A Belfast tattoo artist says she is excited to take part in a Valentine’s Day event at the Ulster Museum by sharing some designs based on the institution’s collections and archives.
Helen McDonnell, owner of Skulduggery Tatu, will be inking guests at the ‘Late Late Love Lab’ on the most romantic date in the calendar.
Helen McDonnell
She and her colleagues will be part of an event that includes a DJ set, talks on the love lives of animals, and a bath-bomb-making workshop from Lush.
Helen told the Belfast Telegraph she hopes to get through six or seven tattoos — either temporary or permanent — of bespoke museum-inspired designs.
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She said: “They asked us if we would like to come and look at the collections.
“It’s very special and forward-thinking of the museum to invite people in like this. It’s really opening up the Ulster Museum as a collaborative space and a community space.
“Obviously they have a lot more collections that we don’t see. So, you know, I suppose it’s good the public know they can request to see these.
“Myself, Darren McCrellis and Alex Johnson have visited and chosen certain items that we’ve then created tattoo designs from, which people can get on the night of February 14.
“Going into the museum, it was quite overwhelming, because there’s so many amazing collections. Do you start in the Egyptian section, or do you start in ceramics? It’s quite difficult to narrow it down. The staff were fantastic in bringing us around.”
Alex Johnston from Skullduggery Tatu at the Ulster Museum. Photo: Neil Harrison/PA Wire
She was particularly attracted to pictures children had drawn of the museum’s taxidermied birds.
She “really hopes” someone chooses to get a tattoo of the designs inspired by these.
She added: “It’s all down to the imagination and what they see, and there’s no right or wrong.
“It’s wonderful, it’s charming, it’s got a sense of humour. There’s no restrictions on it.”
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She views the involvement of august institutions like the museum as a sign of how much attitudes have altered towards tattooing.
“I’ve been working long enough in the industry to see a lot of changes regarding how tattoos are perceived,” she said.
“I think people are coming around towards the idea that it is creativity and it is expression… it’s not the antiquated idea of it being something socially undesirable.
“The fact that the museum is supporting this is fantastic.
“They understand the fact that museums around the world have examples of tattooed people.
“And there’s no discrimination with that, so there shouldn’t be on a daily basis either in society.”
The Ulster Museum (PA)
The museum contains artefacts from the South Pacific, and Helen says travelling to that region has been a big influence on her craft.
She explained: “It’s so different (there), you are higher up in their society if you have tattoos, and it’s a complete turnaround from what we have experienced in this part of the world.
“I talked to some of the staff in the Ulster Museum about the fact that they have artefacts like this.
“This can be problematic, because these items shouldn’t be in a museum in Northern Ireland, they should be back where they belong.
“Their answer was great. They said that they’ve been in touch with the countries and some have agreed to let these artefacts stay.
“There is a dialogue there, which is great.
“We’re not just appropriating these artefacts, having them on display, rather than realising this is a living culture.”