Alice Snape, Author at Things&Ink

December 27, 2015December 27, 2015

T&I go to Torture Garden

Inspired by our Horror Issue cover, starring the stunning tattoo artist Emily Alice Johnston in a fetish inspired shoot featuring beautiful latex outfits, we thought team T&I should celebrate and maybe try out some latex wearing, too. And what better place to do it than at the World’s largest Fetish / Body Art Club: Torture Garden, and their Christmas Ball at Electrowerkz in north London? Our editor Alice Snape had never been before… here she tells us all about her first time.

If you’ve never been to Torture Garden before (named after the 1899 novel The Torture Garden (Le Jardin des supplices) by Octave Mirbeau, which was set in a Chinese Garden of Torture.), I highly recommend it. Although I have to admit it, I was a little apprehensive before I attended – not because I am a prude, but because I had never been to a fetish club before and I had absolutely no idea what to expect, or what was expected of me. I also had no idea what to wear!

A friend recommended Meat Clothing and I spotted a gorgeous pink latex dress on their website and ordered it immediately. And, I have to say, I felt pretty special in it. I had never worn latex before, and a pink babydoll was pretty perfect for my first time.

Editor Alice Snape, horror issue cover star Emily Alice Johnston and managing editor Keely Reichardt pre Torture Garden. — Editor Alice Snape, horror issue cover star Emily Alice Johnson and managing editor Keely Reichardt pre Torture Garden.

Managing editor Keely and I got ready together on the evening… drank some fizz and perfected our make-up. As Keely has been a couple of times before, she explained a little about her last experiences… and how much fun she had! We also met up with our horror issue cover star Emily for some pre drinks too…

As soon as we arrived at the TG Christmas ball location, Electrowerkz in north London, I felt like I was transported to another world of fetish, fun and fantasy. People were dressed in latex, stunning lingerie, collars and gimp suits… and Electrowerks had been transformed into a magical Christmas fantasy land. Still a little nervous, we did a round of shots and then went off to explore…

Managing editor Keely ready for her night at Torture Garden

I ended up spending the entire night roaming around to see what was going on. There were lots of different rooms – one just for couples and a dungeon (for those who want to explore their sexuality, although there are also strict codes of conduct, touching anyone without permission is strictly forbidden), there’s also shows, performances and dance floors, too. I chatted to interesting people, finding out about their kinks, and of course, it’s ok if you don’t have any, too… TG accepts anyone (as long as you dress up! If your outfit wouldn’t turn heads in the street – don’t bother wearing it to Torture Garden). TG is a space where you can be whoever you want to be. You can escape reality for the evening into a magical world. It is for hedonists, party people and those who just want to let go for one night. TG attracts open-minded individuals, from clubbers to alternative arty weirdos, burlesque cabaret fans to sophisticated BDSM regulars (famous visitors have included Dita Von Teese, Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier, Boy George, Katie Price and Courtney Love)…

Editor Alice and a pre TG selfie, of course. — Editor Alice and a pre TG selfie, of course

The evening drew to close far too quickly… and I couldn’t believe it was 6am by the time Keely and I left. We literally forgot all of our worries for one evening and danced and chatted and met interesting people. And everyone we met was so respectful. I had worried that I might get hassled (I have a boyfriend and didn’t want to join in), but I didn’t. In fact, I probably got hassled less than a standard night out, where drunken men often grab women without permission. On the way home, Keely and I chatted about how we couldn’t wait to attend the next event… and plan another incredible outfit. There’s no other situation where you can wear whatever you want and be exactly who you want to be, surrounded by people who are just as weird as us. See you at the next one?

Torture Garden NYE is on 30 December at Ministry of Sound in London and Torture Garden Valentines Ball is on 13 February at Coronet in London.

Take a look at some of the other TG party goers in this selection of photos from the evening (photos by MarcusT):

November 24, 2015

Skin Deep – an exhibition featuring photographic portraits of male models

Cheshire born and now London based, photographer Danny Baldwin explored a range of art forms, from drawing and drama to music and modelling, before finding his niche as a photographer. It was actually while modelling that Danny discovered a world where his creative vision could be channelled by flipping sides from in front to behind the lens. Influenced by fashion and counter-culture, Danny’s style mixes colours, tones and textures, and emphasises the power of beauty and shapes.
In his new exhibition, Skin Deep, Danny documents a seismic mood change within the fashion industry that has seen agencies shift from representing only models with no tattoos, or those that are easily hidden, to building entire campaigns around elaborately inked individuals. Encouraging acceptance and celebrating individuality, freedom of expression and creativity, Skin Deep features 100 black and white nude images of professional tattooed male models shot against a stark black, signature background.
We found out more in this interview with Danny…

> What attracted you to photographing tattooed models? Why?

The underlying message is to encourage acceptance and freedom of expression, Skin Deep has been created over the course of a year to show the versatility of beauty and ink, and is something I could relate to myself. I needed it to be something that I understood, had knowledge about and was part of my life – and I wanted to represent and celebrate the rise of the tattooed model and its acceptance, slowly, into the fashion industry.

> What is your background? Have you always photographed people?

Yes I did a general photography course at college in Cheshire when I first started as a photographer and this covered all types of photography, when I was doing landscapes etc i used to have imagine people there to be able to create the image. I decided very quickly one of the main reasons I am a photographer is because of the people, so I continued my studies at London College of Fashion studying fashion photography

> Why only men in the project?

I decided when I started this as a personal project that It had to be relatable to myself, it had to say something from me and be pure to my vision and I felt – as a tattooed male myself – I would be able to better understand the body of the male and their process of thought. I want to represent the male models in a way I haven’t always been able to represent them due to client limitations.

