Interview

Joe Brown – Polynesian Tattoo artist

Q1. What inspired you to find a career in the tattoo indusrty?

Answer: ” My father began cultural tattoos in the islands, and I decided I’ll carry on what he did. My dads work has really inspired me and I’ve just been fond of cultural patterns. Each day that comes by I try crteate new methods and ways of creating the tattoos.”

Q2. how long have you been a tattoo artist?

Answer: “I started my business in a garage. I’ve recently just moved into the studio in Mangere East for about 8 years now”.

Q3. What do you hope to achieve as a tattoo artisit?

Answer: “I really just want to perfect my work. I want to promote the cultural pattern to everyone and put these kind of tattoo on ethnic groups of all kinds.”

Q4. How do you plan on managing your buisness in the later future?

Answer: “I have 3 boys, the eldest 15, middle 8 and the youngest 5. I’m hoping I can pass the buisness onto them say they may continue tattooing and  putting cultural tattoos on others. I’m not forcing them into it, but it’ll make  me proud if they did”.

Q5. What do you find interesting about cultural tattoos?

Answer: “It’s different from other tattoos. I like cultural patterns because the different shapes and shades used to make the tattoo. I find it really eye catching with end result. Just stands out.”

“Dancing is a big part of my life. My late father, Chief Edenshaw, Morris White, started dancing traditional Haida performances at the age of forty. I grew up watching and listening to the traditional songs. Many beautiful appliqu’e – designed robes decorated with mother – of – pearl buttons were being made for dancing”.

The sculpture was created because of family traditions of dancing. Traditional dancing relates to my theme ‘culture’ because of it’s origins. The sculpter expressed his dancing by sculpting a cultural form of someone dancing with a stick.

Related Stuff -Formal

This image is of ‘Tongan people’ who are in debt. I think this image relates to my theme of culture because, the stereotype of Polynesian people being broke.

Stereotype links to my theme culture, because you claim one thing about one culture but that’s only of one persons opinion. It’s like when people say Asian people are drivers when

that’s a stereotypical comment.

This video is of the St.Peter’s Samoan group this year at the ASB Polyfest. This video is intresting, because it shows many different types of songs that are sung in the samoan language. I find it intresting because they make it look funny with the crazy dancer that runs around.

This  video relates to my theme of culture becasue of the different types of art. Airbrushing is something I find really intresting, and a really wacky way of making art.

This video from youtube is of my performance at the polyfestival in 2008. This is a cultural festival that happens annually in Auckland.

It is when all secondary schools gather together to compete against eachother in different dance catergories. It consisits of many cultures ranging from Tongan, Samoan, Maori, Cook Island,

Niuean and Indian stage.