than a dozen times over the past nine months, and written down their item numbers or descriptions just as many times. It didn’t make this collection any less powerful for me. I hope everyone else who got a chance to see the exhibit found it as moving as I did. This year’s  Body Piercing Archive exhibit, “Fakir Musafar: In Pursuit of the Spirit,” was our most ambitious to date. It was also the most comprehensive exhibit that has ever been seen on Fakir Musafar’s life and legacy. Featured were over 2,000 square feet of original images, digital media, and fabricated items, many of which had not been collected or displayed together under one roof since their creation. Visitors were led through the exhibit by a diverse crew of docents, all who had unique and personal experiences with Fakir himself and the Fakir Intensives School.

Fakir memorial altar, photo by John Balk

The exhibit opened with a timeline of the life of Roland Loomis, also known as Fakir Musafar. The timeline acted as a guide through the room and the objects. Next, a series of banners displaying all of the various personas that Fakir inhabited: Roland Loomis, Yogi Ankora, Fakiki, The Perfect Gentleman, Ibitoe, Golden Apollo, etc. Some of the first items displayed were examples of early corseting inspiration, and original National Geographic issues that planted seeds in a young Roland’s mind. It was extremely gratifying to see what parts of Fakir’s history were a surprise to the various docents and speakers. These little surprises really showed the amount of dedication that Paul King and Becky Dill put into their research, and the generosity that Cléo Dubios showed us in sharing some never before seen photos and artifacts. From there was a chance to see many of the various handmade masks, devices, jewelry, and tools that Fakir designed and fabricated for his own use in photoshoots and personal play.

Part of the Exhibit, photo by Devin Ruiz-Altamura

The transitional space between the first and second half of the exhibit held some of the work that served as an introduction to Fakir for many people, myself included. The film Dances Sacred and Profane could be viewed here alongside a performance Fakir did with Cléo Dubois, his wife and partner.

Photo by Paul King

Standing amongst the tour group for Paul King’s first guided tour of the exhibit, seeing Fakir on screen taking Kavadi, was another truly surreal moment for me. I remembered  being 12 or 13 watching that clip for the first time and thinking this was exactly what interested me the most. All these years later with half a decade of counter work at Cold Steel under my belt and a relatively new position with the Body Piercing Archive, I couldn’t help but be so thankful for Fakir’s unexpected influence on my life.

Photo by Paul King

The second half of the exhibit highlight ed Body Play Magazine and the Fakir Intensives School. Printed media, photography, and graphic design were all large parts of Fakir’s life; Body Play Magazine was the culmination of all of these passions and interests. Original working layouts of the magazine could be seen alongside their completed counterparts and final editions.

Photo by Paul King

The Fakir Intensives School was many people’s first hand experience with Fakir, and the foundation of so many memories. It was great photos or even be able to see themselves evolve over the many years they had attended or been an instructor. I love knowing that Fakir got to spend the second half of his life immersed in the community he desperately searched for in his early years. He got to witness first hand the impact he had on our industry, and on so many people’s lives—not something many get to experience in their lifetime.

Photo by Paul King

The backdrop for this more recent history was a grand display of the most iconic hand fabricated objects and sculpture associated with Fakir. The Bed of Blades and Bed of Nails from his first public performance at the 1977 international tattoo convention in Reno, Nevada, the Sword Swing and wooden and aluminum “encumberments” seen in various photoshoots, the horizontal suspension rig used for countless people’s spiritual flights, the Witches Cradle seen in Body Play Magazine, and the Kavadi featured on the poster for Dances Sacred and Profane. The sheer amount of work and devotion Fakir put into his spiritual endeavors and “body play” was inspiring.

Photo by Paul King

The culmination of the exhibit was a small curtained room that, once entered, dazzled the viewer with a bright display of red and gold. Before this room had even been filled, the impact of the change of color and tone brought those of us there to tears. The alter that was set up within was lovingly curated by Grin, a Fakir Intensives instructor and close friend of Fakir and Cléo. Flowers, candles, and sentimental objects were all present and served as a beautiful tribute to a person whose vast career and extraordinary life could hardly be contained within any exhibit walls.

The Body Piercing Archive would like to thank all docents, speakers, and volunteers that gave their energy, love, and time.

