Posts tagged safe piercing

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

Point 85: The APP Board Timeline

As an organization built by volunteers, we feel so fortunate to have had so many people serve our mission. As you can see from this chart, many of our Board Members have been serving the APP for upwards of a decade. We would like to thank not only the people you see listed, but all of our volunteers that have served our committees

Point 85: The Piercer Family Tree

by Mic Rawls & Gene Gowan

Hello piercing community!!!

I had an idea at Camp APP to create a piercing family tree. I started to put it out there and have gotten a great response! With the help of Gene Gowen, we will continue collecting everybody’s history!!

What we need from you:

We would like information about the people that helped bring you into the community. This includes what shops you have worked at (no guest spots please) and anybody you helped get into the industry. If you have worked as a trainer at any education seminars or training groups we would like that as well.

For some of this it can be difficult to list people that also had a negative effect on our fledgling careers, and if there are people you don’t want to list, that is cool. Please remember that we are using this to get a sense of our history and how and through whom this wonderful craft has evolved. This will include some people that we do not care for, but without them we may have not gotten our start!

My vision for this will include an interactive display, so you can find those who came before you. I am hoping to modify this to include a class and video as we move forward. It will be a blast putting all the pieces together and to see how this skill has moved from one community to another.

Please send all submissions tomic4559@hotmail.com

Thanks for everybody’s help. I can’t wait to see how this will bloom!!!

Point 85: Longest Standing Currently Active APP Members

The following is a list of longest standing APP Members who are still currently active. Listed beside their names, you’ll find their original join date. This list reflects consecutive membership; according to current membership policy, original join dates can be reinstated after no more than two years, as long as there has not been a lapse in membership dues.

We’re honored to have these 20 people continuing to support the Association of Professional Piercers and the body piercing industry.

  • Sky Renfro—July 1994
  • David Vidra—October 1995
  • Adam Block—January 1996
  • Allen Falkner—January 1996
  • Patrick McCarthy—February 1996
  • Bink Williams—March 1996
  • Elayne Angel—March 1996
  • Brian Skellie—May 1996
  • Derek Lowe—June 1996
  • Darrin Walters—August 1996
  • Gus Diamond—October 1996
  • Steve Joyner—July 1997
  • Bethrah Szumski—August 1997
  • Marc J. Williams—September 1997
  • Jason King—October 1997
  • David Kelso—January 1999
  • Sarah Wooten—May 1999
  • James Weber—May 1999
  • Luis Garcia—May 1999
  • Shawn Taylor—July 1999

Point 85: The President’s Corner

by Jef Saunders

Welcome to The Point: Journal of Body Piercing—Issue 85, where we celebrate our piercing history. There is so much to consider when we look at the history of piercing: of course, there is the anthropological and historical record. There is also our far more recent piercing “industry” or “community” history.

A knowledge of both is quite rewarding. One of the often overlooked resources for people interested in learning the recent history of piercing, and of the APP, is what you are reading right now—The Point. Our issues are available for free online and provide tremendous insight into the kind of battles piercers had to fight in the 1990s versus the challenges we face today. It is worthwhile to see that things like jewelry standards and safety requirements have been a part of the organization from the very beginning. It is also of no great surprise to see that our industry’s leaders, from piercers to manufacturers, were often active in and supportive of the APP from the very beginning.

It is somewhat expected that two of the people who come to my mind when I think of the production and editing of The Point have also released books. Both Elayne Angel (The Piercing Bible) and Jim Ward (Running the Gauntlet) have produced works that have educated and entertained piercers and the public. The APP has also benefited from the extensive and challenging work that has been performed by the Body Piercing Archive. This group of piercing enthusiasts has put thousands of hours into protecting our history and presenting it for us at our Conference. The APP is deeply appreciative of this committee and committee members for all of their hard work. The APP Conference in May 2019 will feature a Body Piercing Archive  exhibit  about the life and work of Fakir Musafar. Fakir was a hugely influential figure, to our entire community and to me personally. The Association of Professional Piercers mourns his  passing and celebrates his legacy. I encourage all APP Conference Attendees to make time for the Body Piercing Archive’s exhibit at the upcoming Conference.

Point 85: From the Editor – Marina Pecorino

As a teenager I became a piercing enthusiast after a persistent friend convinced me to get pierced with them; soon, I began frequenting my local shop at every opportunity. During my original career as a school teacher, my first stop at the end of each school year was the studio to eagerly get some of my visible piercings back. Then I realized the classroom wasn’t the best fit for me, and as my final school year ended and my existential crisis began, I once again stopped by the studio to get pierced—my favorite form of self-soothing—only to learn that the main piercer was moving and they were looking to hire an apprentice. Now, I have been an industry professional for more than ten years.

