SCARWARS

Sorry it’s been so quiet here at the SW blog; my life has become very busy lately and regrettably the blog is one of the things that’s had to suffer in the face of not having enough time for everything.

Things are finally slowing down and hopefully I’ll be able to get back to a daily SW update.

Tonight we have our old friend Brian (photographed in ‘06 at SWLA) apologizing for the lack of picture updates. Brian and I will be traveling a bit soon;

Easter weekend we’ll be in Dallas, TX for the SusCon.
May 2-8 we’ll be in Las Vegas for the APP conference.

So expect much more of Brian in the coming weeks!

There’s a long story behind this painting that’s far too boring to go into…. but it sort of fits the holiday mood. My pal Rick Lohm painted this for/of me; you can catch him tattooing at John Joyce’s Scarab Body Arts in Syracuse, NY.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I haven’t done much in the way of non-photo updates in the past, but I think my friend Matt really captured some of the “why” in the following passage from the intro to the (consistently delayed) Scarwars book.

Excerpt from Scarwars forward by Matt Lodder:

“Why, then, are more and more people, outside of direct cultural influence, driven to get scarred? A cry for help? Mental disturbance? Self-harm? Thse are all easy labels to use- the process is painful, invasive, messy. The cuts bleed and the process of irritating them to ensure successful scar formation is often excruciatingly painful. Nevertheless, scarification is markedly different from angry, impulsive self-harm, or “cutting”.

Scarification involves a deliberate selection of design, placement, symbolism, form and healing. We’re not talking for the most part about slashed wrists and razor blades, although it is indubitably true that for some the line can be crossed. Instead, scarification is consensual, considered, calm; the rational expression of what, to many, may seem an irrational desire.”

I met Philip in Toronto, the evening before the first MODCON event. Shannon and I had thrown around the names of plenty of well known photographers to document the event (Joel Peter Witkin was contacted but couldn’t comply with our requests) and the job finally fell into Philip’s capable hands.

We were all so goddamn young. That was ten years ago.

Philip documented all of the Modcon events and when the time came for a portrait photographer for the first Scarwars event, there was only one name on the list. Phil worked under grueling conditions for three straight 15+ hour days and produced a body of images that helped put faces to the new scarification culture.

Today is his birthday, so send him some love.

A quick “Happy Birthday” shout-out to my old friend Tom Brazda. (right, with Jesse Villemaire, left)
Hope it’s a good one my friend!

I’m whipping up a website exclusive shirt/book combo that will be available late October 2009; incredibly low print runs (books will be around ten copies, shirts will be around 25 printed) available only through pre-order.

The book is from the same small printer that’s created the Modprom SW book (limited to two copies) and the APP exclusive (limited to 10 copies) and will feature tons of fun photos from the three SW events. Hardcover, 11.25″ wide and 8.75″ high with twenty double sided pages and a wrap around cover. (which is currently the AC/DC inspired text cover but is subject to change)

The shirt is going to be a “baller variant” reprint of the classic Hearts with Scalpel design by Dave Gillstrap done in metallic gold, silver and copper.

Book + Shirt combo: Limited to ten sets and available in small-xl at $66.60 shipped in the US. For other sizes/destinations inquire about price.

Shirt alone: Limited to 15 shirts and available for $25 in small-xl with shipping within the US. For other sizes/destinations inquire about price.

Contact me at shawn@scarwars.net for payment information.