Special Thanks to: Cléo Dubois, Jim Ward, Annie Sprinkle, Veronica Vera, Ken Coyote, Paul King, Becky Dill, Ian Bishop, Allen Falkner, Dustin Allor, Cody Vaughn, Betty Ann Peed, Jef Saunders, Cynthia Wright, Yossi Silverman, Grin, Paul Fox, Jamie Biggers, Matte Erikson, John Balk, Theo Williams, Jenna Dittrich, Rafael Diaz, Pablo Perelmuter, Danny Greenwood

Point 88: From the Editor

by Marina Pecorino, The Point Editor

Conference this year featured several sessions on the topic of representation and accessibility. I attended a fantastic discussion from Vanessa Delgado of Eastern Washington University on the topic of Cultural Competence and Inclusion, where the distinction between equality and equity was discussed. I was also allowed to share space with some of my POC colleagues during the POC: The Power of Color and Representation roundtable. I came home more aware than ever of the importance in using our individual platforms to help elevate those around us. Since returning from Conference, I have had more industry professionals than usual reaching out with an interest in volunteering or submitting articles. I love this!

Bring it on.

APP membership is not a requirement for submissions to this publication, although we do encourage Members to submit. We welcome writing, images, and video submissions to editor@safepiercing.org.

Is industry related writing, photography, drawing, and/or videography not your forte, but you’d like to help the organization and industry flourish? Or are you frustrated with an aspect of the organization that you’d like to see change? Maybe you just have an incredibly keen eye for details, fantastic organizational skills, or are particularly tech savvy. If so, I strongly encourage you to email volunteer@safepiercing.org. Julie Taylor has a survey to help identify your areas of skill and interest, enabling the organization to pair you with an appropriate APP Committee or project. There are dozens of people working behind the scenes for the Association of Professional Piercers all the time, sometimes from across the globe. Join us and our companion organizations like, LBP1, UKAPP2, RuAPP3, APPE4, and the brand new AUPP5. You can read about some of their international conferences and contributions later in this issue.

Representation is imperative in all its forms to ensure the diversity and well being of our community. Get involved. Be seen and heard. Add your perspective to our shared history.

1https://www.lbpiercing.com/

2https://www.ukapp.org.uk/

3http://ruapp.pro/

4https://www.appepiercing.org/

5http://safepiercing.org.au/

Point 87: Fakir Musafar — In Pursuit of the Spirit

On August 1, 2018, the piercing community grieved the passing of one of its greatest piercing pioneers, Roland Loomis aka Fakir Musafar. Just nine days shy of his 88th birthday, vibrant, and productive until very near the end, it is difficult to wrap one’s head around the breadth of his cultural contributions!

In honor and celebration of Fakir Musafar’s life, the Body Piercing Archive (BPA) will present, Fakir Musafar: In Pursuit of the Spirit. This will be the most  comprehensive  exhibit  that  has ever been seen on Fakir’s art and legacy.  Over 2,000 square feet will be staged with his original iconic images and  fabricated  sculptures made famous over eight decades of accumulated artwork and Body Play. Many items have never been on public display.  The  show will run from Monday May 13 through Thursday May 17, 2019, at Planet Hollywood, in Las Vegas, from 10 am to 6 pm.

Specially selected docents were chosen to lead tours. Each guide has known Fakir for decades and in different contexts. We encourage you to attend as many of the tours as you can for new information and differing perspectives. Docents bring the material to life, so don’t miss out!

The highlights of the BPA program occurs on Wednesday, May 16. The day’s program begins at 10 am with the world premiere presentation by Jim Ward, Fakir & Me, a one and a half hour lecture that gives an overview to their historically important, yet complex, personal relationship. Then at 12:30 pm, the legendary Annie Sprinkle will give her inaugural APP presentation, Take a Walk on the Wild Side, in which Annie discusses the impact their meeting had on both of their personal lives and careers. The day wraps up with Fakir Musafar: an Evening of Remembrance and Celebration, with presentations by Ken Coyote and Dustin Allor of the Fakir Intensives, Allen Falkner, and the keynote speaker, Fakir’s life partner for more than 30 years, Cleo Dubois. The evening program runs from 6 pm to 8:30 pm and is open to all.

