This Thursday, students will have the absolute pleasure of getting tatted up by Martha, Kesi and Liv – all of whom hail from one of Ōtepoti’s most iconic tattoo parlours, Subconscious Studios. As a part of OUSA’s Art Week, the Subconscious artists will be camped out in the Main Common Room all day. Critic Te Ārohi is fizzing.
Speaking with parlour owner Martha Butler, the plan will be for each artist to bring their two of their own flash sheets (pre-drawn designs – like a tattoo menu). “It’s been great drawing new pieces,” she explained. Think of Martha, Kesi and Liv as the holy trifecta of tattooing – they each have their own individual styles, meaning there will be heaps to choose from. “My designs will be fine line, flowy and intricate,” Martha said. “Kesi will be going funky and bold. Liv will be doing cute little handpoked pieces!”
Due to not having a particular theme for the day, they’ve been given total creative freedom to “thrive” with their pieces. But when asked about what we could expect to make an appearance on the flash sheet, Martha was careful not to let us in on too much – good things come to those who wait. “Think ornamental, florals, funky, random, and pretty pieces,” Martha hinted. Expect lots of never seen before designs, plus some previous flash that haven’t sold but the trio are adamant on doing.
If you’re liking what you’re reading, there are some things that you’ll want to know before you step foot in the pop-up studio. Designs start at $120, and go up to $200 depending on the piece. They’ll also only be taking cash, so make sure you swing by the ATM (luckily they built one outside the Link earlier this year). Also, don’t forget to have a good breakfast, and know your schedule. Chances are you’ll need to book a slot for sometime in the day, and it’s rude to bail on a date. To secure a slot and design, you’ll need a $50 deposit and be over the age of eighteen – bring your ID! Martha also recommends skipping Pint Night this week, as alcohol can thin your blood.
“We recommend having an idea of placement beforehand,” Martha added. “Some artists will be doing arms and legs only.” It’s also worth bearing in mind that there won’t be any divider screens, so the team doesn’t recommend getting more intimate areas tattooed at the pop up. If you’re interested in decorating something like your upper thigh or ribs, consider booking in at the physical studio. They won’t be doing areas like necks, faces, feet, hands or fingers either.
Critic asked what Martha and the team most look forward to about these big flash days – poking people all day must be tiresome. Nevertheless, Martha assured that they were all “so excited”, and feeling “lucky and grateful” for the Art Week invite. “We’ve done ‘away from home’ expos before in different cities, but doing one close to home is great,” she shared. For her, the best part about flash events like this is the people that her, Liv and Kesi meet. “Hearing people’s stories, whether they’ve put a meaning to the flash piece, or they’re getting it just for fun,” Martha explained. While it’s a full on day for the trio (“the next day we one hundred percent feel it in our backs!”), they love hearing about what everyone is studying and picking up random fun facts. “It takes a couple of days to recover physically, but it’s so worth it.”
With some wise parting words, Martha reckoned that flash days are a great day to get your first tattoo. “We have so many people getting their first tattoos on flash days because the pressure and overthinking isn’t there,” she said. “You choose your design, you know how much it’s going to cost and how big it will be, you book it, you get it done! [There’s] not such a huge pressure of thinking about it for weeks beforehand!”
Finally, while Subconscious Studios do allow double-ups on some flash designs if you’re wanting to match with friends or family, the team try to only do each design once so each person can have their own “individual piece that no one else has” – so it’s first in, first served. Get in fast!
