Traces of the Real exhibition now open

The Traces of the Real photography exhibition opened last Thursday at the Fumbally Exchange, Fumbally Lane, Dublin 8. The exhibition displays the work of Hugh McCabe and song exposure photography.

"A song exposure photograph is a photograph of the performance of a song, and is created by opening the shutter at the start of the song, and then closing it at the end. The resulting images capture the stages and equipment in vivid detail but cast the performers and audiences as fluid, transient and ghostlike presences in front of the lens."

The Exhibition is on until April 21st, and is open 11am to 5pm everyday.

Make sure to go along and check it out and also keep an eye out for the next issue of Griffiti which will include a full recap of the exhibition and an interview with Hugh McCabe.

Ireland's tattoo industry today

Take a walk around Dublin’s city centre and you’ll find it difficult not to pass a tattoo studio. In recent years, the popularity of tattoos has grown immensely and I thought it was time to find out how well the tattoo industry is being received in today’s society.

I headed to The Dublin International Tattoo Convention in the D4 hotel, Ballsbridge, last November where hundreds of artists from all over the world were there to show off their skills. I spoke to customers and tattoo artists to get the latest on the tattoo world and why more and more people are getting inked.

I first got talking to Sasha Delaney, a teacher from Clondalkin, while she was getting tattooed at the convention.

To begin with, why did you decide to get a tattoo?
I was 26 before I even got my first tattoo. I wanted to wait to make sure it was the right one. I think that they can look really nice when they are done well. I’m really into my piercings as well. Once you run out of places to pierce you start tattooing yourself!

What were your considerations before getting your first tattoo?
I work in a secondary school so it had to be somewhere that when I wanted to show it off I could but that it could be very easily covered also. I don’t think I would go below my knees or above my shoulders, apart from my foot, especially because I’m working in a convent. Nuns don’t like tattoos, or piercings for that matter!


What else do you consider before getting a tattoo?
Well obviously who is doing it is a big deal. I would never go to anyone whose work I hadn’t seen or who hadn’t been recommended in some way. It’s nice to see the studio because you can kind of get an inkling as to what they are like.

Do you worry about how your skin will mature with tattoos?
The one on my back I’m not too worried about because it’s on a piece of skin that’s probably not going to sag too much and no one can see my thigh so I’m not too bad.

Have you got any plans to get any more tattoos after this?
Well I want my side piece done next. I think I’ll wait a while because I think it is going to be big so it will have to be done in two or three sessions.

In your opinion, how are tattoos viewed in society nowadays?
I don’t think it’s a big deal anymore, I remember when I was younger and if someone had a tattoo it was ‘oh my God, shock horror!’ Most people have tattoos now. The only difference is that there are a lot of people walking around with really bad tattoos. There are a lot of girls going around with what I call fashionable tattoos. In ten years time they’ll look at them and think to themselves ‘oh dear God what did I do that for?’ They all seem to be the same. I just think that sometimes people need to think about what they are actually getting and to do it for themselves and not because everyone else is doing it.


Rachel Byrne was left with a less than positive experience after last year’s tattoo convention. I spoke to Rachel as she was getting a large tattoo on her back repaired and covered up.

Were you happy with your tattoo when you first got it done?
The first design I got I was happy with when the artist drew it out, but then he went along and did his own thing. Each session it was further from what I wanted. So I waited a year so I could find the best of the best, by looking at all their portfolios online.

When it was first done, did you say to the tattoo artist that you were not happy?
Yeah, but he just kept saying ‘It’s going to be perfect, it’s going to be amazing, trust me!’

Would you consider getting more tattoos after this?
Yeah, it is addictive so I do try to keep the craving logical. If you give into the craving you’ll end up with them all over your body. My back and side are fine because I can cover them up if I want to.

How do you think society views tattoos, is there still a stigma attached to them?
I think it’s going away slowly, because unfortunately it’s becoming a fashion item at the moment. A lot of people are getting them. Years ago it was the hellraisers and the trouble makers that used to get tattoos but nowadays every young one on the street has a tattoo.


Despite the recession, tattoo studios are still doing steady business. I met Ken O’Donnell who has recently taken over the running of Red Dragon Tattoo and Piercing Studio in Clondalkin and found out how he thought the industry is coping in this harsh economic climate.

How is the business going for you so far?
We have steady business. We could be busier but like any business it takes time to build up. The customers we have are loyal, they keep coming back and we are proving we can beat the bigger studios, both on quality and on standards.

What makes Red Dragon different from any other tattoo studio?
From the studio point of view we are very relaxed. It’s more like a family than a business. There are no egos. Everybody has a place. Everybody does whatever needs doing to make the business work. There’s no such thing as being the artist, or being the apprentice or being the boss, we just do whatever it takes. The customers pick up on this so they feel comfortable. We are turning out good quality work in a nice friendly environment and they seem to like it and they come back to us.

