Step 6 of 8

The room as a tattoo shop

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In this box, Gijs keeps his stick-and-poke material; yet another artform that Gijs loves to pursue. He tells us about his activities as an amateur tattooist. Instead of working with a machine, he inks people manually with a technique called ‘stick-and-poke’. Whereas a tattoo machine pulsates at a swift rate to perforate ink into the skin and quickly create a detailed shape, the stick-and-poke technique requires the artist to place every little puncture by hand with a needle, and a small line can easily cost ten minutes. Besides giving an entire new workflow to tattooing, it is also something that Gijs can simply do in his room.

Gijs discloses his early fascination with tattoos: from quite a young age, he already knew he would get tattoos when he was older. A number of people from his group of friends whom he met during his studies, either had tattoos or tattooed themselves, often using the stick-and-poke technique. The material for this method is so accessible, that it was easy for Gijs to start experimenting with stick-and-poke as well. Gijs confesses that he looks back with queasiness on the first tattoos he made: although they were not of poor design, he used a sewing needle attached to a pencil and a plain inkwell from school. He gladly tells us that he has since improved on his methods with regards to used material and especially to hygiene! He has now placed about 7 or 8 tattoos on his legs, and he has placed a number on his friends as well.

For Gijs, the creative process behind tattooing differs a lot from creating a painting or sculpture. For one, there is of course a different technique that has an impact on artistic vision, but there is also an intimate side to spending a few hours inking artwork onto someone’s body, that painting on a canvas does not have. Gijs has a small tattoo of a wind turbine on his upper leg, which exemplifies this intimacy quite well. On a camping trip to Zeeland, with two of his friends who could stick and poke as well, Gijs shared with them an alcohol-infused moment of profound companionship while they were on a walk. They came across an enormous wind turbine, and marvelling in it, they all decided to tattoo a small version of the enormous structure. This intimate moment has now been captured on Gijs’ body.

Gijs’ room is imbued with his tattoo designs and stick-and-poke material, and in turn, all the other parts of his room collage are a source of inspiration for his tattoos. Perhaps most striking is a ceiling corner where all of his single-use needles hang from the plaster: every time Gijs is done tattooing, he shoots his needles up into the ceiling, and so every tattoo is commemorated and worked into the fabrics of his room.