Exhibit Hours:

  • Monday 10 am–6 pm
  • Tuesday 10 am–6 pm
  • Wednesday 10 am–6 pm
  • Thursday 10 am–6 pm

“To not have encumberments, to not have
holes in your body, to not have tattoos may be
debilitating—this is something people have to
consider…being comfortable isn’t necessarily
living a “good” life—that’s the myth, but
it’s not true. Living an uncomfortable life is
sometimes far more satisfactory that a placid,
bovine existence…People may be missing
beautiful, rich experiences because of cultural
biases and conceit.”
—V. Vale and Andrea Juno,
Modern Primitives, 1989, 15.

Monday Docent Tours:
Paul King 11:30 am–12:30 pm
Ian Bishop 1 pm–2 pm
Allen Falkner 2:30 pm–3:30 pm
Dustin Allor 4 pm–5 pm

Adolescent Roland — his birth name — with neck ropes and stenciled on tattoos
Standing on a bed of red cutlass blades, 1963
Dressed with posture collar, stretched nipples, and tight belt.

Tuesday Docent Tours:
Cody Vaughn 10 am–11 am
Paul King 11:30 am–12:30 pm
Ian Bishop 1 pm–2 pm
Betty Ann Peed 2:30 pm–3:30 pm
Jef Saunders 4 pm–5 pm

“Body Play is a process that courts unusual feelings and states of consciousness which,
in the end, result in elevated consciousness (we know something we didn’t know before).
In practice, Body Play is aimed at increasing ‘body awareness.’ That is to make one
increasingly aware of one or more distinct body parts. You pierce an ear, you are aware that
it exists. You constrict the torso with a tight corset and you are constantly aware that it
exists. When the new ‘body state’ feels ‘natural’, the effect is heightened to again bring
back the desired state of ‘body awareness’ (the ear piercing is stretched larger, the corset
tightened). Finally, no matter how extreme you apply the ‘change of state’ that change
feels natural and you are empowered.”—Fakir Musafar, Body Play, v. 1 no. 1, 1992.

Fakir experimenting with breast clamp O-Kee-Pa
Fakir lies on a bed of nails while Sailor Sid hammers a wooden block on his back as a part of the entertainment at the Reno ITTA tattoo convention in 1977 photo by Doug Malloy

Wednesday Docent Tours:
Cynthia Wright 10 am–11 am
Ken Coyote 11:30 am–12:30 pm
Yossi Silverman 1 pm–2 pm
Grin 2:30 pm–3:30 pm
Annie Sprinkle 4 pm–5 pm
An Evening of Remembrance & Celebration
6 pm–8:30 pm with Ken Coyote, Dustin Allor,
Allen Falkner, and keynote speaker, Cleo
Dubois presenting Fakir, the Bigger Picture.

An illustration Fakir created for the fetish magazine Bizarre
Fakir stretching his nipples

Thursday Docent Tours:
Grin 10 am–11 am
Paul King 11:30 am–12:30 pm
Allen Falkner 1 pm–2 pm
Cynthia Wright 2:30 pm–3:30 pm
Ken Coyote 4 pm–5 pm

Fakir and his wife Cleo on a Princess Cruise in 2014

Point 87: 2019 APP Conference Certificate Changes

by Marina Pecorino

In the past, Conference Certificates have been mailed after the event. To alleviate some of the complications and delays of this system, attendance recognition has been updated to better serve our staff and attendees.

Attendees will receive Recognition of Attendance—redesigned, but still with that fancy gold seal!

•Register before April 28: Visit the table near Registration to pick yours up ONSITE!

•Register after April 28: Yours will be mailed shortly after Conference to the address used when registering.

After Conference, attendees who received credit for at least one class can access and print a personalized Official Transcript with session titles. A link to this digital document will be sent via email, so remember to opt in for email notifications! The link will be valid until May 1, 2020; after which, attendees can contact the Office for a digital copy of their transcript.

A Recognition of Attendance and Transcripts will be printed with the First and Last Names exactly as entered during registration. Name changes/reprints can be requested after Conference by emailing mpecorino@safepiercing. org; a $5 processing fee will apply for each physical document.