In the beginning, I knew very little about most forms of body modification, but was eager to learn. I apprenticed under Bink Williams—a Member of the Association of Professional Piercers since 1996 and close friends with some of the founding Members—so I was fortunate to have an expansive library to peruse and an immediate link to the APP. Among other works, the shop library included A Brief History of the Evolution of Body Adornment in Western Culture: Ancient Origins and Today, ReSearch: Modern Primitives, and The Piercing Bible. We also had three ring binders containing well- loved back issues of PFIQ: Piercing Fans International Quarterly and The Point. During slow times at the shop (of which there were plenty back then) I would read through the library and poke around on BMEzine. We reference some of this influential literature later in this issue, and would encourage you to seek copies for your own edification.

Despite my fortunate start in the industry, until I started attending Conference in 2012 I remained isolated without much contact with other industry professionals outside of my own studio. Now that my main job is as Membership Administrator for the APP, I interact almost constantly with Members, piercers, enthusiasts, and the general public. The last few years have signified a pretty immense shift in my professional life, so I welcome this opportunity to look back at where I came from and where our modern industry started. We hope you enjoy this issue, taking a stroll with us through body modification and piercing history.

Bink Williams and Elayne Angel c. 1995.
 

The Point – Issue 85

Point 84: Mr. Fab & Co.

The following pages feature articles from
issue 49 of Piercing Fans International
Quarterly, 1992. Over 25 years have
passed, but the art was as vital then as it is
today. Used with the permission of
Gauntlet Enterprises.


Mr. Fab, (center) performing at the Pergola Cultural Center, is assisted by G. P. (left) and Beppe (right).
G.P.
Mr. Fab

Point 84: Body Manipulation & Contemporary Conceptual Art

The following pages feature articles from issue 49 of Piercing Fans International Quarterly, 1992. Over 25 years have passed, but the art was as vital then as it is today. Used with the permission of Gauntlet Enterprises

Body modification can be thought of as a physical manifestation of conceptual thought. As our culture becomes more conceptually focused, many people now deal with body manipulation, although for most it is unintentional. We eat regardless of whether or not we are hungry. We sleep according to arbitrary schedules. We dress with little thought to the surrounding environment. We allow the mind, rather than the body, to control our physical actions. Because this behavior is so prevalent in our culture, it is understandable that it is being represented in contemporary art.

The act of piercing is about forcing my body to take a back seat to my thoughts and allowing my mind to decide what is going to be done in order to create work. The final product of my art generally takes the form of photographs which are displayed alone or included in an installation. The piercings are real, not photographic tricks. Viewers ask why I don’t retouch the photographs to make it “look like” the piercing depicted; I think it is vital that the manipulation is real. This is the point where the idea of performance and time enter my work. The action becomes a tangible, genuine form of conceptual thought. Moreover, the experience informs the work and the artist.

Recently, I did a series of work dealing with social stigmatization and penalization. I was researching legislation created to publicly identify sex offenders and reading articles written by policy-makers discussing the use of shaming as a plausible, economical form of punishment.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book The Scarlet Letter and the incident a few years ago when the American teenager was caned in public for a vandalism offense in Singapore also seemed relevant to my investigation. It seemed that body manipulation was a natural way of dealing with these issues.

In one piece, a red plastic tag was attached to my ear with a labret. In big letters, it read “Sodomist” and beneath it was “Unlawful to Remove, Sec 602 VA Penal Code.” I wore this in public for several days. It gave me a greater sense of the ideas I was dealing with and helped me open up to possibilities for new work. It also seemed that it was an important way for getting this kind of art work out of the galleries and art magazines and into the daily lives of a broader audience.

In another piece, I had a piece of muslin sewn to my back on which was stenciled the word “fetishist.” Again, I wore it in public for several days. The clothes I wore for the piece consisted of blue jeans and a blue chambray shirt with the back cut open. It forced people to wonder about their own views of stigmatization and shame first hand—not just theoretically.

Was this person a sex offender? Who did this to him? Is this an art piece? Is this real? How would I feel if someone did this to my brother?

I enjoy getting pierced. This shouldn’t have any bearing on my art, and I would hope I would have created this work even if I didn’t enjoy the process. It is a kind of pleasure that is both physical and psychological. It gives me a strong, physical sense of mind over body when I watch someone taking a needle and putting it through my body. However, because it causes me so much pleasure, I am careful about deciding what projects to take on. I have to consider the roots of my need to do a particular project. Is there artistic merit in this endeavor? Am I using art as an excuse to do harm to myself? It can be a very fine line. To make sure I am on strong footing before undertaking a project, I allow several months to consider and develop the project before executing my plans. I also talk about the piece with other people before going forward. I make the final decision. However, I think it is a good idea to sound out projects thoroughly before hand, especially if they have a high element of physical, psychological, or even financial risk.

I look forward to including more body modification in my work. One of the greatest challenges for artists using this approach in their work is to avoid being regarded as a side show freak. I want to take the audience beyond shock and have them move into the more subtle, personal, and aesthetic dimensions of the work. v

PHOTO CREDITS:

For Fetishist: Piercing by Chance of Gauntlet, Inc. Photography by Lynn Borowitz.

