Category: Tattoo Studios

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Tattooing Under Martial Law

Our Australian contributing editor, Fareed Kaviani, is currently in Bangkok getting a back piece from Guy Le Tatooer. While over there he caught up with Six Fathoms Deep owner Nicholas Mudskipper to find out what it’s like tattooing under military rule.

On 22 May 2014, the military announced that it had taken control of the country in a coup implemented ostensibly to restore order and enact ‘necessary’ political reforms. Martial law continues to be imposed nationwide. Although the political arena is a complex entanglement of loyalties, royalties, and corruption, the situation can be simplified by reducing it to a civic battle between different coloured garments.

The yellow shirts wanted to suspend the constitution and depose the democratically elected government on the charge of corruption. Their desire was to appoint an interim administration to oversee political reform.

The red shirts were loyal to the ousted government.

Due to the civil unrest, most foreign governments have been advising their citizens to exercise a high degree of caution when travelling to Thailand.

I arrived on the 9th to get tattooed by Guy Le Tatooer while he’s guesting at Bangkok’s Six Fathoms Deep. Although Bangkok appeared to be business as usual, news reports of police harassment suggested otherwise.

Tourists and foreign nationals have become targets of what many claim to be systematic ‘racial profiling’. Accosted by police, people have been asked to present identification papers and visas, with some even forced to provide on the spot urine samples designed to detect hard drugs. As one report cautioned, an empty bladder is no excuse: ‘when he couldn’t produce, he says they forced him to drink four liters [sic] of water and pressed forcefully on his bladder to make him urinate and touched his penis.’

Using the threat of immediate arrest, they have been aggressively cajoling unsuspecting tourists into coughing up ad hoc ‘fines’ for failing to provide substantial documentation. Although Martial Law applies exclusively to the army and its soldiers, and Section 93 of the criminal code clearly states that searches conducted in public are prohibited without probable cause, it is believed that the police have had to improvise due to the Army obstructing their usual swindles.

Six Fathoms Deep’s Nicholas Mudskipper has experienced their intimidation first hand.

‘Yeah man, vultures on the streets shaking down people for payouts. I was headed back from a ju-jitsu session and I was told I’m a Russian selling coke around the red-light areas, [the officer] greedily stuck his hands into my gym bag to find a sweaty ju-jitsu gi! These guys’ other rackets are being squeezed by the military so they need to find other ways to buy Christmas goodies this time of year.’

‘So, are you red or yellow shirted?’ I asked in jest.

‘I make my own shirts bra! Black white and grey for days!’

Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Nick came to Bangkok several years ago to set up shop with his business partner, Dillon Pienaar.

‘Bangkok is a beast that can swallow you up fast, a city full of interesting things, a sunny place for shady people!’

I asked Nick what it was like to run a tattoo studio, while under Martial law, inside the belly of that beast.

‘Bro, Six Fathoms Deep is like a bubble, once you’re inside, doesn’t feel like I’m in Bangkok anymore: no dramas, no politics, just tattooing and Masters of the Universe figures surrounding me. If all else fails I’m sure Skeletor will get my back. Our Tattoo shop is a friendly creative family for good-hearted tattooers far from home. We are all about doing good clean tattoos, good vibes, toy collecting and of course big BBQs!’

Speaking of toys, the interior of Six Fathoms Deep was peppered with an array of figurines.

‘I’m crazy about Masters of the universe and other 80s toys, Matt Adams is into Ninja turtles, Miss Ink is super into Russian and Kewpie dolls, David Chaston is into other strange stuff too, so yeah it’s just our man cave full of items that influence us and that we’re nostalgic about.’

And why Six Fathoms Deep?

‘I originally wanted to call the shop Six Feet Deep, but that was kind of taken, ha-ha. I grew up around the Atlantic Ocean and have always been curious of the mysterious depths and legends of giant creatures fathoms deep under the ocean, so I blended those together! Boom!’

Six Fathoms Deep’s resident artists are Nicholas Mudskipper, David Chaston, Miss Ink and Big Matt Adams.

Current guest artists are Guy Le Tatooer and Etienne Memon.

