Sage's Adventures at BMXnet Berlin

This year was the 20th anniversary of the Body Modification Exchange Network, which Sage attended representing Utopia Body Arts Aberdeen. This conference is a collective of speakers, artists and practitioners from all facets of the body modification world - tattoo, piercing, body modification, suspension, jewellery making and more! Whereas other conferences are very industry specific and a closed event, this event welcomes the whole community in one place to share knowledge and experiences. People from all over the world travel to Berlin every year, and this was the biggest one ever with more than a thousand attendees.

Sage attended live demonstrations of scarification from world famous artists, seeing the uniquenesses in how they each work. Watching work be performed live gives a deeper understanding to every step involved in the process and how intricate these modifications can be. This conference showcases what many others don’t, which is the more extreme and experimental side of body modification. Is it for everyone? No. But for those inspired by pushing the limits of aesthetic and modifying the body, this is a place to truly feed that passion.

There were dozens of hook suspensions to observe, as well as classes on safety, first aid and practicality of hook suspension. Our good friends from Seattle, Lynn Loheide, Brien and Alex Isenhart put on a fantastic seminar on the first day, presenting a wealth of information on hook suspension and finally performing the most beautifully executed four point suspension with Alex as the suspendee. What a way to kick off the four day event!

Aside from modification and piercing classes, Sage also attended some amazing historical presentations. The highlight was definitely J’son D’Souza’s talk on the history of piercing in the Indian Subcontinent - an in-depth look into the first examples of internal thread, insertion pins, and needle tapers. This gave such an insight into where our precision equipment was born from, and where our modern body jewellery has evolved from.

Not just classes and demonstrations, vendors and jewellery makers also flock to Berlin. Sage picked up some GLORIOUS pieces from Sacred Symbols and Kiwi Jewelry, which are rare brands to find stockists of in Scotland. If these are brands you have been looking for, we have just stocked up on some gorgeous new designs featuring genuine diamonds, tourmalines and more. Visit us at Utopia Body Arts Aberdeen to see the full new range.

This conference is also a rare opportunity to see folks collected in one place that you never get to see unless at events like this. Friends from around the world that you maybe only see once or twice a year. It is very soul fulfilling to be around like-minded people and connect with new and old friends.

All in all, a truly amazing event and a life changing experience. If you are curious about what goes on at events like this - check out the BMXnet instagram for a closer look into it.

A huge thank you to our amazing clients that allow us to be able to venture out and attend amazing events like this. Allowing us to remain fuelled, inspired and come back with a renewed passion.

Thank you for reading!