© 1996 by Dave Tavacol.

For Sodomist: Piercing by Jo

of Body Manipulations. Photography by artist.

© 1996 by Dave Tavacol.

Point 84: Julie Tolentino

Article by Taj Waggaman

Photos by Peter Ross

The following pages feature articles from issue 49 of Piercing Fans International Quarterly, 1992. Over 25 years have passed, but the art was as vital then as it is today. Used with the permission of Gauntlet Enterprises.

Julie, right, secures a cheek spike through
Tjet Clark.

No performance issue would be complete without including Julie Tolentino Wood.

Julie is based in New York but was born in San Francisco in 1965. Now aged 30—turning 31 in October— she is truly bi-coastal. With a very full plate and a lot of integrity, Julie serves up plenty of goodies. She works with Ron Athey and David Rousseve, runs the Clit Club in New York, and is a student of many things, including acupuncture and yoga. Having Julie as part of the family is a pleasure, and

I was excited when I was asked to interview her.

With Ron and David, her family, and many friends in California, she keeps a nottoo-distant hand on the West coast. With the management of three companies (her own, David’s, and Ron’s), Julie is constantly planning a tour, event or performance. She tries to sustain balance in all her achievements, her body playing just about the biggest role in her life. Yoga, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, tattoos, piercings, and her latex glove fetish combine to help sustain this, her temple of creation.

Movement has been a part of her life from the beginning, and perhaps because of it Julie has always been a performer. Tattoos and piercings were a natural progression, still just expressions of her body. Most of Julie’s tattoos are commemorative; one of my favorites is the word “loved” on the back of her neck. It’s so great because when you read it you feel loved too.

Julie enjoys her piercings and the experiences that go with them. Crystal Cross from Primeval Body in LA pierced Julie’s vertical nipple piercing. Raelyn Gallina pierced her nostril. Brian Murphy of Gauntlet San Francisco pierced her triangle.

Julie during a recent performance at Chicago’s Lure bar.
Billy Diggs, left wearing a wax corset and D. M. Machuca

One of Julie’s more rewarding piercing experiences occurred when she and Brian were in London to do a performance with Ron Athey and company. The piercing took place at Alex Binnie’s shop, Into You, where Brian was training another piercer. Ron, Crystal, Pig Pen, and Darryl came along as onlookers. Julie said she wanted some- thing to make her feel like a princess, not a queen. She felt she knew all the queens. As it turned out the “princess” got a labret piercing with a tiny diamond.

1990, the year she turned 25, was very significant for Julie. This was the year she was introduced as part of Reality, David Rousseve’s New York company. She also started the Clit Club. Previously involved as an activist for gay rights and AIDS awareness, she worked with Act-Up and other organizations, championed womens’ rights, and worked to fight racism. She was also a primary caregiver—her first experience—for Ray Navaro, a dear friend suffering with AIDS.

During this time Julie describes herself as seem- ingly tireless. Every aspect of her life was a full time commitment. It was not unusual for her to wake up, go to class, from class to rehearsal, run errands, maybe take a nap, go to the club, and put in a shift as a caregiver for Ray at four o’clock in the morning. The next day was a repeat.

Julie weaves thread through biceps piercings of Billy Diggs to create an altar of his extended hands.

In November of 1990 Ray passed away. In his memory Julie had a flying dragon tattooed on her left shoulder. 1992 was the year Julie discovered yoga. She also met Ron Athey. For about a year they had spoken on the phone. They finally met at a tattoo convention. Both were a bit nervous about meeting the other.

When Julie was introduced to Ron’s work, it became clear to her that this was something she wanted to be involved in. She also felt a sense of protectiveness towards Ron and this work. The rawness and realness of what he was expressing as well as the special chemistry between them encouraged her to become involved as choreographer, performer, co-di- rector, and Ron’s manager.

In addition to working with Ron, Julie has done many solo pieces and collaborations. When I met her two years ago she was doing a performance in San Francisco with Diviana Ingravallo called “Through Our Blood.” Since then Julie and I have performed a very light piece together at the Clit Club. Our friend Patty Powers was stripping and gave myself and two others lap dances. Julie pierced us on stage. I guess that’s what we get for being “bad girls” with our cigars.

This past June at a club in New York called Pork, I was for- tunate to see Julie and her lover/collaborator Tjet Clark do a show entitled “Five Elements” (fire, water, earth, air, metal).

When I heard Julie was planning to incorporate acupunc- ture and body work into her already busy schedule, I asked if that meant she’d have to give something up. She replied, “Well, I’m not getting off the stage!” They just make sense to her and compliment everything else she does.

Julie’s blood runs through everything she is a part of. If you have the opportunity, see one of her performances at the Clit Club in New York City where she appears every Friday night. v