Russian Prison Tattoos – Review
A Coffee-table book on a fascinating subjectBy A Customer
The first thing that needs to be said about this book is that it is based on material collected for a TV documentary. Hence the book consists mainly of photographs of prisoners and their environment, punctuated with occasional quotes. The quotes come from prisoners – who talk about their lives, their crimes, and their sentences, not just about the meaning of their tattoos – and from Russian criminologists, proudly demonstrating how they have decoded the complex code by which prisoners communicate rank and status. It is these snippets of lives that make this book heart-rending reading (and a world away from Carl de Keyser’s glossy, posed portraits in “Zona”!)
A few statistics: 1 in four Russian men has been in prison, the average time spent on remand is 2-3 years (during which remand prisoners share cells with hardened recidivists), the cell space per prisoner in one prison is less than 1 square metre…
A glossy book on such a subject seems incongruous; and Ms Lambert reduces the impact by spreading quotes from a given prisoner over several chapters, seemingly randomly, rathe than letting him or her tell her own story.
For an in depth study of this fascinating subject, explaining in detail the complex language of the Thieves Code, and the mores enforced – where a man must “stand by his tattoos” or remove them – I would unhesitatingly recommend Danzig Baldaev’s “Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia”. (With the warning, however, that he reords sketches of obscene and racist tattoos which are suspiciously absent from from Ms Lambert’s collection!)
However, the valuable contribution that this book makes is in exploring a period of transition. Baldaev’s books are based on a collection that he amassed over 50 years’ service as a prison guard; Ms Lambert took her photographs in 1998 (although she includes archive pictures from an earlier era). Thus she is recording a period when many young prisoners claim that tattoos no longer have force, whilst the ‘old-timers’ lament the passing of Thieves’ Law, when everyone knew where they stood.
Yet the hierarchical nature of society in a prison cell (containing up to 120 people), where everyone knows everyone else’s rank – from the Blat (the profesional criminals, who assign status), down to the Downcast (who sleep under the bunks, and are sexually available to all) – remains.
The other great advantage of this book, is that she allows the prisoners to speak for themselves – rather than relying on their tattoos to speak for them.
Perhaps Ms Lambert has not made the best use of her material, but
it remains a fascinating, and moving record. Furthermore, the tattoos themselves, although often made with the crudest of implements, are frequently hauntingly beautiful.
Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia – Review
Russian Criminal Tattoo EncyclopaediaThis is truly one of those life changing books. It is surreal, vulgar, explicit and tender in equal measure. I have an interest in tattooing but my wife does not and she was as taken by the Alice in Wonderland otherness of this book as I was. Everything you have never nor will ever need to know about the Russian criminal underground and it’s bizarrely profane tattoo culture.
Mario Jedi tattoo: Two-in-one!
Planning to get a gaming character etched on your body but baffled which one to get done? Well, here’s an innovative idea! How about getting two of your favorite characters meshed up. You don’t believe me? Check out the cool blended tat of Mario and the Jedi pictured here. Quite novel, isn’t it?
Via: Gearfuse
Most Beautfiul Form of Body Art – Tattoo Designs
If you are serious about getting your skin imprinted with a permanent tattoo, it is important that you select just the right kind of tattoo design for yourself, one that fulfills the following very important requirements.
The tattoos design that you select should be – exactly and only – the one that you were looking for. See that you do not compromise on the shape, size and pattern of the tattoo design, due to any reason at all, for then you are bound to regret getting it done in the first place.
Apart from the pattern of the tattoo design, the colors and hues that you want your tattoo to display should also be the ones of your choice, and preferably ones that suit your skin tone.
It is extremely important that you remember the main reason behind getting the tattoo, and hence, also see that the tattoo design you select portrays the emotions behind it correctly. If it is for mere fashion, you could choose a trendy tribal tattoo design, or a symbolic and stunningly exquisite butterfly tattoo design.
