world atlas of tattooing

[00:00:00]The good old skin killer one who I called it funny to remind back to this the world atlas of tattoo. It's a book about the history of tattooing in different states of our civilization and there's some work of mine in a little interview and we will read this today.

[00:00:27]Hey you all, it's me Liu and welcome to my channel. Here everything is about alternative kind of life. You know, people like me living a little bit different, living a little bit on the edge of society. Back in my past, I was very known under the name Little Swaser.

[00:00:44]Um I was creating our own tattoo genre.

[00:00:48]Back then it was just just my art, my style. But over many years there was coming a full tattoo journey out of it.

[00:00:56]And this is probably also a part why I'm also into the world atlas of tattoo. Um it's a very nice book and it shows like a lot of um tattooist in a more modern world around the different countries.

[00:01:23]It shows also some of the origins, some of the original story here. Let's say we have here we have here Europe and it shows some of where our culture here in Europe where the tattooing comes from. Comes a lot from sailors. That's how tattooing was come over here.

[00:01:55]So there's some stuff about the history, but I just want to read you my interview today. Anna Felicity Freriedman is an interdisiplinary scholar and creator whose social media platform include tattoo history.com published by Chale University Press.

[00:02:18]Let's start a little bit I would say and um this will be the first series of me reading a few of my old interviews. I must bring a few more magazines from the past which I will probably read out in a few of the next episodes. So let's start. Style experimental influences ritual and nature geometric pattern location pen Germany silent 25.

[00:02:47]I changed my old name against my new one. Okay, don't get confused. Lily Lulu who has adopted the artist name Little Swasa creates pioneering work that taps into a deep sense of spirituality but also innovates new forms of tattooing based in a private studio in rural Germany. He pushed the boundaries of tattoo aesthetics. He explains, "The more I can make tattoos not look like tattoos, the more I'm satisfied. He relies working fast. His philosophy is to not really have rules and be open to almost everything. As a teenager, Lou initialize become interested in tattooing as expression of freedom and individuality. He notes tattooing was always a subculture for me, a part of rebellion, a part outside the norm and mask of our society.

[00:03:40]He inscribed many of his early tattoos himself, first by hand and later with a machine that he fabricated from electric hair clippers in the variety of found materials, including pieces of Lego.

[00:03:53]The good old skin killer one who I called it a funny to remind back to this very old days.

[00:04:04]I was a teenager tattooing myself, tattooing my skate friends.

[00:04:11]Good time. Wow. It's always so funny to read the old stuff, to read my old words.

[00:04:20]Um, yes. And here you see already the third dimension piece the love a double back also the third dimension pieces on the back of the book.

[00:04:39]Later he become interested in many other forms of body modification and had his own body significantly altered with tattooing piercing implants and other procedures. Drawn to the ritual and the spiritual aspect of body modification, he experimented with tattooing himself and getting tattooed by others using traditional techniques without a machine. After gaining an apprenticeship and adopting a new sterile after gaining an apprenticeship and adopting a new sterile or die attitude, but I was gaining I was not having any apprenticeship anywhere.

[00:05:18]Lou opened his first shop in 2005 and made the move to working outside a traditional urban space. Disturued by the trend towards tattoos as fashion rather than subculture, he scaled back his tattoo practices and focused only on his signature style and ambitious pieces. He also become part of a global artistic movement to reclaim positive meaning for the swastika symbol which he used in his art as well as in his artist name and the name of his first tattoo studio cuz my first studio was called the swastika freak shop was very small was very professional in that time but when I know think back it was like very unprofessional I mean later we We closed it and I had my private gallery and a private gallery.

[00:06:10]That was real mayhem. That was real real mayhem. That was like probably one of the most unsterile, dirtiest places on earth to get ink done. But that is where all of this started, where all of this happened. Because it was my extreme to let go, to let go from rules, let go from any kind of thinking, any kind of boundaries within that world of tattooing. I was giving up being a tattooist. I was giving up to have a reputation as tattooist. I just want to focus on my art on on let it explode on the bodies, on people's on skin.

[00:06:58]Several artists have experimented with tattoos that span multiple bodies, but Lou has developed the concept on an incredible scale. Whereas most of the tattoos usually span only two bodies and connect halves of small motifs together.

[00:07:14]Little Swasa fuses entire back pieces across three, four, even 10 bodies. Such enormous tattoos requires a strong willingness from each tattoo client to be part of a collective work. Loose brilliant designs however also ensure that each piece stand on its own as a individual tattoo.

[00:07:36]Yes. And that always was very important for me when I make big pieces that it's still still each piece stand for itself and still each piece have every element from the full piece in it and not just like let's say I take three different elements black font and pattern and um I have a back with only one or only two of the elements that would be a deal breaker for me. So sure it was all about compromises. You have to say I want that the full final piece is the most purity but then still put some purities in the unique pieces and maybe make a little compromise in the big piece to have less compromises in the smaller pieces. You get what I'd say?

[00:08:37]His clients also need to be highly dedicated to his style. Getting tattooed by Lou is an intense experience. He works in a remote area and clients have to really travel, not just be come by plane and bus. He describes the commitment his clients need to make. A full back piece is normally one three sessions. For most people, it's almost like a ritual to get a full piece done with me. It's brutal and brings them over their own borders. New Finnish designs reflected his ritual process and speed of working.

[00:09:09]They evoke an amalgamation of the free spirit of graffiti and abstlex art combined with the reanch of sacred geometric.

[00:09:20]And I mean that it's a very nice sentence because graffiti is my roots and a lot of the traditional tattooing was when I was getting really influenced. What was me drawn to tattooing? What was me going into that and almost my full first bodysuit was all traditional tattoos.

[00:09:40]Just a small interview can show you some more pieces who was on this side.

[00:09:47]also one of my very very famous pieces famous favorite pieces which I loved a lot and the book get produced but it's quite a few years ago I can tell you that yeah I find no date from the book doesn't matter it's already like a few years ago probably like 10 no 10 I don't know I just don't Oh.

[00:10:17]So, thank you all for watching. I hope you like this little reading episode and see you the next time. Like, subscribe, you know, all this stuff good girls do.

[00:10:26]You find some merch and things in our web shop. Link in the description. And thank you all for watching again and peace out.