Participatory tattoo project. Launched 2021. Ongoing.

The body is not permanent. It is part of an indefinite cycle of change. We are born into this world in a shell of flesh we ourselves did not chose, we live in surroundings over which we only have relative control and when we die, our bodies will transform into soil to nurture future lives. But we are all here together, under the same moon, surrounded by the same sea.
The tattoo project revolves around interconnectedness and seeks to create a collective around mark making on bodies, creating a unity whilst celebrating individuality. Tattooing has been part of Hesselholdt & Mejlvang’s investigations throughout the years and has been incorporated into both ceramic urns and drawings. This is the first time the tattooed objects will be actual humans themselves.
The text is partly derived from an old Danish map of the oceans of the World, hanging in the small Maritime Museum in Tharangambadi (former Tranquebar), India. Hesselholdt & Mejlvang took notice of the sentence and later refined it into its current length. Being surrounded by the same sea tells a tale of affinity, of remembering that in the midst of all the differences between us, at the end of the day, when looking at the same moon above us, we become one.
If you want to be part of the art project, you are welcome to purchase a tattoo and drawing. Every tattoo is individual and yours alone. But you will be part of a community of people with the same sentence and illustration. Every tattoo and drawing is alike, yet unique. You also get an original and signed drawing of your tattoo to hang on your wall.
Suggested price is €200 – pay less or more if you like (payment for the execution of the tattoo not included). 50% of the income will be donated to sea preservation organizations.

For inquiries about the project, please write studio@hesselholdt-mejlvang.dk

Photo: Hesselholdt & Mejlvang.