Point 87: Membership Committee Update

by Monica Sabin, Membership Coordinator, APP Membership Committee, Incoming Board Member

Left to right: Coyote Black, Jef Saunders, Pablo Perelmuter,
Barron, Monica Sabin, Aaron Pollack, Johnny Velez, Cody
Vaughn, photo by Shanna Hutchins

Ohhai! The Membership Committee continues to work almost year round to process applications in a timely, yet thorough manner. We also work with aspiring Members to help with the transition to meeting and exceeding current membership requirements.

We have an amazing team of dedicated volunteers. The team has grown over the last year and now includes Jef Saunders, Cody Vaughn, Johnny Velez, Pablo Perelmuter, W. Barron, Sabrina Egan, Vivi Madero, Aaron Pollack, Coyote Black and myself, Monica Sabin. The committee also has the pleasure of working closely with our Membership Administrator, Marina Pecorino.

Many Members have noticed the addition of the Members’ Area to the safepiercing website, allowing individual Members to have more personalized control over their professional documents, communications, membership updates, and access to Members’ only items. Make sure to sign in and check it out, if you haven’t yet!

Applicants are now able to apply through safepiercing.org as well! The process has progressed from mailing packages to the APP office containing paper applications and VHS tapes, then to email threads and Google documents, and now, utilizing our very own website! Our application process has seen some updates over the years and as always the Membership Committee is here to help everyone through this exciting transition.

The committee is still accepting applications, but processing of applications is currently on hold as we all prepare for the APP’s annual Conference & Exposition. The committee will be reconvening starting in June 2019 and will begin to work through the queue of new applications!

We all look forward to this year’s APP Conference, where the committee members will be available to answer any membership questions! Also, any Members that would like to get involved with the organization, membership or otherwise, email Julie Taylor at: volunteer@safepiercing.org.

My email is msabin@safepiercing.org

Thank you and see y’all in Vegas!

Point 86: 2019 Exhibit Planet Hollywood — Fakir Musafar

In honor and celebration of the life of Fakir Musafar, the Body Piercing Archive will present the most comprehensive exhibit that’s ever been seen on Fakir’s art and legacy.

Over 2000 square feet staged with his original iconic images and fabricated sculptures made famous over eight decades of accumulated artwork and Body Play.

Exhibited as well will be many items that have never been on public display.

This will be the largest and most ambitious BPA exhibit to date, so come learn, remember, and celebrate!

Register to take your tour today!!

Exhibit Hours:

  • Monday 10 am–6 pm
  • Tuesday 10 am–6 pm
  • Wednesday 10 am–6 pm
  • Thursday 10 am–6 pm

Docent Tours:

MONDAY

  • Paul King 11:30 am–12:30 pm
  • Ian Bishop 1 pm–2 pm
  • Allen Falkner 2:30 pm–3:30 pm
  • Dustin Allor 4 pm–5 pm

TUESDAY

  • Cody Vaughn 10 am–11 am
  • Paul King 11:30 am–12:30 pm
  • Ian Bishop 1 pm–2 pm
  • Betty Ann Peed 2:30 pm–3:30 pm
  • Jef Saunders 4 pm–5 pm

WEDNESDAY

  • Cynthia Wright 10 am–11 am
  • Ken Coyote 11:30 am–12:30 pm
  • Yossi Silverman 1 pm–2 pm
  • Grin 2:30 pm–3:30 pm
  • Annie Sprinkle 4 pm–5 pm

THURSDAY

  • Grin 10 am–11 am
  • Paul King 11:30 am–12:30 pm
  • Allen Falkner 1 pm–2 pm
  • Cynthia Wright 2:30 pm–3:30 pm
  • Ken Coyote 4 pm–5 pm

Point 86: Office Update – Meet Our New Board Members

Cale Belford

In addition to being an educator at the annual Conference and annual Members’ Only Retreat, I put in a lot of my free time volunteering for the Association. I’ve been the head of the Social Media Committee for over three years, and am part of the Outreach Committee and the Al D. Scholarship Committee. Two years ago, I took over the Mentor Program and have worked diligently to expand and strengthen the program to better reach first time Conference attendees and piercers of all levels. I also do various other tasks for the Association, have written articles for The Point and have been featured in many educational podcasts. I excel at multitasking, am highly organized, and I especially enjoy working with new Conference attendees. It’s time for me to move forward, and am excited that my next step is to join the Board of Directors!

