*** IF YOU TOLERATE THIS, then your children will be next…*** As some of you may (or may not) be aware The Manchester International Tattoo Show held at Manchester Central run by Jazz Events has been moved from it’s August position in the calendar to Saturday, February 28 & Sunday March 1, 2015. The exact same weekend as Tattoo Tea Party run by Neil Dalywater which is also held in Manchester, at EventCity only 9.1 miles away. You can spin the politics, sweep history under carpets and forget the ‘he said, she said’ b*llshit. But you cannot hide the fact that this is clearly a move designed to ‘muscle out the little guy’ that is arrogant at the least and disastrous for everyone involved at best. The decision to move the shows dates forward by 4 months (clearly in order to clash with a rival show) has been taken without any consultation with retailers, traders or - most importantly to me - the artists. This move adversely affects the livelihoods of EVERY ARTIST that works EITHER SHOW because it effectively halves our audience REGARDLESS of which show we work. And we - tattoo artists - have had no say in this, at all. Nothing. Businesses that operate outside the world of tattooing, motivated only by money without regard for the livelihoods of the artists who’s efforts and artwork they profit from simply shouldnt be allowed to make these kind of aggressive commercial moves without - at least - first consulting working artists in order to confirm that any move would be acceptable to everyone concerned. So, It’s this - the latest in a line of aggressive moves - that has forced me into making a decision that I may not have taken if I had been given another choice. But, because I cannot condone or accept the actions of Jazz Events and have been given no opportunity to register my opposition or opinion I am forced to show my objection using the only means left to me - my absence. Skin Deep magazine was one of the first magazine anywhere to publish my work and their support has been a huge help to me, both Sion and Trent are also friends of mine so I dont take this decision lightly. Effectively immediately, I will no longer be supporting or contributing to either Jazz Events, Skin Deep or Tattoo Master. This means I won’t be working any of their shows in the future. I won’t continue to write my column in Skin Deep or contribute to Tattoo Master. Unfortunately, my move is nothing more than me voicing my opinion. But I hope that (if you’re still reading) you’ll also consider supporting the tattoo industry in the same way I have. • If you’re a tattoo fan. There are many - industry owned & run - conventions that happen all year - on different weekends - that have co-existed happily for years. You’ll find most of the best artists in the country choose to attend these, myself included. • If you’re a tattoo artist PLEASE consider my decision. As artists, we lend our names to organisations in order for them (and us) to make money. Support people who love tattooing first and foremost!
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 11:23:59 +0000
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