Author: Sofi Escobar (Page 1 of 2)

Since I presented my research last class, I find that this class I was less scattered and I was more attentive to what my classmates had to say.

I will spare the compliments for the presentations I saw yesterday, they were all wonderful, I expected no less! However I find that watching my classmates present their research was truly helpful in organizing my own. I realized that the way I have organized my own research was a little obsucre, and that I need to simplify my terminologies and flesh out my ideas better in order for my paper to be more cohesive. I am a bit worried though, about the organizational aspect of my research, because it seems to me that most people in class have a specific idea in mind tha thtey are running with, even if their papers are not argumentative.

However I find that the nature of my paper is more comaprative? And as such, there are a lot of loose points that I will have to figure out how to turn into a cohesive body of work. After having had my meeting with professor Plesch though, I feel like I at least have the resources available to make this a good piece of work, I just need to spend more time organizing my research and working on my thesis.

In preparation for my presentation, I compiled all of my sources and organized them based on BEAM in a google doc that I wish I could attach to this entry. I added notes and correlations between sources, and spend some time making sure I understood the role of all of my information in regards to my paper. I was very unsure on how to script out my presentation because I felt inclined to organize it in a very scholarly manner. I am unsure if I managed to script it properly but regardless, I definitely have a basis for writing my research paper.

I decided to present to the class a lot of my methodological research for the connections I want to make in my research. Namely all of the relevant sources I found on: anthropology, sociology, philosophy. I drew heavy emphasis on the performance side of these areas because the tattoo side of these areas I have mostly drawn from what we have learnt in class, and the sources we have already extensively discussed in class.

I finished devising my thesis statement, but I am not committing to it as I would like to go over it with Professor before I set on writing it. However right now I feel that my topic is slightly convoluted and needs some thinning out in order to obtain some clarity.

For this class, I researched tattooist and visual designer: Roxx.

I had quite the trip preparing this presentation. Roxx has a very niche style of tattooing. She creates abstract patterns enveloping different body parts, which faction more as decorative patterns that visual language of any kind. In that way, her style resembles tribalism which is something she often mentions when asked about her style. However it rubs me the wrong way that she is able to point this out whiteout giving any further details on which indigenous cultures or tribes she is borrowing inspiration from. It felt to me as if “tribalism” is being used as a buzzword.

She emphasizes that there separation between her being a tattooist and a visual artist, making it seem that whatever she does, it is above tattooing. She claims tattoos are just the medium for her visual artistry. She defends her work with elitism, claiming that her clients are often people who do not have any tattoos prior, and who belong to the highest classes of white collar workers. I think its interesting that she emphasizes the no tattoos prior thing, I think the point she is trying to make is that her clientele are separate from anyone else inclined to get tattoos. Her clients do not belong to the socially rejected demographics of tattoos, they would never get a tattoo! Unless of course, it were her sophisticated tribal patterns. . .

Some notes on my research topic:

I found a loads of helpful material for my background as well as arguments with which I can engage in through my research paper. However I struggled to find exhibits of my topic, as I have now realized, tattooing is an extremely niche practice in performance art. I was only able to identify two legitimizable performances which involve the practice of tattooing. And although both of these were extremely daring and interesting, and I am looking forward to exploring them through my research, I am afraid that my roster of sources is limited by the lack of variety.

However I think there are possibly ways in which I can turn this around in my favor. I did find some great stuff about the psychology of performance art, and the drives of the practice both in its origin and its actuality. There must be a reason why tattoos are not commonplace in performance art—I can state the obvious, their permanence is daunting for something as ephemeral as a performance, but then again: is performance art meant to be ephemeral?

My most interesting connection thus far is definitely this article I found on the documentation of performance art and how larger of a role it plays in the identity of the performance. Drawing back to my question about performance being ephemeral, I realized through this preliminary research that tattoos are a form of documenting a performance, I want to continue looking for exhibits with this angle in mind, as I feel there is a lot to explore here.