Have you ever felt frustrated with having to hide your tattoos?
I’ve never felt frustrated; I understand that it’s a generational thing. For a lot of people, they still carry the stigma that there’s something rough, tough, and almost second-class citizen about having tattoos. There are so many people that I know, business owners, undertakers, solicitors and doctors who all have tattoos. Because of the nature of their work they are forced to keep them covered and not have them on show. It would be lovely if we were eventually fully accepted into society. We will someday, because as I’ve said it’s generational. Someday we will actually get to a point where they will be allowed, they will be accepted and it will be normal.

Is there anywhere you won’t get tattooed?
I won’t get tattooed from the neck up and I won’t get tattooed from the wrist down. I can still cover my tattoos when society wants me to cover them. I still see it if I go away or if I stay at hotels. I still get the second looks. I’ve had people complain on planes and say that I must be sitting in the wrong place because I’m sitting in first class and I’m tattooed, so how could I afford it? I have had a guest at a hotel leisure centre ask me to cover up because his wife found my tattoos offensive. My response was ‘I actually find your beer belly hanging over your shorts offensive. I haven’t told you to cover up, please don’t tell me to’.

Is there anything in the tattoo industry that you don’t like?
I don’t like bad artwork. I don’t like the people who have watched the television programme, they’ve bought a DVD, they’ve gotten the kit from ebay and all of a sudden they call themselves a tattoo artist. It ruins the industry and ruins the business. Choosing to get tattooed by a poor artist is peoples’ own choice and something that we can hopefully educate people about.

So what does it take to become a proper tattoo artist?
It takes a lot of skill, hard work and dedication. You’ve got to know how to draw and be a very good artist with a pen. You’ve also got to have a very good teacher. Also, you’ve got to have an unlimited amount of patience because you don’t learn it overnight. It takes time and patience. You’ve really got to want to do it. For the majority of artists, it’s not a business you’ll get rich in. There are a handful of people in the world that have become rich from tattooing. The rest make a nine-to-five wage.

What’s your view on TV shows such as LA Ink and Miami Ink?
They have done a lot of good for the industry. Yet hey have also given a false perception. There are the initial stages, the stencilling, the getting ready and the person sitting there for four, five or six hours it may take while they get tattooed. Unfortunately in a one hour programme, you see six or seven tattoos being done. Yes it gives a false image, but it has made it popular, and anything that makes it popular and hopefully more socially acceptable is great. I mean, it’s great that here we are in one of Dublin’s most prestigious hotels at a tattoo convention.

It seems that tattoos will still evoke a range of reactions - from interest, admiration and astonishment to disgust and fear. Peoples’ reasons for getting tattooed haven’t really changed. Some get them to acknowledge loved ones, some as a tribal or traditional experience, some to provoke a reaction and some just because they can be beautiful works of art. There are still many who do not like tattoos, but today there are more professional tattooists around who take immense pride in their work. The public is better informed now, more than ever and know to look for quality and advice before taking that major leap into permanent body art.

Gill Pringle

New issue of Griffiti out now!

The new issue (No. 43) of Griffiti is out now! Pick up your copy around campus or online HERE. This issue includes an interesting look at the conflict in Libya, a lighthearted look at the man's world (of Warcraft) as well as the usual SU news and entertainment.

Conflict in Libya

Griffith student Abdullah Neihum recently returned from Libya, where with the organisation Libyan Emergency Aid he and fellow student Neil Darcy set up, delivered much needed aid to the stricken country. In the latest issue of Griffiti, Jonathan Keane speaks with Abdullah about the journey over there and what is next for him and Libyan Emergency Aid. Prior to his departure, Abdullah also spoke with student Peter McKeever before leaving for Libya.

So tell us Abdullah what’s the story, what are you going over to Libya for?

Abdullah: It’s part of an aid convoy we’ve set up over the last two weeks, Libyan Emergency Aid we’ve called it. It’s part of the LSSA (the Libyan Social Solidarity Association) which is a registered charity, to send over aid and to collect donations of aid from hospitals around the country and maybe even buy pharmaceuticals at cost value and send them over to Libyan hospitals through Egypt from the east. So far it’s been really good we were able to send over a good few containers. I’m actually going over there myself in a couple of hours to meet the containers once they reach Cairo.

And how did you put it together?

Abdullah: I was in Griffith College and I got in touch with Ann Daly – one of the lecturers here – and she passed on a number to Neil Darcy, who basically met up with me and we started plotting out how we were going to do it, what we’re going to do with the haulage, what hospitals are available for us or what hospitals are going to be giving donations to us. Between myself and himself within about four days we were able to send a forty foot and a twenty foot container really, really quickly and really efficiently so that was good.

What are you expecting to find when you get to Libya?

