Branded Babies, Real and Silicone, by Dietrich Wegner.

above image composite by laura sweet

Australian born artist Dietrich Wagner's Cumulous Brand is a series of sculptures and photos in which babies (real and silicone models) are covered in multicolored tattoos in a meditation on how our identities evolve and how we declare them.

Sculptures:
Cumulous Brand
silicone & foam, 14 x 12 x 7 in


Cumulous Brand, Sebastian As Grandma Susan
silicone, human hair, glass eyes & foam, 17 x 15 x 10 in



Cumulous Brand, Bill
silicone & urethane, 12" x 8" x 8"



Clay modeling or the above sculptures was created by Julia Ambrose of Toolmark Studio and Barbara Wegner

In the following photos, the initial child photography is by Mark Fainstein and the 'tattoos' are digitally applied by Dietrich Wegner.

Digitally Altered Photos (inket prints):
Cumulous Brand, Sabine & Sebastian,
inkjet print 30" x 45" & 40" x 60"


Cumulous Brand, Sabine Sitting Up
inkjet print, 30" x 45" & 40" x 60"


Cumulous Brand, Sebastian as Grandma Sue
inkjet print, 30" x 45" & 40" x 60"


Cumulous Brand, Sebastian as Auntie Gretchen
inkjet print, 30" x 45" & 40" x 60"


Cumulous Brand, Claudia, Beatrice & Sebastian
inkjet print, 30" x 37" & 40" x 50"


Cumulous Brand, Beatrice
inkjet print, 30" x 45" & 40" x 60"


Cumulous Brand, Sebastian in the Park
inkjet print, 25" x 17" & 44" x 30"

all images courtesy of Dietrich Wegner
Deitrich Wegner has other interesting art projects as well, see them all here.

A big shout out to Inhabitots for bringing this unusual work to my attention

This is not the first tattooed baby art project I've blogged about. Be sure to check out the Drill Baby by Jason Clay Lewis:

Tattoos and Tentacles. Julian Murray Captures Inked People with Things That Squirt Ink.

Tattoos and Tentacles is a new coffee table book featuring a collection of photographs of inked people, wearing very little except their body art, and draped in cephalopods that squirt ink (that's a fancy way of saying octopus and squid).

The slimy but sexy photos were taken by Minneapolis based Julian Murray with the art direction, digital retouching and layout by Lacey Haire.



Below is a selection of 20 images from the book, some of which have been cropped for this post.



















Shopping for props:

Shooting the book:


The 9"x12" 144 page book in hardcover format has full color photographs throughout.




In addition to the book, 11 of the photos are available as posters:


Buy the book and/or posters here.


About Julian Murray Photography and Design:
Minneapolis based Photography and Graphic Design team specializing in the music, fashion and advertising industries. From creative concept photography, marketing campaigns and family portraits to website design, company branding, and print collateral + everything in between.

A Permanent Reminder Of What Plagues The Planet: The Social Tattoo Project.

Let me say, right off the bat, that this doesn't sound like a very good idea to me. But then again, I'm not a tattoo-type of girl. Permanently inking the world's problems on one's body seems akin to tattooing a loved one's name on your body. Things might change... and what seems relevant or important today could very well be obsolete in a decade or so. But kudos to the courageous volunteers who are lending their body as a canvas to advertise their social awareness.









That said, the Social Tattoo Project is a quest to make empathy permanent by taking today's world problems, such as the recent tragedy in Norway, the earthquake in Haiti or Human Trafficking and emblazing them on your skin. The twist is that those who volunteer to be part of the Social Tattoo Project let Twitterers decide what the actual subject will be.







For each tattoo, they will post 4 trending topics on Twitter, and the most tweeted trend will be the subject of the tattoo. To vote, tweet #socialtattoo and your #favorite trend of the 4 to @social_tattoo. With your vote and their volunteers’ skin, they can make what the world empathizes with today, what you have to care about forever.



Mary gets a #Japan tatt:



Ulises gets a #Norway tatt:





A brave volunteer receives a #Haiti tattoo:







And another, a #Human Trafficking tattoo:







Learn more about the Social Tattoo Project