Taking Theatre Back From The Elite
Ireland likes to think of itself as a theatre power-house. So why are we so rubbish at putting on musicals? Phillip McMahon has set out to remedy this with his Alice In Funderland extravaganza.
Anne Sexton, 30 Mar 2012
“We have people from Singapore, Germany, France, everywhere,” says O’Donohoe, conference organiser and founder of Temple Bar’s Body Shock piercing studio. “They have to send a portfolio first and get vetted that way.”
“I do all body modifications, everything but tattooing. Piercing, branding, scarring, cutting, reshaping, implants – all the good stuff! I love how far you can push the body. I do suspensions and hanging people. People do it just to see if they can.”
There are no suspensions at the convention, but, says O’Donohoe, there’s a reason for that. “You’re not allowed to hang people in public,” he laughs. “They’ve banned public hangings in Ireland.”
“I don’t do anything too dangerous,” he continues, although chances are you may disagree. “One thing I’ve done is pull a car up and down a laneway with hooks attached to my back. But that’s just for shits and giggles. It’s fun. Although your idea of shits and giggles may be different.”
O’Donohoe has been interested in tattooing as an art form from a young age.
“I got my first tattoo when I was 16. A friend of mine came home with this stupid thing on his chest. I started slagging him and he said, ‘Well you go do it!’ So I said, ‘No problem.’ I went out and got one and that was it. I was interested for a long time though. Before that I always bought tattoo magazines and hung around with artists.”
“I’ve being getting them for over 15 years. At this stage it’s all one tattoo!” he jokes. “There are only a few gaps left.”
Kitten:
Some people collect pictures – I collect art on my skin. Getting a tattoo on a bone can be painful, especially the spine, but a good tattooist won’t really hurt you; a bad tattooist will – they’re called scratchers.
Attila Bona
Tattoo artist, Wildcat Ink, Dublin and Meath:
I’m originally from Hungary. I’ve been a tattoo artist for 12 years now. I’ll do whatever a client asks, but my personal style is realist and I like dark imagery. Nobody can teach you style, because it is personal and it says something about the artist.
Anne Sexton
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