Six London artists will be interpreting their feelings and ideas into artwork after watching Werner Herzog’s latest documentary Into the Abyss. The documentary explores the death penalty in modern day America in a non biased and humanistic form.

The artwork will be showing from the 30th of March until the 3rd of April at the Protein gallery, Shoreditch, London.

More information here

I rarely use this page to display personal experiences and reflections, but I believe this one is worth sharing. This is a real email exchange which recently took place between me and a Manager at the Chicago Apple store.

From: XXXX XXXXXX
Subject: Hi Sang Bleu. From Apple.
Date: February 27, 2012 8:19:01 PM GMT+01:00
To: info@sangbleu.com

Hi Sang Bleu.


My name is XXXXX. I am the Events Lead for Apple Retail in Chicago.
I am looking to put a Meet the Artist event together in mid-April while the tattoo convention is in town.


Some information about the event layout…
The goal of the event is to educate and inspire our community as well as get the word out about the work you and the artists do.
The event is an hour in length (30 minute moderator discussion, 15 minute audience Q&A).

There would have to be a tie-in to Apple technology in the discussion.

A few questions…
Wondering if you would be interested in participating as the moderator for the event.
Wondering if you have any artist recommendations for the event (we would be looking for 3-4 tattoo artists).


Looking very forward to hearing from you and gauging your interest.
Thanks so much.


XXXX XXXXXXX
Chicago Events Lead
Apple Store, North Michigan Avenue
Apple Store, Lincoln Park
rascione@apple.com
www.apple.com/northmichiganavenue
www.apple.com/lincolnpark

To this first email I answer that I am interested, asking more details about the event etc. Mentioning people I’d like to present, etc. after a couple more emails, I receive this:

From: XXXX XXXXXX
Subject: Re: Hi Sang Bleu. From Apple.
Date: February 28, 2012 6:31:14 PM GMT+01:00
To: maxime büchi / sang bleu


You are definitely welcome to be the moderator.
And if BJ is open and available to this opportunity, we’d love to him.

I need to be clear about one thing though, Apple does not compensate for these events.


In this case, are you still willing to participate?


XXXX XXXXXXX
Chicago Events Lead
Apple Store, North Michigan Avenue
Apple Store, Lincoln Park
rascione@apple.com
www.apple.com/northmichiganavenue
www.apple.com/lincolnpark

I wonder if at least they would arrange travel expenses etc.

From: XXXX XXXXXX
Subject: Re: Hi Sang Bleu. From Apple.
Date: February 28, 2012 10:20:33 PM GMT+01:00
To: maxime büchi / sang bleu


Hi Maxime.
Unfortunately, we cannot cover travel costs either.
If you are ever in Chicago though, we’d love to have you.


XXXX XXXXXXX
Chicago Events Lead
Apple Store, North Michigan Avenue
Apple Store, Lincoln Park
rascione@apple.com
www.apple.com/northmichiganavenue
www.apple.com/lincolnpark

To this I answer:

Dear XXXXX.


I am sorry, i will not be and to be honest i find it cheeky if not dishonest for a company such as Apple tu dare asking for such a promotion for free.


It is one among a series of things that have been putting me off that company lately and i will make sure I advise people to not accept such offers.


I hope you inderstand this is nothing personal but in such economical context, having one of the world’s richest company asking for favours is disgusting.


Kind regards.


Maxime

answer:

From: XXXX XXXXXX
Subject: Re: Hi Sang Bleu. From Apple.
Date: February 29, 2012 4:39:39 PM GMT+01:00
To: maxime büchi / sang bleu


I understand your concerns.
This portion is out of my control.
But I do understand your concerns.


XXXX XXXXXX
Chicago Events Lead
Apple Store, North Michigan Avenue
Apple Store, Lincoln Park
rascione@apple.com
www.apple.com/northmichiganavenue
www.apple.com/lincolnpark

I think it’s all pretty straight forward. I just wanna ask anybody in the tattoo industry, who might get approached by Apple to refuse to do anything for free. Apple is not a charity or non-profit humanitarian organization. It is one of the world’s larges corporation which is about NOTHING but profit. There is no reason to give away our culture, skills, network, inspiration to these people with no compensation.

Occasionally when people are struck by lightening and survive their skin is semi permanently scared with a lightening like scar. The scientific word for this is a ‘Lichtenberg figure‘ but it is more commonly known as a lightning flower. These beautiful and organic shapes are also relatively lethal and are commonly used to signify the cause of someones death. They are thought to be caused by the rupture of small capillaries under the skin due to the passage of the lightning current from the lightning discharge as it flashes over the skin.

However, there have been numerous cases of survivors, some only experiencing the scars on their bodies for a couple of hours before disappearing, but last summer a man in Texas experienced his for well over a month.

You can read his story here. Apparently he didn’t even realise he’d been struck by lightning….

 

“Today on TV, we see so many TV shows dedicated to the stories behind tattoos. In the three years that I have been coming to the Tibetan community of Dharamsala in India, I’ve been quietly observing the tattoos of the people here.

In many cases, these tattoos mark the skin of former political prisoners. In other cases, they amplify the desires of those Tibetans born in exile to return to their homeland.

Here are stories I’ve captured during this trip. “

watch the complete series here:

http://builtonrespect.com/?p=1306

Ten fangs extend into the ground made in fiberglass and and carbon fibre and some how balance the wearer in these spectacularly alien shoes. 

They have been designed by Iris Van Herpen’s  for her latest collection and made in collaboration with footwear brand United Nude.

 

Legendary tattoo-photographer and reporter (and Sang Bleu friend) Traveling Mick finally started a website. Check it out and get your mind blown!

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Travelin’ Mick is a photographer and journalist, who has been relentlessly roaming the world in search of the last remaining tattoo cultures of this planet to record and thus conserve them for posterity.

It is his distinctive goal to promote the understanding of the importance of tattooing to the history and culture of mankind and as a veritable form of art.

Tattoos have been an integral part of the shaping of identities of societies and individuals throughout our history over thousands of years as well as a possibility to express our individuality and creativity.

Thorough research is meant to find out more about the relation of mankind and its societies with body art.

By visiting and documenting the last remaining traditional tattooing practices on all continents, he tries to preserve those cultures and show them to the world in images that express the beauty and pride of ethnic groups and traditional communities, who still bear the marks of their people.

………blew my min. (and everybody else’s)