Blood, color and multiple forms of body modification were all over the Dallas Market Center this weekend as “Ink Fest” made its annual stop in Dallas and although the event seemed like a vibrant tapestry of color it was sadly dull.
Artists from all over the state came to show their talents, compete in competitions and permanently scar the masses from Oct. 10 through Oct. 12.
When first entering the convention it seems like the stage is set for a day of pure entertainment.
There are tattoo booths everywhere the eye can see, a stage in the back of the show floor and a series of suspension hooks promising the spectacle of piercing suspension.
Unfortunately, the charm of the event is short lived. Unless patrons show up with the intention of getting a tattoo there really isn’t all that much to do at the event.
After taking a couple of laps around the room the experience becomes slightly boring. The occasional half-hearted comedic act on stage does liven things up every now and again, but these events were few and far between, leaving boredom to ensue.
The only real entertainment for those not being permanently changed came in a suspension show.
This is an event where a person allows a piercer to put several rings on his back and triceps.
The person is then hung by the piercings about five feet in the air and proceeds to swing back and forth.
The whole process is fascinating and supposedly the closest a human can come to flight. Although some might find this practice disgusting, given that the piercings stretch the skin quite a bit, others will be blown away by the science and ingenuity that is a suspension show.
Once my rounds were made I decided it would be unfair to judge the event without undergoing some body modification myself.
With this in mind I looked around for the best deal to get a tattoo I have outlined colored in and thought I had found it in Elijah Nguyen’s booth.
The price was $150, which seemed fair enough, and I sat down to receive some pain. Sadly, that was about all I did receive. The artist more or less butchered my arm causing me to bleed more than any other body modification I have undergone. Being no stranger to tattoos I asked the gentleman if the amount of blood was normal and he responded yes.
After about an hour of work and what seemed to be a pint of blood loss I decided to call it quits on the inking and paid for what had been done.
I started the process late in the evening, so I can only assume the artist was in a hurry to go home, but still the rushed feeling created too much tension and plasma loss for me to continue with the coloring.
It is common to hear horror stories about tattoos from conventions and although I hoped to disprove the cliché I could not and was left with a pussing arm for the next few days.
Although I had been looking forward to this event for more then a month, it left me with little to remember. I love body modification and love to mark events on my body with tattoos but this year’s “Ink Fest” is an event which will be forgotten.