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Tattoo
Did you know that King Harold had a girl`s name on his chest andChurchill`s mother had a snake on her wrist? London`s National Maritime Museum is currently hosting an exhibition ontattooing.
Did you know that King Harold had a girl`s name on his chest and
Churchill`s mother had a snake on her wrist?
London`s National Maritime Museum is currently hosting an exhibition on
tattooing. "Skin Deep" traces the history of tattoos back to British
explorer Captain James Cook who introduced the word to the English language.
The exhibition is running until end of September, 2002.
The "Skin Deep" exhibition opened with a traditional
Maori blessing.
Traditional tattoos from the Pacific Islands have become increasingly more popular today, not just for their patterns but also for the spirituality and personal story that they reveal about people who have them done.
Tattoo artist Te Rangitu Netana tattooed many celebrities, including Robbie Williams. He is keen to point out that tattoos are not just fashion accessories but are deeply rooted in Pacific culture and spirituality.
"For myself, it represents who I am, my blood, where I come from, a tribute to my ancestors, it`s also to achieve what your ancestors had achieved," he said.
The Maori believe that tattooing has mythical origins. Traditional Maori tattoos are very personal linking today`s people with their ancestors and telling their history like a storyboard.
"It`s about yourself and it`s about self-empowernment, it`s the story of the soul, it`s the story of what you believe in as an individual," says Netana.
The "Skin Deep" exhibition traces the encounter between European and Polynesian peoples back to the late 18th century. It`s a little known fact that tattoos were first introduced to Britain by Captain James Cook whose voyages to Tahiti brought the word `tattoo`, as we know it, to the English language. Fascinated with Tahiti and its people, Cook recorded his experiences.
When he visited new Zealand five times between 1768 and 1777 his crew were struck by the remarkable facial tattoos of the Maori men and women . Sydney Parkinson, the artist on the `Endeavour` drew a number of portraits of these people.
It took less than 30 years for tattooing to become an essential part of maritime tradition across Europe and America. By the beginning of the 19th century nearly all Mediterranean seamen had tattoos on their arms and chests.
Although many of these tattoos reflected their Polynesian roots, sailors soon developed their own designs. "This is the story of my grandmother and mother as well and so it kind of builds on, it`s about your life and so I go back and learn from the old ones and they tell me a story and then I relay it to my skin," Netana said. In recent years tattooing has become increasingly diverse. Some innovative practitioners produce new and original work that often uses black ink rather than colour and is abstract rather than representational. Modern interest in tattooing has ensured that it has greater public visibility than than ever before.
But some traditional tattoo artists dislike the idea of an ancient craft becoming a modern fashion accessory and losing some of its spirituality and cultural meaning.
"You can tell tattooing is much more of a fashion accessory now these days especially with soccer players and pop stars and the rest of it, even the mannequins in the street have got them now so that`s how much it`s been taken...accepted more", said Tyga. Celebrities like Melanie Griffiths and Mel C made headlines with their tattoos and even Maradona tattooed his arm with Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. But what the "Skin Deep" exhibition reveals more than anything is that the encounter between East and West has not swallowed up Eastern culture, but rather has contributed to Western culture.
Bureau Report
Traditional tattoos from the Pacific Islands have become increasingly more popular today, not just for their patterns but also for the spirituality and personal story that they reveal about people who have them done.
Tattoo artist Te Rangitu Netana tattooed many celebrities, including Robbie Williams. He is keen to point out that tattoos are not just fashion accessories but are deeply rooted in Pacific culture and spirituality.
"For myself, it represents who I am, my blood, where I come from, a tribute to my ancestors, it`s also to achieve what your ancestors had achieved," he said.
The Maori believe that tattooing has mythical origins. Traditional Maori tattoos are very personal linking today`s people with their ancestors and telling their history like a storyboard.
"It`s about yourself and it`s about self-empowernment, it`s the story of the soul, it`s the story of what you believe in as an individual," says Netana.
The "Skin Deep" exhibition traces the encounter between European and Polynesian peoples back to the late 18th century. It`s a little known fact that tattoos were first introduced to Britain by Captain James Cook whose voyages to Tahiti brought the word `tattoo`, as we know it, to the English language. Fascinated with Tahiti and its people, Cook recorded his experiences.
When he visited new Zealand five times between 1768 and 1777 his crew were struck by the remarkable facial tattoos of the Maori men and women . Sydney Parkinson, the artist on the `Endeavour` drew a number of portraits of these people.
It took less than 30 years for tattooing to become an essential part of maritime tradition across Europe and America. By the beginning of the 19th century nearly all Mediterranean seamen had tattoos on their arms and chests.
Although many of these tattoos reflected their Polynesian roots, sailors soon developed their own designs. "This is the story of my grandmother and mother as well and so it kind of builds on, it`s about your life and so I go back and learn from the old ones and they tell me a story and then I relay it to my skin," Netana said. In recent years tattooing has become increasingly diverse. Some innovative practitioners produce new and original work that often uses black ink rather than colour and is abstract rather than representational. Modern interest in tattooing has ensured that it has greater public visibility than than ever before.
But some traditional tattoo artists dislike the idea of an ancient craft becoming a modern fashion accessory and losing some of its spirituality and cultural meaning.
"You can tell tattooing is much more of a fashion accessory now these days especially with soccer players and pop stars and the rest of it, even the mannequins in the street have got them now so that`s how much it`s been taken...accepted more", said Tyga. Celebrities like Melanie Griffiths and Mel C made headlines with their tattoos and even Maradona tattooed his arm with Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. But what the "Skin Deep" exhibition reveals more than anything is that the encounter between East and West has not swallowed up Eastern culture, but rather has contributed to Western culture.
Bureau Report