the point - Association of Professional Piercers

FROM THE OUTSIDE, LOOKING IN
REFLECTIONS ON THE APP CONFERENCE,
MEXICO CITY 2006
Jason Pfohl
Gorilla Glass
Oaxaca, Mexico
As an American living in Mexico I am occasionally asked about the
new wall the U.S.A. has begun constructing on its southern border,
attempting to “secure the border” with Mexico. I try to explain that
the wall is political, not physical, and that not everyone supports
walls and security cameras. I am always greeted with polite skepticism;
everyone knows Americans are apathetic.
The good news is the first APP Conference in Mexico was anything
but apathetic. This event was a true reaching out across linguistic,
cultural, and political borders.
In Mexico it is not uncommon to see piercing and tattooing done
on the street without gloves or sterilization. In the historic center of
the city, on Argentina Street, you can find city blocks full of jewelry
of the cheapest substandard quality. In this predominantly Catholic
society, job discrimination because of piercings is commonplace,
and tattoos have an indelible criminal stigma. Despite, or perhaps
because of, these stigmas, piercing is flourishing in Mexico. I read a
report estimating that there were 1,000,000 piercings performed in
Mexico City alone in 2004. I am sometimes surprised at the number
of full facial tattoos and extreme body modifications I see -- a radical
rejection of the current and dominant social norms.
In this enthusiasm for body art there is sometimes an abandon of
caution and a vacuum of basic information. Now with the emergence
of a third and fourth generation of new Mexican piercers, there
is a hunger for information and betterment of the technique and
possibilities in the art. Indeed, the conference exceeded maximum
capacity (there was only room for one hundred people). This was also
evidenced in the attention and participation of the piercers. The new
generation wants information. Obviously the APP Conference is just
another stepping stone in a long process; it is the piercers themselves
who have the responsibility of raising the standards.
Amongst the instructors there was also a tangible enthusiasm and
excitement. By reaching outside of the usual venues and circles, there
was an opportunity for self-reflection and a renewal of purpose. In
contrast to the APP in Las Vegas, the absence of the vendor show in
Mexico afforded a clear focus on education and information; corporate
rivalries and politics were circumvented altogether. The APP
Conference in Mexico was educational, first and foremost.
As cultural ambassadors and guests, the APP instructors and Board
Members continued an exchange and extension of earlier relationships,
both personal and professional. Ana Paula and Danny Yerna
have been involved in the APP for years. Their organizational and
translating skills, and hospitality was inspirational and heartfelt. The
cultural exchange was evidenced by several extra-curricular activities;
canal rides with the mariachis in Xochimilco, field trips to the Anthropology
Museum, and a pilgrimage to the Temple of the Sun in
Teotihuacan. This exchange was exemplified one evening in Coyocan,
when APP president Alicia Cardenas, who is part of an Aztec
dance troupe in the U.S., joined a group of traditional Aztec dancers
in a downtown park. The sparks in the eyes of the dancers, the
enthusiasm of the drummers, and the exchange of food and thanks
afterwards was all evidence of bridges, rather than walls that the APP
is helping to build between neighbors.
24 T H E P O I N T ISSUE 35