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Fancy getting a bit of ink with a difference? And for nothing (in old money)? Well, you should pick up your Magwitch-style leg irons and shuffle your way to CL(INK) at the Ace Corner Shop in Shoreditch on September 11 and 12 (that’s this coming weekend). There’s a special tattoo pop-up happening as a promotion for wine brand 19 Crimes. There are loads of publicity stunts for drink labels all the time in London, but this one could have a long-lasting legacy. On YOU.
The CL(INK)’s temporary tattooists are offering a rather unique historical treat. There are 19 designs available, which have been conceived by a team of renowned artists in collaboration with tattoo historian Dr Matt Lodder. Dr Lodder’s expertise means that these designs are authentically informed by the kind of ink that would have been common on convicts and seamen in London in the 1700s, some influenced by the cultures the latter would have encountered around the world. Research shows that around 80 percent of both sexes of prisoners would have likely had tattoos by the end of the nineteenth century.
For a bit of added authenticity, tattooists Jack Brown and Connor McNeilly will be offering a modern interpretation of the traditional stick-and-poke method (pre-booked appointments only), so you can really get a feel for the whole prison-hulk vibe. Alternatively, the modern electric gun approach will be available for walk-ins from the fêted Delph Musquet and Priem.
The Cl(INK) is part of 19 Crimes’ ‘19th Cork’ campaign, which gives people the chance to bag £1,000 worth of cash prizes if they find the titular nineteenth corks, concealed in the necks of bottles across the country. It’s like Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket wheeze except there are no Oompa-Loompas and you’re still holding a bottle of wine at the end of it. Clues will be given to anyone who picks a ‘mystery tattoo’ at the CL(INK). For everyone else, there’s a tasty range of skulls, courtesans, cryptic messages and devils to choose from.
Now got a really strong urge to make that ‘aarrhh’ noise, but that’s pirates, isn’t it?
CL(INK). Ace Corner Shop, 149 Shoreditch High St, E1 6JQ. Sep 11-12, 11am-8pm. All tattoos free. Walk-ins on a first come, first serve basis; stick-and-poke tattoos pre-booked slots only. Book here.
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