Other than the requirements of the tattoo design that you choose, there are some that you as a purchaser need to consider, while looking for the perfect one. Here are the steps that you need to follow:
First, see that you look through all the available tattoo designs based on your chosen concept, present in various galleries on the internet, or with professional tattoo artists, and only then make your choice. If you want to bear a unique tattoo design, you could ask an artist to create one for you. Also keep in mind where exactly you you’re your tattoo to be situated on your body, and pick accordingly. Remember to keep the budget in mind too.
Next, you ought to find just the right tattoo artist, who will imprint the design onto your skin. You need to be careful while choosing one; see that he or she is a legitimate and expert flash artist.
Make sure that the needles and instruments used by the artist are sterile, you don’t want to end up with any kind of troubles due to it.
Once you have had your spectacular flash art inked into your skin, you will be ready to show it off to jealous viewers, and look gorgeous altogether. However, do remember to be absolutely certain that you want the tattoo, first of all, and also of the design that you select, for the simple reason that if you regret it later, the process of removal will not only be painful, but also very expensive. So choose wisely.
Sources: http://blogartscenter.blogspot.com/2009/05/tattoo-designs-girl-tattoos.html
How a tattoo ruins a girls body.
One thing mum had always said to me was how a tattoo ruins a girls body. I never got that, I was of the opinion that tattoos made a girl look amazing, colourful and very individual. It’s taken until quite recently for me to work out what she meant and how true it was. I’ve been noticing girls lately who have one small tattoo on their arm, ankle, wrist, chest or lower-back and just thought to myself “Wow, that’s going to look shit when you get married in your beautiful wedding dress”. Not because she has a tattoo at all, but because she chose some irrelevant design off the wall and got it without much thought about how it really does ruin the rest of her tattoo-free body. I don’t mean to just target girls of course, I’ve seen similar mishaps on guys, but it really does look worse on girls to have the one badly done tattoo of a dolphin on their chest that is always just poking out from anything short of a skivvy top. Yuck.
As a very tattooed girl, I implore any girl who is considering a tattoo to think a few things through:
1. Does it really mean that much to you? OK so it’s the Japanese word for happiness, and you are a very happy person. But are you Japanese? And can you be defined simply by that one word? Have you even gotten confirmation that is correct and not really the Chinese word for “slapper”? This applies to tattoos of words in any language too – unless that word holds a special significance I suggest rethinking getting it permanently applied to your skin. The same can be said for most star-sign tattoos. I’ve seen them done well, but more often than not they’re incorporated into a bigger design or changed to be more relevant to the wearer. If your star sign means so much to you, don’t go and pick its symbol and leave it at thatr. Make it personal, make it scream YOU, instead of getting the same tattoo as every other Gemini out there.
2. Do you need your child/boyfriends name/face tattooed to you for life? Yes your child is very important, and will be forever. But why do you need their face on your arm forever and ever? Their name can do in a pinch, but still, it’s hardly meaningful or interesting. The name of a partner should never ever cross your mind as a potential tattoo – you are jinxing your relationship, that’s all there is to it! If you really want to get a tattoo to commemorate a loved one, be it your child, a sibling, a parent or even your partner, why not get something a bit different. Tribute tattoos, containing things that represent that person, are both interesting, personal and most importantly, original. Definitely the better option than having “JOSH” tattooed to your wrist for everyone to see.
3. You like stars? Really? I’m yet to meet anyone who can justify their love of stars enough to get them tattooed all over their body. Dude, get an original idea and stop following hideous trends. Think of it this way, 15 years ago the same thing happened with barbed-wire arm bands. Do you really want something like that tattooed to you, a constant reminder that instead of getting something original you went or the most over-done tattoo design of the 90s?
4. You’ve picked a nice little tattoo you love, but hang on, what does it mean? Does it really have to have a meaning so amazing and overwhelming that will bring people to their knees when you tell him? Of course all tattoos have some sort of meaning, intended or not, but there’s no need to attach sentiment to a design that you picked because it looks nice. Why can’t you get a picture of something you like, maybe a favourite animal or an interesting symbol and leave it at that? If you love it, then it’s meaningful enough. You should never have to justify your tattoo to someone else. If you like it, then that shoudl be good enough to everyone else.
