Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry - My Work Speaks For Itself

Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry - Now Available to buy & on Netflix!

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The Artery Magazine Features Hori Smoku

01/01/10

The Artery Magazine.com

The Artery Magazine Features Hori Smoku

Yay Tattoos and Screw You!

Google Reader keeps me up to date on all life changing blog posts flying around out there on the inter-web: a beat boxing video, the newest fashion trends, gallery openings at the cafe down the road. This morning, I expected the typical week’s end link love, but was shaken to the core by a fellow low-brow lover’s words, “Potential employees publically displaying tattoos just won’t get the job.”

No doubt, tattoos have traveled a twisty, dirty road: lost in faux pas land, scooped up in rebellion, forced the way of trendy by teenage girls and their butterfly, hibiscus flowers, coy fish ink. But, I’ll argue that tattoo art is in the process of being accepted as a declaration of distinction, and never a reflection of work ethic. Those of us in the creative industry believe that ink is a rite of passage – what image is so great, the artist himself will boldly mark his skin with it? My company wouldn’t dare hire a designer who had no sense of personal style, how could his work have life? Employers, employees, and the rest of the nation, is becoming increasingly curious about the history, meaning and process of this monumental movement. Addressing these inquisitions are a handful of filmmakers, artists and their muses.

Start of with a brief history of the craft with Tattoos: A Scarred History. The film takes a sociological look at tattoos and tries to answer the question of why tattoos have become such a large part of today’s society. From interviews with sociologists, psychologists, historians and counselors, we explore the history of tattoo’s, from serial killers to royals, sailors to asylum seekers, and perhaps the most powerful tattoo of all time, the one given to Auschwitz prisoners.

Hori Smoku is a well developed and beautifully filmed documentary that won several awards over the past two years for it’s coverage of America’s most notorious deviant. Director Erich Weiss spent two years traveling, doing interviews, and gathering information on the life of Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins. Considered the pioneer of modern day tattooing Sailor Jerry is its most recognizable face. Not only is Weiss able to give us a glimpse into Sailor Jerry’s life and character but also shows us a clear picture of how World War II influenced him and how, in return, he’s influenced every tattoo artist since.

Let’s bring it back down to a local level. Erich Foster, owner of Rise Above Tattoo, gets on a Southern bound tour bus with Timmy Tatts, Eddie Stacey and Manuel Valenzuela to film Tattoo America. making their way to the Augusta Tattoo Expo, the boys take us into the shops, homes, convention booths, and hotel rooms of some of this nations most innovative tattoo artists. The tales of debauchery won’t be released until the group heads to Europe, but stay tuned.

Just looking for a good Exploitation flick? Tattoo, 1981. Karl Kinsky, an unbalanced tattoo artist, becomes dangerously obsessed with Maddy, a model he meets when he’s hired to paint temporary tattoos on a group of women for a photo shoot. As his obsession grows, Kinsky becomes increasingly determined that Maddy should bear his “mark” forever. Do you know who’s doing your ink?

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