Becky Dill

After nearly ten years as an APP Member, I am thrilled to be at a point in my career where I know I am ready to serve on the APP’s Board of Directors. While it is an honor to be nominated, I understand that the   position   on the Board is not about status, it’s about hard work.

Deciding to finally run was not a decision I made on my own. I am very fortunate to have a team of people supporting me. What that means for the organization is that I have the stability in my personal life and career to work hard for our organization. I have the ability to commit to a dozen hours a week of additional work, to jump on a plane, or rush to the phone because there are people I work with and live with that also believe in the APP’s mission.

Willingness to work is only half the equation. Below are some of my relevant qualifications.

My APP experience:

  • Member since 2009
  • Attended Conference since 2006 (I’ve missed only one)
  • Speaker at Conference since 2013, and have earned the title of Senior Instructor
  • Volunteered at Conference
  • Attended all four years of Camp APP, and have led workshops since 2016
  • I am a founding committee member of the Body Piercing Archive. While preserving, learning, and presenting our history, my duties and skill sets include program planning and goal setting, management of volunteers, proficiency in Excel, Photoshop, Illustrator, Powerpoint, and also in Google Suite (Google Suite is the APP’s preferred management software.)

My Bay Area Piercers’ Group experience:

I’ve been a body piercer for fifteen years, and I come from humble beginnings. My thirst for knowledge and community has always been strong. In 2009, I founded the Bay Area Piercers’ Group. This group has brought the local piercers in our area together so that we may learn and inspire each other without ego or competition getting in the way. The formation of this group also inspired other communities to get together; now you can find piercer groups across the U.S. and other parts of the world.

My Fakir Intensives experience:

I have also been serving the industry as an Instructor for the Fakir’s Body Piercing and Branding Intensives in San Francisco.

When I found out about my nomination, I spoke with some of our current Board of Directors as well as sent an email to the Oversight Committee. My initial concern was that there may be a conflict of interest because of my nine year working relationship with APP Treasurer, Paul King. Thankfully I have been given a green light to proceed. I will also recuse myself from participation in decisions that involve the Treasurer.

Working on the Board will be no easy task. I think it’s important to have stability and a strong work ethic. These jobs are done best by leaders in our community. I want to be a Board Member, not because of the impact it will have on my career, but because I want to work hard for an organization that changed my life and created the person I am today.

Monica Sabin

I currently serve as the Membership Coordinator for the Association, and am honored to have been elected to a seat on the Board of Directors. I hope to further my long-running involvement and contributions to the APP. I have to say, this has been a dream of mine since the beginning of my career.

Some of you may have seen me working a booth or door at Conference over the years, seen my name answering posts on the APP Non-Members and APP Members Only forum on social media, as well as my email responding to questions pertaining to membership. Almost 8 years of my piercing career has been spent volunteering my time to the APP.

I have been a:

  • Professional piercer since 2010
  • Proud recipient of an Al D. Scholarship, allowing me to attend Conference and start volunteering for the APP in 2012
  • Business Member of the APP since 2014
  • Member of the Membership Committee since 2015
  • Membership Coordinator since 2017
  • Volunteer to represent the APP at ACHA & NEHA Conferences in 2015
  • Conference volunteer from 2012 to 2017
  • Mentor to first time attendees at Conference multiple times
  • Speaker at Conference 2017, 2018, and will be again in 2019

 As the Membership Coordinator, I help to run the Membership Committee, alongside the Board Member assigned to the Membership Liaison position, which has been Jef Saunders followed by Cody Vaughn.

My current position was created a couple of years ago in response to the exponential growth in membership (around 300 Members in 2014, to around 700 Members in 2017) and increasing number of piercers aspiring to become Members. Heading our hard working committee has become such a large task that it requires the attention and dedication of more than just one person, and that is amazing!

My current workload involves processing applications, answering all emails and communications directed to the Membership Committee, as well as managing membership documents received during the application process. I’ve also headed and assisted with many projects with the committee.

I believe that I have been an integral part of the growth of our organization. I stepped into the Membership Committee during a time where there was tremendous growth, but a need for direction, organization, and improved communication. These are my strong suites and led to me rapidly taking on more responsibility. I believe that through this position I have gained insight and experience into the inner workings of the organization and the workload required of a Board Member. I am ready for this commitment.

