The idea

It was some time in 2004 or 2005. I was working for the Anthology Film Archives as a projectionist, and a few other institutions in New York City, that place that was established by Jonas Mekas, Stan Brakhage, Jerome Hill, P. Adam Sitney and Peter Kubelka, the maker of the film "Arnulf Rainer".

The project originally started out as an idea for a tattoo. Ever since I was about 16 years old I knew that it would like a tattoo, but I also knew it had to be the right tattoo or I didn't want one. Told myself that if I could come up with a good idea and sit on it for 6 months that it was worth putting on my body for the rest of my life.

Well, years went by and a few ideas came and went. Then finally one day, I don't even remember exactly how, it just hit me that I should get a tattoo of Arnulf Rainer. I didn't even have to sit on the idea. I knew right then and there that if I got that as a tattoo then it would be great from the day I got it until the day I die.

However, I eventually had to wait a few months anyway because I needed to save up for the tattoo. I wasn't sure how much it was gonna cost, but I was sure it would be a few hundred dollars.

After some time and a lot of confusion over how that tattoo would look I eventually worked out a simple arm band consisting of 13 frames and the title. After talking of this for sometime at the Anthology Film Archives, or Anthology, everyone knew about it and was excited to see the results. One person in particular was Bradley Eros, a somewhat well known filmmaker and generally pleasant character in the New York City experimental film world. At one point Bradley even asked to shoot the the tattooing process. "Sure," I said with ideas of being in a new film of Bradley's.

Later I found out that he only meant to shoot the process for me to maintain a copy. Still a great gesture and I am very glad he did so, but at the time I was under a different impression.

The tattooing process took over 4 hours and over two different sessions. It all took place at New York Adorned, a tattoo parlor just up the block from Anthology at the suggestion of another colleague who had many tattoos himself. Much of the first session was taken up by discussion with the artist, Yoni Zilber (who still works there), as to how the tattoo will look and how to get it done. I naively was thinking about that tattoo as a photograph and I wanted an exact 35mm film strip impression on my body. When in reality tattoos are obviously a drawing. So, after much deliberation Yoni came up with a good guide that I was happy with.

By the end of each session I was rather exhausted both physically and mentally. I have never been one who deals well with needles and of course I second guessed myself many times before and during the process, but eventually I made it though.

Now, 8 years later I am still very satisfied with the tattoo and I am still very glad I got it. Not only is it a representation of my passion for Arnulf Rainer the film, but also for cinema in general. The tattoo contains perforation, frame lines an optical soundtrack - all the elements you would expect on 35mm motion picture film.