The eighth London International Tattoo Convention will take place at Tobacco Dock from Friday 28th to Sunday 30th September 2012 when over 300 of the world’s best tattoo artists will practice in public.
For three days, Grade I listed Tobacco Dock warehouse in Porters Walk will be packed with artists, exhibitions, musical acts and alternative entertainers.
The International London Tattoo Convention at Tobacco Dock is now the biggest tattoo show in the world – bringing over 20,000 visitors and worldwide media attention to Wapping.
Visit www.thelondontattooconvention.com for more information and to view the full three day programme.
Tobacco Dock map – for Wapping visitors
Find the London International Tattoo Convention at Tobacco Dock, 50 Porters Walk (off Wapping Lane), Wapping, London E1W 2SF [view map] – 5 minutes walk from Wapping Overground Station.
Tattooing, art and Wapping history
The great explorer Captain James Cook who started work as a young sailor on a merchant ship hauling coal from Whitby to Wapping is thought to be key in the European discovery of tattooing as art.
Cook explored the Pacific in the eighteenth century, taking artists and scientists on his voyages where they first met people who practiced the art of decorating the body using a bone needle to force natural dye deep into the skin.
Cook brought the news back home with him and body art and decoration was then observed in Europe soon after.
After watching artists at work during the Tattoo Convention last year it’s almost impossible to conclude they are anything other than highly talented artists – some of the best in the world in fact.
So maybe the question is more about the art being drawn on skin rather than paper or canvas.
The London International Tattoo Convention 2011
Traditional tattooing techniques at the London International Tattoo Convention 2011
A brightly coloured mohican at the London International Tattoo Convention 2011
The 2011 London International Tattoo Convention attracted artists and visitors from all over the world
Around a third of UK adults now have at least one tattoo, which means about a third of Wapping residents will have one too. But whatever your views, it’s definitely one for thought next time you’re enjoying a pint in Wapping’s Captain Kidd pub.
Visit www.thelondontattooconvention.com for full event details about the eighth International London Tattoo Convention taking place at Tobacco Dock from the 28th – 30th September 2012.