I have helped bring on new Membership Committee volunteers that have a strong drive to help, as well as positively shape the organization. I have helped many Members through their applications. We recently launched MemberLeap and an application system that offers a more streamlined process of applying for and maintaining membership records. The future and vitality of the organization is dependent on new energy and a fresh perspective, which I strongly believe that I will provide. There is also a need for more diverse representation of our industry through the Board Members of our organization. Amongst many things, my main goals as a Board Member are to open a dialogue, while respecting and representing the interests of our growing diverse membership and industry, to continue furthering the reach of the organization while maintaining the quality and integrity of membership, as well as carry on the hard work of those who have led our organization and committees previously.

Point 85: RuAPP

by Arseniy Andersson

Left to Right: Brian Skellie (USA), Dmitry Sizov (Russia), Sergi Tinault (Spain)

While things have come a long way in the United States, in many places all over the world the professional piercing industry is only at the beginning. Russia is one of them. Traditionally, Russians are kept away from American community. Why? Well, it is not a big secret that there is political tension between the United States and Russia, so for common citizens it isn’t easy to get a visa to travel to the US.

I think in the whole history of the APP, only two or three piercers from Russia have attended an APP Conference, this is likely due to a combination of low Russian economy, language barriers, expensive flights, and poor industry standards (in Russia) that all play a part. So, this year we are so excited that we were able to hold the first and second of what we hope to be many of our own conferences, read on to find out more about the RuAPP and our Conference!

Russian Piercers Ofelia (left) and Zhanna (right)

I would like to give credit to fellow piercer Ruben Lew, and his article about LBP as I used it as a template for my article. .

RuAPP was officially established in November of 2017, but was conceived long before that date. We currently stand at 24 members. Requirements are significantly different than for the APP, but RuAPP has a 3-year member requirement rising plan (like the UKAPP has hi, fellows!), which is going to bring RuAPP to APP standards (slow and steady wins the race).

Our first RuAPP conference was held in Moscow in January of 2018, where 60 Russian-speaking piercers gathered from all over Europe. The second RuAPP conference was held only 7 months later due to overwhelming interest form local piercers so eager to learn. Hosted once again in Moscow, attendance nearly doubled to 110 people, 95 of which were piercers, including APP Board Members, Cody Vaughn and Brian Skellie, APP Business Members, Sergi Tinaut from Spain and Javier Retamal from Chile, who all taught 2-3 classes at our Conference. Overall, 25 classes and several live demonstrations were taught over the three day period of RuAPP #2. Eight vendors were present in the conference expo area, including companies such as Industrial Strength and Auris Jewellery. Also there we saw other crucial things as Katana Needles and even Statims!

We would like to show thankfulness to the APP for all of their help in ensuring we had a successful Conference.

Andrey Neurozis from Ukraine (left) and Valeriya Chigovanina from Czech Republic (right) making fun and preparing for the raffle!

Both conferences to date have been predominantly Russian-speaking, and lectures have had translations, but the next one is to become international in a fuller sense and have at least half of the classes taught in English with no translation. From now on we plan to have annual conferences and you can visit RuAPP #3 from June 18-22th, 2019 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. So save the date!

From the very beginning of the first conference, I realised that we had changed the game in Russia. Lots of old piercers who were “enemies” before were sitting at one table together right in front of me with no drama, no fights, no insults. Lots of new piercers who were unknown before the Conference  and  a  bit  shy to come out from the shadows showed themselves. I had no idea we have so many piercers interested learning! At that moment I understood that we’re doing  our  work  correctly. There is no better motivation in this world than seeing a result that was supposed to be impossible!

I was really happy to have our first foreign speakers it was a totally new organizing experience to me! I think you all understand that for many of us, conference is not only a temple of Forever Learning, but a social hub full of friends and dedicated inspiring people! Lots of attendees found a huge source of motivation and inspiration and I could read it on their faces!

