Piercing Al Fresco

This photo is a footnote to yesterday's posting about the Police Riot Concert held in Washington Square Park. Click here for a photo collection and click here for a short video. When I told people, young and old, that I had photographed piercings being done outdoors on the ground, everyone had the same reaction - "outdoors, on the ground?" But I found it in keeping with the defiant spirit of the event. After all, I am not sure prudence, propriety and proper procedure apply to attendees of a punk rock concert. At first glance I was not sure why these people were sitting on the ground looking looking at something - closer examination revealed the object of interest to be a small zippered case opened to display body piercing jewelry, disposable rubber gloves (and I imagine the piercing tools themselves). Actually, it appeared that the piercer was operating as professionally as she could under the circumstances. Body piercing, of course, has an long history and large subculture. It's a world unto itself with many facets: the jewelry, the procedure and tools (sterilization, autoclaves, needles, cannula, scalpelling, dermal punching), healing and cleaning, allergic reactions, scarring, keloids, infections both bacterial and viral, where to pierce etc. Click here for a good overview ...