Philadelphia Ink

Marianne Bernstein snaps South Street's most permanent art.

by Julia West

Marianne Bernstein PINNED-UP GIRL: For Tatted, Philadelphians opened up about the ways of their flesh.

[ photography/books ]

Associated with prickly needles and pain tolerance, tattoos can get a bum rap. The meaning attached to certain tats doesn't help their cause — a half-empty teardrop represents the murder of a loved one who was avenged, for instance, and a spiderweb on the elbow signifies time spent in the big house. But today's ink, no longer associated solely with rough men of the high seas, is all about personal significance. Tatted, GritCityInc.'s gorgeous new coffee-table book ($34.95, Dec. 7), uses peoples' tattoos as windows into their souls, codes that reveal deep personal significance. And Marianne Bernstein, whose fascination with tattoos inspired her to capture portraits of inked-up South Street pedestrians, is the woman behind the lens. Armed with just a camera and a notepad, the 53-year-old Philly photographer — who most recently curated "Shelter" at the Painted Bride (through Dec. 18) — asked strangers to jot down the meaning behind the art adorning their arms, legs and various and sundry other body parts. We chatted with Bernstein via e-mail in anticipation of Tatted's launch party at Pure Gold Gallery, where portraits from the book will be hung alongside their subjects' original notes, those small scraps of paper that open up a floodgate of backstory.

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City Paper: What is it about tattoos that warrants an entire book (not to mention TV shows on TLC)?

Marianne Bernstein: People are endlessly fascinating, and we are all looking to find ourselves in each other. Tattoos are totems — they hold secrets and stories, and provide mysterious hints to a person's life. As commonplace as tattoos are these days, they still have shock value. Needles, pain and blood aren't comfortable things. But there's also something retro about getting a tattoo. It's ritualistic, a lifelong commitment, a rite of passage.

There are many tattoo books out there, and 99.9 percent are geared to the tattoo community ... they're mostly about the history and significance of tattoo iconography. Tatted is something new: It's a book of portraits of strangers first, about tattoos secondly.

CP: How do you see old-school tattoo folk (sailors, bikers, etc.) reacting to the new generation of tattoos and the mass acceptance of them?

MB: Just read Tattoo Eddie's interview in the book. It's hilarious. I'm sure there's a lot of pride in the old-schoolers of being the true renegades, and maybe sometimes regret that it's gone so mainstream.

CP: Was it important to photograph the handwritten notes rather than type them up and use them, perhaps, as captions?

MB: Each person's handwriting is unique — some letters rounded, others sharp — you can almost sense personality coming through. I love the layers of information in the shape and text of the handwritten notes. Watching each person write their note was very poignant. It was almost like receiving a love letter. I felt so fortunate again and again to have strangers offer up their time and give of themselves in such an open, personal way. And I think they were just as surprised as I was. It all happened so fast. They probably didn't have time to process it until later.

CP: Did you look at this project from the angle of capturing portraits? Do you feel that the photos are of the tattoos, or the people wearing them?

MB: I am a portrait photographer. I'm endlessly fascinated by people. The essence of each person comes first — and then the devil is in the details.

CP: Were there any themes that you found popping up in the tattoos?

MB: Anna Paige [owner of No Ka Oi Tiki Tattoo on South Fourth Street], who has tattooed all over the world, told me Philly has more word tattoos than anywhere else — which I found interesting because the first printing press was built here. As a writer, I am very interested in word tattoos. I even created some poems where I strung together words I'd photographed — imagining these people walking around town, unbeknownst to each other — concrete poetry in motion. Heaven and hell came up a lot.

CP: South Street is a great place to find tattoos on all different types of people. What does South Street mean to you as someone involved in the Philly arts scene?

MB: I just returned from L.A. yesterday. And I often think to myself when I travel that I could have only done this series on South Street here in Philly. Not only does almost everyone have a tattoo at this point, but it's a tolerant, very relaxed melting pot.

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CP: Did you spot more men on South Street with tattoos than women? How do you feel about girls with tattoos? Is that a statement in itself, for a girl to have tattoos? Or do you think they're so commonplace now that it makes no difference?

MB: Funny you should ask. Initially I was going to do a tattoo book called His and Hers. I was going to put all the men in the front and then you could turn the book upside down and see the women's tattoos. I was and still am curious about the choices people make on many levels. But in the end I'm happy mixing it up and not making distinctions. I think at this point there are as many women with tattoos as men on South Street. And there is such variety, it's hard to generalize. I photographed one guy with a flower and hearts tattoo, and a woman with a gory Hannibal Lecter tattoo on her arm with blood dripping from his mouth. As for me — I don't ever pre-judge a person just because they have a tattoo. Who knows? I might even get one someday. I'm just afraid of needles.

CP: It surprises me that a person with no tattoos of her own would be so drawn to people who have them.

MB: I am endlessly fascinated by people. I also like to push myself and venture into unfamiliar territory when I can — it keeps life alive and interesting.

(julia.west@citypaper.net)

Tatted launch party Thu., Dec. 10, 7-10 p.m., exhibit through Dec. 24, free, Pure Gold Gallery, Piazza at Schmidts, 1050 N. Hancock St., Suite 57, gritcityinc.com.