Mario Santana and Javier Fingazz, owners of Shangri-La Body Arts in Chile

My personal view on our industry is that piercers are the kind of people who are not just making holes in a safe manner; we are more than that. What I intend to do within my piercing career is to solve clients’ troubles, and inspire them to change their lives for the better! The feeling of thankfulness I receive back is an unbelievable source of my inner motivation. During the conference, I think of all the piercers as my clients who I want to inspire. What we did gives me inspirational feedback and huge motivation to do it even better. After conference I have no post-conference depression, I’m running around full of projects and ideas along with energy as do a lot of other piercers and RuAPP organizers!

High-end jewelry on the expo floor
Arseniy Andersson makes marking on Andrey Safonov before freehand microdermal live demonstration
Industrial Strength Russia and their beautiful Marta Vagner
Did you already buy all the raffle tickets? If not, you have the last chance!
Sergi Tinaut (Spain) gives his class about anatomy together with Dmitry Sizov (Russia), who helps with translation

Of course, not everything goes according to plan and we make mistakes. There were issues with translations, issues with sound system; but no critical mistakes happened. We can analyse and improve our event planning to make the next one even better, same as we all analyse and learn how to do each piercing better.

I can’t as we start preparing the third RuAPP. For now I will have to do with the warm feelings I get while thinking of all those friends I met at APP, GEP, LBP, BMXNet, YouModify and UKAPP, who wished us luck and who want to come to Russia in 2019!

As know my opinions about the success of our Conference are likely biased so please read what some of our attendees had to say;

Vlad Bodmodov gives his class about microdermals

Cody Vaughn: Having the opportunity to attend and teach at RuAPP this year was an absolute pleasure and an honor.

The attendees and other speakers were incredibly nice and very eager to learn. The classes I attended were very insightful and it was great to see where Russia was at with their current piercing techniques and practices. Seeing and hearing so many similarities to what I have  encountered at conferences such  as APP and LBP popping up at RuAPP really made me proud to see how far and wide the piercing industry has become.

I sincerely thank everybody I got to meet and interact with. The RuAPP attendees and speakers were a pleasure to spend the week with, both teaching and learning. I wish you many more successful conferences in the future.

Brian Skellie: Thanks to the RuAPP for an enthusiastic and curious experience as a speaker and participant. I would be pleased to return in 2019 if you’ll have me. Overall, the conference seemed well put together with a balance of educational and social interaction. I arrived to the St. Scalpelburg shop in Moscow to the lovely view of Yuri Gagarin’s golden statue who welcomed me along with the smiles of friendly fellow speakers, organizers, and participants. The uncertainty that preceded about my visa, my travel arrangements, and my unfamiliarity with the language faded quickly. By the time we got to the event location, many productive conversations were started, and the group was dynamic and involved.

The presentations were a high quality and seemed well received despite a few complexities with translation. The questions and feedback addressed felt useful and impactful on many levels, towards a shiny future.

The vendors brought an impressive quantity of attractive jewelry designs, quite aware of the industry trends in precious metals and minerals. Their generosity to the raffle was greatly appreciated. APP Board Members, Cody Vaughn and I, were able to donate two of our full conference passes for 2019 in Las Vegas for two fortunate piercers Lala and Yuliana.

Russians without a party?

Javier Retamal: I had the great honor of being invited to do classes in Russia for the first time in my life. I felt completely happy to meet many people with the same passion that I can find every time I go to Brazil or Mexico; people looking to grow as professionals and at the same time as human beings. I always felt very welcome and with certainty RuAPP is going to be one of the best conferences in this part of the world!

Postscriptum: If you ever want to explore a new exotic destination and combine it with shopping or selling jewelry, taking or teaching classes, feel free to contact RuAPP international liaison, Arseniy Andersson, and remember: it is bad manners to keep an adventure waiting!

Point 85: New UKAPP Brochures

The UKAPP has created two new informational brochures addressing female genital piercings and national concerns regarding the same. Please read the previous articles in The Point (Issue 70, Issue 74, and Issue 77) regarding the classification of consensual female genital piercings as mutilation in Europe. These UKAPP brochures were written in full cooperation with the APP and are of interest to anyone concerned about issues of body piercing, female health, and human rights.

Print ready PDFs of these may be downloaded from the organization’s website: https://www.ukapp.org.uk/ Please note that the order of the brochure is formatted to allow for tri-folding when printed, much like the brochures available from the Association of Professional Piercers: https://www.safepiercing.org/brochures.php