Photos by Autumn Swisher
Point 88: LBP 2019 Review in Photos
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Point 88: LBP 2019 Review
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: The BPA Contributes to the Musēe de L’Homme
The Body Piercing Archive contributed material and guidance for the Piercing exhibit at the Musēe de L’Homme in Paris, France. The exhibit will run March 13, 2019 to March 9, 2020.
Project leader: Alexix Amen
Scientific Commissioner: Franz Manni
Piercing: L’ Exposition
Parallèlement à l’exposition Dans ma peau, Piercing propose un point de vue anthropologique sur le piercing. Mêlant représentations artistiques, objets préhistoriques, photographies et bijoux, l’exposition présente des pratiques du piercing depuis 45 000 ans. Différentes traditions seront abordées : des Kayapos du Brésil aux Dayaks du Bornéo, des «Primitifs Modernes» aux États-Unis aux usages contemporains.
Trouer la peau et y placer un objet visible est une pratique qui remonte à la préhistoire et dont on trouve des traces sur tous les continents, une pratique qui a perduré jusqu’à aujourd’hui. Ces modifications du corps prennent des significations diverses : appartenance à un groupe, rites de passage, signes de prestige ou marques d’infamie, signes de soumission, de beauté et de force.
Si en Europe seule la boucle d’oreille semble avoir traversé les époques pour devenir une tradition bien ancrée, aujourd’hui les Occidentaux ont adopté de nouvelles modes et utilisent l’ensemble du corps comme moyen d’expression.
Parti de la Californie libertaire des années 1970, le renouveau de cette pratique ancestrale est inspiré par des précurseurs qui cherchaient à libérer le corps. Se définissant eux-mêmes comme « Primitifs Modernes », ils réinventent et réinterprètent les pratiques dans un nouveau contexte où le piercing se réalise désormais dans des conditions stériles et maîtrisées. C’est ainsi que le premier studio de piercing voit le jour en 1975.
D’abord réservée aux subcultures naissantes (gay, punk, SM), cette pratique va progressivement s’étendre à toute la société et s’imposer à l’échelle mondiale grâce à un phénomène d’imitation, soutenu par l’essor d’Internet, et s’imposer désormais sous un nom mondialisé : le piercing.
1 http://www.museedelhomme.fr/fr/programme/expositions-galerie-lhomme/piercing-3791
From prehistory to the present day, discover the variety of piercing traditions and practices around the world.
Piercing: The Exhibition
Piercing offers an anthropological perspective on piercing. Combining artistic representations, prehis- toric objects, photographs, and jewelry, the exhibition presents piercing practices for 45,000 years. Different traditions are discussed: from the Kayapos of Brazil to the Dayaks of Borneo, from the “Modern Primitives” in the United States to contemporary uses.
Finding the skin and placing a visible object on it is a practice that dates back to prehistoric times and has been found on every continent, a practice that has continued to this day. These changes in the body take on various meanings: belonging to a group, rites of pas- sage, signs of prestige or marks of infamy, signs of submission, beauty, and strength.
If in Europe only the earring seems to have crossed the ages to become a well-established tradition, today the Westerners have adopted new fashions and use the whole body as a means of expression.
Starting in liberal California in the 1970s, the renew- al of this ancestral practice was inspired by precursors who sought to liberate the body. Defining themselves as “Modern Primitives,” they reinvent and reinterpret practices in a new context where piercing is now per- formed in sterile and controlled conditions. This is how the first piercing studio was created in 1975.
Initially reserved for emerging subcultures (gay, punk, SM), this practice has gradually spread to the whole of society and impose itself on a global scale thanks to a phenomenon of imitation, supported by the rise of the Internet, and now impose itself under a globalized name: piercing.
Piercing: The Exhibition
Piercing offers an anthropological perspective on piercing. Combining artistic representations, prehistoric objects, photographs, and jewelry, the exhibition presents piercing practices for 45,000 years. Different traditions are discussed: from the Kayapos of Brazil to the Dayaks of Borneo, from the “Modern Primitives” in the United States to contemporary uses.
Finding the skin and placing a visible object on it is a practice that dates back to prehistoric times and has been found on every continent, a practice that has continued to this day. These changes in the body take on various meanings: belonging to a group, rites of passage, signs of prestige or marks of infamy, signs of submission, beauty, and strength.
If in Europe only the earring seems to have crossed the ages to become a well-established tradition, today the Westerners have adopted new fashions and use the whole body as a means of expression.
Starting in liberal California in the 1970s, the renewal of this ancestral practice was inspired by precursors who sought to liberate the body. Defining themselves as “Modern Primitives,” they reinvent and reinterpret practices in a new context where piercing is now performed in sterile and controlled conditions. This is how the first piercing studio was created in 1975.
Initially reserved for emerging subcultures (gay, punk, SM), this practice has gradually spread to the whole of society and impose itself on a global scale thanks to a phenomenon of imitation, supported by the rise of the Internet, and now impose itself under a globalized name: piercing.
Point 88: APPE (Asociacion Profesional de Perforadores Espanoles)
by Luis Garcia
Photos by Ruben Mac-Lean and Kent Tonning
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 #62: Legislation Update – South Australia
By Kimberly Zapata
On November 15, 2012 the South Australian government passed a new law—and tougher penalties—regarding the piercing, tattooing or modifying of minors. This new legislation, as outlined by the Attorney General’s Department, made it illegal to “perform a body modification procedure (such as tattooing, body branding or ear stretching) or intimate body piercing on a minor under the age of 18 years[; to] perform a non-intimate body piercing on a minor who is under 16 years of age without the consent of a guardian[; to]perform a body piercing or body modification procedure on a person who is intoxicated (whether by alcohol or other substances)[; or to] sell body modification equipment to a minor.” Those found guilty of unlawfully piercing, tattooing or modifying a minor will be subject to a slew of penalties ranging from a $5000 fine to twelve months in prison. (This is an increase from the previous $1250 fine, or three months imprisonment.) According to Attorney General John Rau—and adelaidenow.com—the new laws represent “the biggest changes to tattoo [and piercing] legislation in decades” and piercers will be held to these standards through written agreements they are now required to enter into with all customers. These agreements will contain any “information required by the [new] regulations…[while also providing customers] with information about aftercare and the possible risks of a procedure.”
For more information about South Australian piercing, tattooing, and body modification legislation, visit the South Australian Attorney General’s Department.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Since the passage of this law an additional push, driven by the industry, has been made to ban reusable ear piercing guns in South Australia. For more information about the propsed ban, view a recent news story—courtesy of TENnews.