East Coast Colour: ‘Mari Lora Aprile’ by Jonas Barausse
Aweh julle!
So, here it is. Our first post for the newly brand spanked segment called ‘Durban Ink: East Coast Colour’. The days of tattoos being taboo and controversial are long gone. The often flaunted notion of future regret has also died since it’s argument was based on convincing some one how stupid they would feel when they were old and wrinkly and their chops had the texture of cottage pie and the faded colours to match, while your pensioner peers were clean. Ok so, I’m pretty sure that is not an issue anymore because I know for a fact that if I live long enough to see the inside of a retirement village, most of my friends will have cottage pie tattoos with me. In fact, or een fect, someone with out a tattoo will definitely be in his own club. Maybe he could call his club, ‘Club Minority’.
- Hmmm, yummy! Apparently, not so much as skin though…
To the point, they’re here and we want to start celebrating the creative and meaningful pieces that people have chosen to ink on themselves as memorials to the ones they love, symbols of their faith, the moral of hard lessons learned, or illustrated shrines to moments in their life which were so tremendous or paradigm-shifting that they choose to honour it as long as they are living by inking it into their very identity.
East Coast Colour will lay out the story behind some of Durban’s well-known and dearly loved citizens favourite pieces. This is probably the part of zero31.co.za that I feel most emotionally attached to and if you have followed this blog for any period of time, you’re probably not surprised that I chose my good friend Jonas Barausse from The La Els to kick this bad guy off the ground.
Thanks to i art ink (previously Mayhem Inc.) we can help you be a part of this culture too. We’re giving away a R500 tattoo voucher to kick this series off. All you have to do, is go to the Zero31 Facebook page and check out the instructions under ‘Competitions’.
So, now you know the East Coast Colour deal. Here’s Jonas’ story, let’s get started…
Whats in a name?
Well, for me, a lot. Especially the one on my arm.It reads ‘Mari Lora Aprile’.
She’s my grandmother. My nonna. And a big part of my heart.
She’s the type of gran everyone loves, her family is the most important thing to her, her grandchildren untouchable and flawless. Her cooking the type that warms the soul and stomach, and each time the six grandkids arrive for one of her epic lunches and we each know there will be a dish for each one of us, made in a quantity all can share. She’s a survivor, a protector, an explorer and my rock. Whenever we sit together for one of those mad lunches she always says “one day when I’m not here, promise me you kids will still do this, still get together. Always keep your family close”.
I love that about her.Her and I have always had a special bond and already some years past I had decided that when she died one day, I would get her name tattooed on me to always keep her close. A visual reminder for a memory of a person I would love forever.
But then, on one of those days that life seems to throw you back to back curve-balls, I realised something. Life’s too fucking short. All the more so when it comes to showing someone how much they mean to you. So I made a call. Literally, I picked up the phone and dialed up Dusty from i art ink. I told him the deal and seemingly within seconds he came back with what’s now on my arm. Nicole, who owns the studio, did the actual tattoo and I was instantly the most stoked grandma’s boy you ever did see. I loved it. It was perfect. The lines and curves, the touches of blue. All of it.
I’d never broached the subject with my gran, but hoped she’d see it in a good way. Even if that would only come in time. Two hours after leaving the studio I was knocking on her front door, tentative about how she was going to take it but still brimming with stoke (it’s also my first tat, can’t blame a kid for beaming a bit). She opened the door and greeted me with the traditional kiss on each cheek and warm smile. Her gaze dropped almost immediately to my right arm, her eyes widened, her mouth opened a bit, but no words came out. She grabbed my arm with both hands wrapped tight around my fresh ink. And she smiled! She smiled so hard all I could do was smile back. The fact that her kung-fu grip on my tat was burning like a Chinese bangle over a chronic sunburn didn’t matter. All that mattered was that my nonna got it. She wasn’t disappointed or taken aback. She saw it for what it was. And she was stoked!
I guess tattoos are a lot of things to a lot of people. Mine will always remind me of my nonna’s smile that day and, in turn, of her. I couldn’t be a more chuffed Jo if I tried. First tat win! Already itching for number 2, 3 and 4.
Ja, you want that voucher now, don’t you! Head over to the Facebook page for details. Durban, you are loved.
Your In Permanent Marker
TwoSlice Dré
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Our precious miracle of a daughter was born on the 20th April last year, and 4 days after she arrived, we made hand and foot prints which are now framed and hanging on our living room wall. My lady wants to get our daughters hand print inked on the inside of her right wrist, with her date of birth underneath, and I want to get her name on the inside of my forearm, with her footprints in the background – so that no matter what life throws at us, we will always be with our baby girl. As Jonas’ gran says – ‘always keep your family close’ and what better way to do it?!? I have 11 pieces, and have no intention of calling it quits any time soon=]
‘who will save me from this body of death’ – simultaneously biblical, deep and chuckle-worthy. and it gets more appropriate with age…
So, I’d have a grey-scaled and as detailed and as realistic as possible side shot of a male lion fiercely standing on a startled snake with one of his front paws. The snake is turning back at the lion hissing, trying it’s best to defend itself.
The lion’s face is full teeth-bearing, and pretty peed-off looking. And with his other front paw is starting to swipe down and end the snake’s life.
The meaning is that there is a war going on between love and loveless, good and not-good, holy and un-holy* and the war is going to end. Hopefully soon. But it hasn’t yet…hence why the paw is still coming down.
It’ll be on the outside of my left bicep, right next to the second of (only) two pieces that says, in a beautiful font: “Alive or just breathing” that’s on the front-facing side of my bicep.
