INK

"All photographs are memento mori. To take a photograph is to participate in another person’s (or thing’s) mortality, vulnerability, mutability. Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time’s relentless melt"

Susan Sontag 

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The innate human need to preserve and understand the world around us is a concept frequently discussed in photography. The photographic series ‘INK’ aimed to explore the notions of aesthetic, the embalming of meaning and the impact of popular culture on artistic practices. 

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In her 2009 book 'Photojournalism: Do people matter? Then photojournalism matters', Julianne H. Newton argues that, as a practice, is grown “out of the novelty of being able to hold time still and really look at moments of life in parts of the world most people would never see”.

 

By spending extended periods of time in 3 different tattoo shops I aimed to draw comparisons between the practice of photography and tattooing. Both photographs and tattoos reflect a need to generate a physical memento, of both sentimental and aesthetic value. 

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The first tattoo shop I visited was located next to Leeds Train Station. I found Mustapic and Jamieson were unique in their approach to tattooing, the shop felt more like an art studio than a tattoo parlor; flooded with sunlight and minimalist in its decor. Although I only photographed at Mustapic and Jamieson for one day, the place had character. The focus was placed less on the final outcome and more on the artistic processes involved. 

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I spent the following 6 days trying to blend into the background at Ultimate Skin Tattoo Studio, located on New Briggate in Leeds. The studio felt like a traditional tattoo shop; filled with trinkets and antique furniture. The shop was mostly busy for the entire week, which gave me the opportunity to capture diverse groups of people coming in, many while getting their first tattoo. 

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The final shop felt a bit more familiar to me. Lost Time, based in Peterborough, was where I got my first tattoo when I was 18, it felt strange going back there, knowing everything I had learnt from the weeks before. Photographing there was technically a lot harder, there was less natural light and less space to move around tattoo beds, but this was ultimately where I got some of my best macro shots. 

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The experience taught me a lot about not only the tattoo industry, but how people consume, produce and appreciate art. Like photography, tattooing has to fight to be considered an art form, and as both processes become increasingly entwined with popular culture, their status as artisitc practices will forever hang in the balance. 

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