Read more of Fareed’s work at www.the4thwall.net

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Temporary tattoos for Suzie

Every Friday Suzie Barrie goes to her local tattoo studio, Muscle and Ink in New Zealand for a new temporary tattoo.

For the past few months Suzie, who has Down’s Syndrome, has been taking a pack of temporary tattoo designs and tattooist Jason Ward applies them for her, like he would a regular tattoo – he even wears gloves.

At first Jason thought it was a one time thing, but Suzie hasn’t missed a week since she first went in and when she has time she gets more than one design.

Tattoo artist, Jason Ward of Muscle and Ink Tattoo gives Suzie a stick-on tattoo each week.

Talking to the New Zealand Herald Jason said:

The first time she came in, she just walked in, slapped a couple of stick-on tattoo packets on the desk and asked me to put them on her arm. I said, ‘what?’ And she said it again so I sat her down and put them on… But if she was a member of my family and she had have walked into another tattoo shop and they had told her to bugger off, I’d be angry. Why would you say no? You should treat everybody the same.

Image from stuff.co.nz

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Redwood Tattoo, Manchester

Established in October 2014, Redwood Tattoo Studio is already carving out a name for itself in the city of Manchester. The studio is home to four custom tattoo artists, each with their own style of artwork. A hand-picked, close-knit team that are as dedicated to the design stage, as they are with the quality of the final tattoo.

Chelsea Ladish specialises predominantly in watercolour and line-based pieces, Lauren Sutton in unique geometric and custom dotwork. Kieran Barnard translates his beautiful sketches onto the skin with bold lines complimenting the fluidity of his designs, and last but certainly not least, Chris Green is producing piece after piece of consistently solid neo-traditional.

With an underground vibe, Redwood is proving to be a new little gem in the already diverse and popular Northern Quarter. All enquiries can be made to redwoodtattoostudio@gmail.com or 0161 258 9252.

 

 

INTERVIEW WITH CHELSEA LADISH:

How did you get into tattooing? Becoming a tattoo artist is something that happened pretty organically for me. I have always had a healthy interest in the art of tattoos, and started my personal collection at the age of 19. It wasn’t until I was working in Brisbane, Australia, that I met the man who would eventually train me. I had booked into Westside tattoo studio, in the West End there, and chosen Lawrence Hocking to do my souvenir tattoo. I actually had to cancel my original appointment because I was moving home to England to drum for a band down south, but he overheard me chatting to the receptionist and managed to squeeze me in on his day off! I’ll always be thankful for that, because after leaving the band a year later, he offered me an apprenticeship at his new studio, Seventh Circle. I was incredibly lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful, dedicated artists. He took a chance on me, and I still appreciate that every day.

Backpiece by Chelsea Ladish

How would you describe your style? If I were to say I had a particular style, it would be a mixture of watercolour and lowbrow. I tend to use a lot of watercolour and black inks on my paintings, and that has bled across into the way I tattoo. I’m pretty changeable though, and like to try new things. I like that when artists develop as individuals, and experience different things in their own lives , it can be seen in what they create.

Robin Williams by Chris Green


How long have you been tattooing for? I have been tattooing since the summer of 2009.

Dotwork Raccoon by Lauren Sutton

Where do you get your inspiration from? I often get inspiration from the people that I surround myself with. I think on a personal level, I also draw inspiration from nostalgia, and the places that I have been/people that I’ve met along the way, fragments of time. I’ve always been quite wrapped up in keeping time. Journals, excessive amounts of photographs, all the good stuff. If you pay attention to these things, they can offer an infinite level of inspiration. There’s a richness to the small things that can often be overlooked. On a more superficial level, the artwork of bands that I loved growing up (particularly DEVO), skateboard culture graphics, 80’s popular culture and film, lowbrow artists such as Robert Crumb… I have a lot of time for Robert Crumb.

Inverted shaded skull by Kieran Barnard

If you weren’t a tattoo artist, what else would you be? There are a lot of things I’d like to try. I’d like a restaurant, the kind with a Cheers vibe, where everybody knows your name. I’d also get a huge kick out of making documentaries. Learning about different cultures and lifestyles for a living. I can definitely think of worse things.