The reading that most interested me for this class was the Irwin “Legitimizing the First Tattoo”. She talks about the experience of middle class young people getting their first tattoo, and the contrast between The attractive deviance of getting a tattoo and what she calls the “legitimization techniques” employed to even still not be associated with a lower class.

I thought it was spot on when she described how this desire to be slightly outside of the norm, ended up driving tattoos into the mainstream, and subsequently taking away the power of the statement. It made me think of my own experience and what are considered “good” reasons to get a tattoo in my middle class, non-daring environment. Meaningful tattoos are generally accepted as appropriate, as they have been legitimized, while purely aesthetically tattoos, especially if the subject matter refers to anything un-profound are in more of a grey area, where opinions on them will really depend on the person.

It also made me reflect on how my research topic—tattoos in performance art— is one of the few ways in which the practice of tattooing remains a statement of agency. Along with extreme body modifications and such, to tattoo someone for the sake of a single occurring art performance maintains that same pungent effect of discomfort, which tattoos used to provoke when they were not in fashion.

Interested by the americana iconographies associated with the American traditional tattoo style, and how deeply they contrast their own Japanese influences, I decided to research an artist who is a renowned name today on the world of tattooing and specifically the American traditional style. Dan Santoro.

American traditional has deep associations with military symbolisms, bald, eagles or American flags, but Santoro’s work goes even further back in the tradition and emphasizes Japanese motifs, very much how the sailors would do so when they were learning from the Japanese masters on their travels. He also loves fishing, and often so depicts this in a lot of his tattoo work. I found this interesting because in my eyes fishing is equally as American as a gun and a uniform. Yet a lot less violent. There are no sex icons in his work either.

Stylistically the work is beautiful. Tricolor pallet es, usually the primaries, and think black outlines, flat coloring for the most part except for some gradient occurring with the black. There is consistency in his work yet great variety and versatility. It is clear to me that this is a person who is deep enough in. His career to hav e a distinctive voice through his work. I love it.

On studying this I think of symbology and iconography, and how the traditional American style resembles for example, Mexican Huichol yarn paintings, or gothic stained glass windows. I think also, of the masks from the Dancing devils of the Chorpus Christi, and how the style would be perfect for depicting them on skin. I realized while preparing this presentation that there is a reason why the conventions of American traditional work and perdure the test of time—and that this is the same reason why all of these classic styles of art remain similar to each other in all but their subject matter. It seems to name that when any group of people are attempting to portray a symbol, they all resort to the same devices, which I have found are all the most effective in communicating an idea visually.

The subject matter of the readings for this lecture were admittedly hard to swallow. The psychology of trauma in of itself is something that I had never really taken the time to question or explore, and that alone came with some baggage. However I was rather struck by the idea of tattoos as a way to process trauma because they allow for the sort of permanence the brain is looking for when attempting to understand and process traumatic events.

It made me think of how when processing trauma, one is often trying to regain power over the event and how the most immediate sway to obtain this might seem to forget whatever happened and block it out. This however proves unproductive, and so counterintuitively: taking the agency to inscribe your own body with a memento of a traumatic event, allows for the brain to regain the control it is so desperately looking for.

On a lighter note, I decided to look for script tattoo examples for this lecture, drawing inspiration for my own friend who has dealt with some pretty traumatizing loss in her life and who decided to confront this loss by immortalizing a suicide letter into a tattoo. it is interesting to me that people insist on keeping the handwriting of their loved ones reflected in their tattoos. If I take a second to think about it, it makes sense with what Sarnecki was describing in her article about memory, and how painful stories require memory more than happy ones. It makes sense that people not only want the message their lost loved one gave them, but their inscription, the stylistic device of the lettering which says “this is you speaking, and I remember you”.