{little secret, Bruce and Sarah’s lil girl rocks, and they’re rad people so wouldn’t be too bummed if they won hey…or if we tied and you had to pick both of us. Just saying}
The article above brought me to tears… literally. I also have a very close relationship with my Nonna and love the idea of Jonas’ tribute to his Nonna.
I would have “There’s no such place as Far Away…” on my forearm. It would be my first and only tattoo.
For a while now, my mom, sister and I have wanted to have this matching tattoo done.
On our 21st birthdays our mom bought us this book, the title There’s no such place as Far Away by Richard Bach. There’s a line in the book where the narrator explains to little Rae that “I cannot go to be with you, because I am already there.”
We have been a bit of a ‘satellite family’ over the years and have often lived apart, and that tattoo would be a reminder that wherever we migh find ourselves, we are always together in spirit.
P.S. I’m sure our Nonna would also totally approve the tattoos…
Shooooowow!!! Feeling a little emotional due to the rad comments and stories – you guys are too good – but I need to put the cherry on the top… Zane, you are the cheesypoofiest, but I just got married this weekend, and I would love for nothing more than to give this voucher to my wife as a wedding present of sorts – in your name of course=] SOOO… IF I win, you would get extra super duper extra brownie points from both me and my beautiful wife! Just saying… Much love, peace and ink=]
Mine is really sentimental:
Sven, Ray and Myself are each getting a bulls-eye on our asses for the impending 30th birthdays. It’s all about the deep inner struggle 3 mates have to climb up onto rooftops and balconies and smoke cigars together.
We’re starting a company called ‘Knight, SInnema and Axelrad’
Ray is the brain, I’m the mouth and Sven is the Axelrad.
and our names will be on the door.
this really deep spiritual experience, should you grant it to us, will mean that everytime we toast our whiskey glasses together and say: ‘name’s on the door, with bullseye on our asses’ we’ll actually be able to MEAN it. and everyone else will, for once, actually be aiming up at us, wishing for what might have been.
Sven has a sun on his hip, a star on his bicep and a playing card on his foot.
I have a tattoo of Africa on my forearm and a scripture on my leg.
Ray is as naked as the day he was born…
and he has no tattoos.
Okay, so, my tattoo idea was designed and drawn by me. It is a tribute to not only japanese culture and tattoo art, but to my mom and sister too. Us three have been through so much together so far in life that I find it fitting to get my second set of tattoos in honour of them. Basically our lives revolved around a very abusive man, and all we had was each other, if it was not for them, I doubt I would be alive today. The three things in my tattoo are koi fish ( which symbolizes courage, the ability to attain high goals, and overcoming life’s difficulties, and being two koi fish, each one representing my mom and my sister) koi fish are a huge symbol in japanese art which is fitting as I’m a huge fan of japanese art.it all started with the koi fish overcoming the waterfall, which in japanese culture means they struggled and then got through hard times, they even say that once the koi fish overcomes the jump up the waterfall, it turns into a dragon. The second thing in my tattoo are the cherry blossoms, again huge in japanese art, the beautiful period of its flowering and then the all too soon fading and subsequent scattering of petals on the wind, symbolizes life itself – but not life in some abstract and distant sense. The fragility of the cherry blossom is the fragility of human existence; its brief period of life, like our own; its implacable movement toward death, indifferent to the good things of this world, is the ideal death for a samurai warrior; and finally, its individual and perfect beauty is also ours. And finally the scroll ,which will obviously contain my mom and sisters names. The tattoo was also designed in a way that the whole piece is in a shape of heart, again representing my love for both art, tatoos, japan and my mom and sister. The piece will also go on my chest, as it is close to my heart. Sorry for the long essay
. Ps, my other tattoo are both on my forearms, one being the <3 symbol and the other being :p. Oh and please see attached picture. http://plixi.com/p/80384146
Hello Good People
I had my first ink done on Saturday and even though I screamed like a little girl and used words which may have made dirty mouthed sailors cringe, I am addicted! My first tat is dedicated to my sisters… All three of us had the star constellation The Three Sisters done for each other… I added the saying “La vita e bella” which I had wanted for seven years but seemed appropriate to get put next to my tat for my sisters… They are two of the most important people to me and the reason I can smile on the crappiest days
My next tattoo would have to be “A Jesus Christ Production since 1988” because even though I have spent the majority of my life running away from God and rebelling against everything that has to do with him, he has never left me… He has kept me breathing when I should have died, he has stepped in on every suicidal mission I sent myself on and has loved me unconditionally through it all… It’s a love I can not describe… When I finally decided to turn to him again he changed me, made a new person, a whole person. He broke my drug addictions and filled me with so much love I have no idea what to do with myself most of the time… He mended broken relationships with my family and gave me friends who have shown me the true meaning of friendship… Still I see his hand over my life, supporting me in everything I do and guiding me along my journey. He has healed me in every possible way and so my life is dedicated to bringing him Glory… I will be a Jesus Production until I die. My love for Him and His people is so deep but will NEVER compare to the love he has for me… Indescribable…
So there you have it…
La vita e Bella xoxoxox
My daughter asked me the other day if I wanted a tattoo, what would I get?
I doubt she expected the response I gave her. Her face covered in SHOCK had a hint of pride as I described a Japanese themed tattoo of a Geisha who has an open fan over half her face only showing only her eyes, with Cherry Blossom trees in the back ground (on my back) She told me to enter this competition and I agreed to get it if I won.