Abdullah: Well we’re going through Egypt first so once we get to the border we’ll assess. I mean it’s going to be another two days before we’re going to come up to the border. Hopefully on the way we’re going to be interviewing people involved with aid convoys already there, and once we reach the border we’ll assess if it’s safe enough to go in. We’ll go in with the convoy all the way to Benghazi and hopefully interview actually members of the new government, that’s the sort of mission at the moment. We know that the aid is already going in there we just want to interview the people involved and the new government if we can get in touch with them.

We hear you have family in Benghazi have you heard anything from them?Abdullah: Yeah my grandmother is in her seventies and is on Skype to us most of the time. She’s a little worried you know, she’s homebound, but Benghazi is nowhere near as bad as what’s going on in the west, which is going to be our next sort of point of interest ‘cause there’s already enough aid going to the east. A lot of people are doing okay, well you know relatively, compared to what’s going on in the west. In the east it’s going fine you know they’ve already formed the new government and it’s been recognised by a number of major countries around the world. It’s just a matter of sort of spreading that sort of control across to the west as well.

Do you think the US, the UK, and France have reacted in time to this?Abdullah: I think they reacted very . . . calculatingly. When the Americans didn’t do or say anything for a week everybody was going “why weren’t they doing or saying anything?” It felt like they didn’t really care, just sort of hid away from the situation. What was going on was they were actually taking Americans out of Libya before making any announcements in fear of any Americans being held hostage by Gaddafi. So that was the case and there was a certain level of, you know, things that they have to get right first. There is a good reaction from the Americans at the moment.

How bad is the humanitarian situation over there?Abdullah: People are getting picked off in the street. Snipers are just shooting randomly in the west and they’re getting civilians who are protesting. [Civilians] are being shelled by tanks walking in the streets. I was talking to a Libyan businessman about twenty minutes ago and he was saying that the situation in Az-Zawiyah, the town outside of Tripoli, is actually a war zone. Try and imagine that civilians in the city, a city that’s in a war zone itself. There’s Libyans shooting Libyans and mercenaries. It’s Gaddafi killing his own people.

What was Libya like under Gaddafi?
Abdullah: Not too unlike this. This is the kind of tyranny Libyans are used to. This has been going on for forty years, it’s just now this is at a peak where it’s just a massacre. But there is a sense of fear. Libyans have just been quiet for so many years. People who opposed him (Gaddafi) just disappeared, or were even publicly hung. When he first took over, people were in fear the whole time but now I think the only difference is that Libyans are going out there and they’re not afraid anymore, you know. They go out there with their lives at risk and they know that there’s a very good chance that they would die but they’re actually going out to do it. Whereas before there was very quiet acceptance of the oppression in Libya it’s just gotten to the stage now where, because of what happened in Tunisia and what happened in Egypt, I think it sort of built up.

Are you nervous going over? Is the adrenaline taking over?
Abdullah: Nervous. Two days ago, definitely nervous, I think you kind of accept it. We’ve been in touch with quiet trustworthy people who are totally in control who are going back and forth between Egypt and Libya that we know. We know that were in good hands going back and forth.

How does your family feel about you going over? Are they nervous to see you leave?
Abdullah: Yeah I suppose. My mother is a very driven person; she’s an activist as well. She’s a doctor over in the Lourdes and she’s the one who, along with myself and Neil Darcy, worked together to make sure that we could get this aid. It was her contacts mainly that I led from for the donations to happen. She’s worried but if you’re a Libyan and your watching this happen and you have an opportunity to do something and you don’t, then you’re at fault. So I’m sitting here and I know I’ve so many opportunities to do something right and help people out, I have to take it.

When – hopefully – Gaddafi is ousted from power what kind of Middle East would you like to see in the future?
Abdullah: There are a few obstacles I think. There’s a wide range of interests, you know, particularly in the Arab world. There are liberals like myself and my family, but there are also religious conservatives. They’re a personal concern for me, like most people would be accepting the Muslim Brotherhood have done some great things for us. They’re not a danger as such but they are extremely conservative. I wouldn’t see eye to eye with that type of Islam, but again, they have done huge amounts of work for the Arab world and that’s why they have been a threat to the likes of Gaddafi, Mubarak, and Ben Ali. They’re held in such high regard by Muslim people, but there has to be a middle ground. You can’t just have this Islamic sort of take over. The idea would be to have a democracy that we can think and vote for what we want to vote for and do what we want to do.

How do you feel the media have handled the situation?
Abdullah: I was more informed in the first week because I had Twitter; I had feeds straight from Arab countries. The media was very slow and – I was saying this to a friend yesterday – mainly because Libya was in a state of blackout that you couldn’t confirm any stories and obviously the media has to asses things before they can actually report it. So there’s a lot of things coming out that could’ve been rumours that had to be assessed so it took two or three days to confirm things such as death tolls, you know, you never knew what was true or not until a couple of days later.

You can the read the accompaniment interview in the new issue of Griffiti.