Every person is different, so naturally we all want very different things when we get tattooed. I’m one of those people who gets tattoos with things that make me happy in bright colours I love to flaunt, which to some people is superficial and the wrong sort of thing to get tattooed. Meanwhile my boyfriend won’t get a tattoo that he hasn’t designed himself, researched thoroughly, discovered its every meaning and thought about very hard – totally the opposite to me. The result are two very different tattoos, but both with lots of meaning to each of us, bringing us the same amount of pleasure, just in different ways.
Think about what you want and why and whether or not it’s something that will keep its appeal in a few years time. Make sure it’s something you really want, not something picked off the wall because you randomly decided to get a tattoo one day. If you’re new to tattoos, always consider the placement of your first tattoo! Getting it on your arm could mean you have to deal with it being highly visible, a permanent reminder of how you never think too far ahead. And if you end up getting more tattoos down the track, that one little one you got as a taster could end up ruining your future sleeve!
Artistically expressive tattoo!
Now this is one of the most inspirational tat I’ve and I’m sure y’all have ever come across. We all know, whenever there is wrongdoing or conflict in any relationship, somewhere or the other, money is the reason behind it. Well, someone thought of conveying this message openly and he got this inspirational tat, not a simple cite but in an artistically cool way. There is cite reading ‘Money is the root of all evils’ a tree with a note and small bats flying around signifying evil. One of the most artistically striking tattoos ever!
Via: bp
Sexy gal with a compass tattoo…Which way would you go?
Y’all have to agree with me that same tattoos worn by different people have different appeal and when adorned by sexy babes, even the simple tats are attention grabbing. Compass tattoos are not that new to the tattoo industry but if it’s here, it has to be simply incredible. Pictured here is a cool compass tattoo adorned by a sexy chic. Neat piece work of art on this sexy gal’s belly is simply eye-catching.
Via: Flickr
Never quit…Binary encoded tattoo!
Clap your eyes in the tattoo pictured above. Can you recall something? Well, you’re right, these are binary digits! ‘There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those who understand binary numbers, and those who don’t.’ For all guys who fail to remember, binary numeral system or base-2 number system used by all modern computers represent numeric values using two symbols, usually 0 and 1. Don’t take me wrong for trying to explain you the whole of binary system. I’ll stop here with a note that the geeky binary tat adorned by this nerd is simply neat! Not to forget binary encoding says ‘never quit’-two simple words to live by…
Via: Flickr
Don’t fall asleep while getting etched…
Planning to get yourself etched? Here’s a suggestion from my side. Don’t be drunk or fall asleep during the tattoo session else you’ll end up scarred for life just like eighteen-year-old Kimberley Vlaminck. She entered the Romanian tattoo parlor ‘The Tattoo Box in Courtrai’ and asked the tattooist, Rouslan Toumaniantz to etch three little stars on her face and ended up with a constellation (56 stars). Guess what happened during the tattoo session? She fell asleep as she was fully drunk and awoke to ‘this nightmare’. Embarrassed with a constellation on her face, Kimberley is suing the tattoo artist for £10,000 and wants to get some of the stars removed which would require surgery costing £8,500. What makes me wonder is how can this happen? How can someone fall asleep during a tattoo session? Sometimes small mistakes can cost a lot…
Via: Dailymail
Blue rose tattoo- Adding grace to your tender neck!
If someone asks you to close your eyes for a second and think of a flower, in an instant what would it be? I’m sure it ill be a red rose, being the most popular flower. But what if someone thinks of a blue rose? Blue rose symbolizes ‘attaining the impossible’ and they have always been covered in mystery. Everyone talks about it , but meet this tattoo freak whoes got this mind blowing flower etched on his neck. A unique and attention grabbing piece of work. I really loved this tattoo, because of its beauty topped with the charisma it enfolds. Hats off to the mastermind!
Via: Tattoos-and-art
