Taking Theatre Back From The Elite

“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.

Karen Cheetah
Tattoo artist:
I studied art and then did a tattoo apprenticeship. My mother thought I was going to be a curator! I admire Japanese art and I like feminine, delicate tattoos. I think when male tattoo artists do flowers they can’t help but make them masculine. I believe it is important to research and study the culture behind different types of art before doing a design based on it. I won’t do political or racist tattoos – there’s no need for that!

Garry:
The whole tattoo took 15 sittings, every fortnight for 30 weeks. I met a couple of people who had tattoos done by Pert at Ink Castle in Belfast, so I went and saw him. When he did my arms I saw how good he was and I’d always wanted to get my back done. He did my back tattoo just out of his head, no stencils – it’s a one-off.

William:
I started off with one tattoo and it just progressed to a whole body suit. Once you get one, you want more. My favourite bit is over my ribs because they were the hardest to get done. The whole tattoo took six years. I went once a week for six years! Now that I’m covered I kind of miss it.

Maria:
I started when I was 15 and I’ve probably been getting them for about the last five years. Dre [from Addinktion] did this tattoo, which is based on the Mexican Day Of The Dead. I just love that style.

Dre,
Tattoo artist with Addinktion, Belfast:
I’m originally from Columbia. I had an infatuation with tattoos since I was no age. In my country back in the ‘80s, tattoos were very frowned upon and seen as only for jailbirds and sailors. A cousin of my mom had a pick and poke tattoo and I thought it was the greatest shit – it was the only tattoo I’d ever seen! I wanted one but my mother said, ‘No way!’ At the time, since I couldn’t get one, I started doing them. Anyone can learn the mechanics of doing tattoos, but that’s all you’ll be, a mechanic. Nobody can teach you to be creative – that comes from inside.