SCARRED FOR LIFE
BY WALL DONE, 10/01/2012
California, place where I wouldn't mind spending this weekend will soon become crowded with photography enthusiasts seeing that Photo LA is about to start its 21st edition January 12 - 16, 2012. Photographer Klaus Pichler or to be exact, his images from the 'Skeletons in the Closet' series, get to be temporary residents right at the Galerie OPEN booth.
Meanwhile at Wall Done we're having a closer look at his new book 'Fürs Leben gezeichnet' and the world full of teardrops and spider webs. Thanks Julie.
Tattooing mainly used to be common amongst sailors and prisoners. That's why people used to say they'd been out at sea when they'd been in prison really. Obviously no one believed them. If somebody was covered in tattoos people knew he'd been in prison. It was imprinted in people's minds, tattoos equals criminal, especially amongst the older generation. You could also tell by the way they were done and there was a certain type of pictures which was only done in prisons. Three dots between the thumb and index finger, a cross, Che Guevara, a dot on the face, a spider's web, women's names or a bunch of grapes. All these used to be typical prison tattoos.
Mr. V., 51 years
Traditionally tattooing used to be mainly for people from the prison scene, nowadays it is trendy everywhere. I'd say if you compare modern day tattooing to the old tradition, many people just feel very important nowadays. It never just used to be a tradition, you know, but it was also a sign of being part of a criminal culture. Everybody who got put away for a while just had to have some done. Well, you didn't exactly have to, if you didn't want to do it you didn't do it, but nearly everyone had some done. Criminals were criminals and they were tattooed. That was it. We were outsiders and with our tattoos we made a promise not to join the mainstream.
Mr. L., 63 years
There was no way of stopping people having tattoos done in prison, not even back in the 70's when we weren't allowed ink and needles weren't available. We just made all the stuff ourselves. The colour was made by cutting a piece off the rubber sole of our prison shoes, burning it and covering it with a tin bowl which created a layer of soot on top. We mixed the soot with toothpaste or shampoo. The red colour was made using brick dust which we scraped off the prison walls. Our needles were usually sharpened paper clips, pieces of wire or guitar strings.
Mr. J., 57 years
All images © Klaus Pichler