> The portraits are in black and white… is there a particular reason for this?

Due to the scale of the project and the timeframe of over a year of shooting, I wanted to create something distinctive that showcased the models and their tattoos in a consistent way and I felt this was the best way to do it. I shoot a lot in black and white as I love shape, line, texture and movement and really feel this can be explored a lot deeper with a black and white image.

> Are you tattooed yourself?

I do have a collection of tattoos and plan to have more done in the future months and years. I have my left top arm , finger, both feet, all my toes and most recently I have had the title of this project “skin deep” on my inner lip which was done at One By One tattoo studio in soho, London. All my tattoos have a deep rooted and significant meaning to me and are connected to parts of my job as a photographer, people who have impacted my life and the evolution of myself. They look quite macabre but they are more my own personal affirmations.

> What are your hopes for this exhibition? How many portraits does it include?

The exhibition will feature over 100 portraits of the selected agency signed male models, which I hope will showcase their diversity. I want to show a wider audience something that is visually stimulating and celebrates how these people are breaking the mould. They are being true to themselves in an elite industry and expressing who they are through the medium of tattooing, which I think is an incredible art form and I don’t know why it has taken so long for the two worlds of tattooing and fashion to collide and be more accepted in the mainstream. I think the bigger picture is about encouraging acceptance and celebrating individuality, freedom of expression and creativity.

Danny has just reached his fundraising target on Kickstarter, so it looks like there will be a physical exhibition of Skin Deep in London next year. Look out for updates from @thingsandink and @skindeeplondon.

November 15, 2015

Art Love: Eugenia Loli

Fantastical surreal collage artist Eugenia Loli started her career in the technology sector, but she left that impersonal world behind in order to build new, exciting worlds via her art. Her collages, with the help of the title, often include a teasing, visual narrative, as if they’re a still frame of a surreal movie. The viewers are invited to make up the movie’s plot in their mind.

Three Minutes to Nirvana

Mind Alteration – Dusty & Dicey
Part III of the “Smoke & Mirrors” trilogy.

Cultural Bias

All Fun and Games – Reptilian Snack

Objective Obscurity – Reflection on Contemplation

Find out more about the modern vintage collage artist at eugenialoli.tumblr.com

November 9, 2015

Grace Neutral film… The Tattoo Covered Alien Princess

Grace Neutral… The Tattoo Covered Alien Princess… a film by i-D magazine…

Get to know tattoo artist Grace Neutral, the 26-year-old handpoke tattoo artist who transformed herself from alternative weirdo to pixie dream girl with a series of body modifications. Surrounded by her fluffy friends Totoro, Stitch and Pusheen, Grace welcomes i-D magazine into the bedroom of her London flat where they discover the emotional and physical steps she went through on the journey towards becoming her true self: the tattoo-covered alien princess with purple eyes, pointed elf ears, a forked tongue, scarification and no bellybutton that just walked for Ashley Williams during LFW and keeps her quarter of a million fans inspired on Instagram. Be you. Be beautiful.

November 2, 2015November 2, 2015

Covered: a photo project where tattooed people bare all

Covered: a portrait project of tattooed people. This beautiful photographic project illustrates the variety of people who get tattooed and the vastly different reasons why…

Photographs by Alan Powdrill | Interviews by Erica Buist | Feature from theguardian.com

Victoria Clarke, 37, Coventry
My tattoos are part of who I am, and I’ll always love my bodysuit, now and when I’m 80. The respect and love I get for what I look like is what it’s all about.

Graham Platts, 58, Cleethorpes
I was 51 when I started getting tattoos. I wanted one in my teens but my parents wouldn’t have agreed. About 10 years ago, I stopped smoking and thought, “I ought to do something with the money, to have something to show for it”; I decided to get a tattoo. I got one on my right arm. Then I got one on my left arm. Then on my right leg, then my left leg – it just escalated. I’ve replaced one addiction with another, but a healthier one. When I see a gap, I want it filled. Once I’m covered, I think I’ll start saving for a nice holiday.

Izzy Nash, 48, Maidstone
I was 16 when I got my first tattoo, a tiny rose on my thigh. For me, it’s about being different. You’re never naked, because you’re covered in artwork. My bottom is always the talking point: I’m forever showing people.
I’m talking with my tattooist in Brighton about doing my neck and my legs – then there’s only my stomach left. My kids love it. I’ve told them, “When I die, you need to skin me, dry me out and put me on the wall.”

Alex Coates, 49, Whitby
When I started getting tattooed, over 30 years ago, it was frowned upon. It was the skinhead era, and I saw a guy with two swallows on his hands. That was it: I wanted them, too. My mum wasn’t happy. Now I’m completely covered. Recently, I asked my mother if she’d mind if I got some little tattoos on my face: a cross and a few dots. She said, “As long as they’re not too big.” I had it done that day. I woke up the next day, and thought, “What have I done?” But everyone said they looked cool and now I love them.

Drew Beckett, 32, London
When I was 27, my hair fell out. I have total alopecia. I decided to reinvent myself so that the first thing people see is my tattoos, rather than the fact I have no eyebrows. I thought, “I’m a blank slate.” I started, embarrassingly, with a 90s tribal dragon on my stomach. I was 18, and thought it was the coolest thing ever. The artist was a Goldsmiths graduate called Thomas Hooper, who is now an internationally famous tattooist. I’m a civil servant; I check with my boss before I get a tattoo. If I was told no, that would be OK. It’s good manners to ask.

You can view more portraits on photographer Alan’s website, the Covered portrait exhibition of tattooed people will open on 11 November 2015 at Mother, in east London, RSVP alan@alanpowdrill.com.