I researched the Mojave people for my presentation on national tattooing traditions. I regretted not broadening the scope of my tradition to something a bit more general as I learnt through my research that there is very little information detailing the Mojave tattooing tradition which could be helpful for my presentation. I also found out that this is the case for most of the First Nation tattooing traditions at least in the west coast of the US. If I had made my scope larger, I could’ve drawn examples from several different traditions and piece together a more wholistic understanding of their practices—as I also found that there is a lot of similarities between these western indigenous tattooing practices. However these are my presentation notes:

The Mojave people, a Native American tribe indigenous to the Colorado River region, have a rich cultural heritage that includes traditional tattooing practices. In the Mojave tattoo tradition, both men and women adorned their bodies with intricate tattoos as a form of personal and cultural expression.

Historically, Mojave tattoos were created using the “poking” method, where a needle dipped in natural ink made from materials like crushed charcoal and plant sap was repeatedly tapped into the skin. The tattoos held deep cultural significance and were often symbolic representations of a person’s achievements, tribal affiliations, or spiritual beliefs. These tattoos were not only decorative but also served as a rite of passage, indicating important milestones in a person’s life.

Mojave women, in particular, had specific tattoos on their faces and bodies, signifying their transition into adulthood and often reflecting their marital status and roles within the community. These tattoos were seen as marks of beauty and strength, showcasing the individual’s connection to their cultural roots.

However, it’s important to note that with the influence of European settlers and changes in cultural practices over time, the Mojave tattoo tradition, like many other Native American customs, faced decline. Today, efforts are being made by the Mojave people and other indigenous communities to preserve and revitalize their traditional tattooing practices as a way to reconnect with their heritage and preserve their cultural identity.

Inscribing the body was interesting to read after going through Caplan’s Written on the body, as it seemed a good synthesis of all of the different angles explored in the book. I also got the sense that in this synthesis, were also all of the points we have discussed in class thus far regarding the nature of tattooing, the history of tattooing, the psychology of tattooing and even the anthropology of tattooing.

The notion of a tattoo renaissance specially when it comes to The US specifically was something which I truly enjoyed reading about. The detailing of different artists and how their works have played a role in influencing the scene made the study humanized. While reading this article, it really struck me that these are real people’s bodies, in which they live their lives. I fell in love with Cliff Raven’s work. I adore the notion than in these generations of a tattoo renaissance there is such clear and visible continuity, making this rebirth of American tattooing a development of subculture which has prevailed to the styles we know today.

Caplan Ch. 10 – 14

Doing further reading on Lombroso’s approach to criminology was very interesting for me after having spent so much time studying Godna for my presentation last class. The idea of criminality being nature instead of nurture is appalling but it also follows as part of a pattern I have been identifying in all of these chapters on how the western views of tattooing have affected all the other tattooing traditions. This belief definitely brings about a bias that we are still attempting to dismantle today, and as mentioned in the chapter, Lombroso’s claim turns a blind eye to the fact that not only criminals were tattooed, since this practice was also simply a practice of the working class.

Still thinking about Godna however, reading about Russian prisoner tattooing cultures makes me wonder what are the factors that make people who are being tattooed in a punitive way reclaim the practice and turn it into a form of subculture? In South Asia it was certainly not the case that Godna was reclaimed and later embraced. An yet on chapter 11, Schrader describes how tattooed which began as a way of preventing the success of fugitives (much like in colonial South Asia) the subculture of Russian prison tattooing quickly turned hierarchical—at least in that they developed a symbology of tattooing which would serve as markers for status among the criminals.

Overall I liked the analysis made in chapter 14 the best out of this week’s assigned readings. I think it very much reflects the current view towards body modifications in general, although I disagree on a couple of points, I think the emphasis on how body modifications (mainly piercings and tattoos) are a form of self expression and moreover a way to externalization the internal self was very spot on. If anything, I don’t believe that in cultures which embraced tattoos there was ever a different idea as to their function. Indigenous cultures of tattooing probably saw them as a form of self-reflection, and the same can even be said of for example, the Russian prison tattooing culture. Which admittedly started from a negative dehumanizing point but went on to become a form of identity within the system.