It’s hard to imagine, but I think it could result in chaos. So many different minds trying to produce a singular flow is surely bound to create friction. And yet, that very challenge is exactly what theArt Fusion Experiment is all about, and you know what? Not only do they make it work, but the results are amazing.
The Art Fusion Experiment was started by Paul Booth and Filip Leu in the year 2000 and it was exactly that – an experiment. Ryan Martinie of the rock band Mudvayne hooked up with Booth and Leu at the Tattoo the Earth festival. An idea was hatched for the two artists to work together at the same time on Ryan’s chest and basically “jam” the way musicians will sometimes play together, never knowing what the end result will actually be. Well, the hotel room tattoo jam session resulted in a stunning piece of work that both artists agree they never could have created independently. That collaborative effort gave birth to the Art Fusion Experiment.
Knowing that collaborative tattooing may not be welcome in many venues, Paul and Leu decided to instead work with charcoal on canvas and began taking their “show” to different places. Eventually, three more talented artists would join the Booth/Leu duo – Bernie Luther, Sean Vasquez and Guy Aitchison - adding an element of balance to the performance. The project evolved into a ballet of the five artists working on five canvases – each five minutes, they switch places and continue the exchange until the time – usually around two hours – is up. Pretty soon, a “fever” had spread and many artists were trying their hand at this new and challenging artform. The project is just as popular with spectators as it is with the artists themselves – massive crowds will gather just to watch the creations evolve as these men and women work together.
One of the greatest challenges of this effort may be overcoming ones own ego. Starting a piece with a specific idea in mind and then having that idea completely changed by the next artist working on the canvas can be a humbling experience. That is one of the essential lessons of the Art Fusion Experiment.
In 2002, a “camp” was formed to train artists on collaborative painting. The premise of the camp is that all egos are left at the door and all people from all walks of life come together to speak one universal language – art. Even Paul Booth himself still learns from these collaborative sessions saying, “You have to take time to be a student; not always the teacher.”
One of the most unique qualities of the Experiment is that it fuses not only the artists themselves, but also the bridge between tattoo art and fine art. That bridge has always been shaky and one that many tattoo artists have had to fight to have recognized. The Art Fusion Experiment testifies that tattoo artists are not only capable of fine art, but many of them surpass the talents of some contemporary artists because of their ability to create elaborate pieces of art on a living canvas where there are no erasers and there is a much higher level of commitment involved in each piece.
In 2004, the A.F.E. was acknowledged for what it truly is when the National Arts Club invited Filip and Titine Leu, Paul Booth and Guy Aitchison to perform live on both forms of media – cloth and living canvas. This exciting development has led to even more recognition for tattooing as a fine art form and qualifies the Art Fusion Experiment as a true movement, changing the very face of the tattoo medium and how people perceive it.
Today, the project continues to grow. Offshoots of the original program are popping up at tattoo conventions such as the Hell City Tattoo Festival, which features several sessions during the weekend that never fail to draw large crowds. The A.F.E. camp continues to grow and has welcomed participants from almost 30 different countries. And the bridge between tattooing and fine art gets stronger and stronger as more fine art venues find ways to incorporate tattooing into their curriculum, such as the Baltimore Ink show held at the Baltimore Museum of Art.
This particular movement is so close to my heart as it is my personal mission to preserve the art of tattoo and encourage acceptance through education. Efforts such as the Art Fusion Experiment oil the wheels of the acceptance train and I have the utmost respect for Paul Booth and Filip Leu for turning a hotel room experiment into something bigger and more beautiful than any of us could have imagined.
Photo Gallery: See a Time-Lapse of the Experiment in Action and the Finished Pieces
