For more information on suspension visit – http://www.suspension.org/

There are varying levels of competitiveness between people when it comes to suspension; how much you know, how many hooks you can take, how well you can hang, how much you can pull. Of course, there are also those like Nick Whipple who are in competition with no one but themselves as they push their bodies further and further with this art. It is typically the people who aren’t focused on who they can outdo or one up that manage to accomplish some of the most amazing feats. Recently, Nick was able to reach his goal of remaining suspended for 24 hours, and it is a suspension that has been in the works for quite some time now. Nick was nice enough to take some time for an interview to tell us about his experience with the suspension and his plans for where he wants to take suspending from here.

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It’s always a compliment when people from the suspension community go out of their way to work with your team. Having people travel to be suspended by you is such a wonderful gesture, and when that travel means making a 10,000 mile trip to get there, I would say it’s a clear sign that your team is definitely doing something right. There really isn’t any question for me on whether Skindependent Suspension is a great team, they have probably been the most organized and well run team I have ever worked alongside. Along with that, getting to see the photos and hear the experiences people have with this team makes it apparent why Siv and Peter chose them to facilitate their beautiful tandem suspension in February.

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Many of you may have noticed that Hook Life has been a little quiet lately. With all the work of suscon planning, things definitely got a little slower here, but that is about to change! So let’s kick things off with a stunning suspension performed by the State of Bliss crew in England that I have been dying to get posted. Tam Smith was kind enough to let us use these photos taken by Tara Li-An, and took the time to tell a little about where State of Bliss has come from and more importantly where they are going. A lot of things all came together for this suspension to take place, from the right suspendee and crew to a photographer willing to modify her studio just to accommodate the project. I am certainly happy it all fell into place, the result is absolutely wonderful.

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Any time a book on the topic of modern body suspension is announced, I get incredibly excited. When that book is by an incredibly talented photographer like Stefano Moscardini, I find myself going from simply excited to checking my inbox daily for when it is ready to release. There are far too few books on the topic, and luckily after today you can add Suspension of Disbelief to your list that you absolutely must have. Stefano is such a valuable part of the European suspension community. He dedicates much of his time to helping document events and suspension gatherings with his beautiful photography. He is one of the rare additions to our community who although he doesn’t suspend himself, finds much of the same joy and love for it that we all feel. He was nice enough to take a moment to tell us a little more about his history with suspension, and his new e-book on the topic, including a sneak peek into the book at the end of the interview!

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Recently, WNWO News took some time to interview Bradde and Bethany of Mercury Suspensions at their studio Open Minded in Van Wert, OH. In their small town, they seem to be an exception to the negative reception many people feel from their local communities when it comes to modification and  body suspension. Previously, they have been in the news for the support the city has shown them in opening their studio, and now they are being shown the same support with the suspensions they offer. We all know media can be a touchy thing to approach; often you have no real guarantee of what kind of spin they will put on the final presentation when it airs. It’s definitely wonderful to see two people who are such a great addition to our community being treated so well in the media. As opposed to it being presented as a shocking and scary practice, the video gives them a chance to explain what it is they do and answer some questions about it. I recently had the chance to ask Bradde and Bethany a few questions about their experiences with being so open and public about what they offer, and how they feel it might impact the legality of suspension as it becomes more and more visible to law makers. Although laws regarding suspension are pretty limited in the US, it is something that I think we will see more of as time goes by and the suspension community continues to grow. I honestly can’t say which side of the fence I am on; is it better to be proactive and put out there what you do so that you might have the chance to educate those making laws regarding suspension in the future or to remain under the radar and be forced to possibly have to play catch up when states begin to look more in depth at our craft? Either way, I am happy that if there are going to be faces in the spotlight representing what we do, it is two people who are not only fantastic individuals, but also skilled and responsible practitioners.

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I was told once that the more it hurts to lose someone, the greater the life they led. It’s the first thing that comes to my mind for comfort when someone I care for passes away. To me, those words make the pain have a purpose. Every tear you shed for someone lost is because they earned it during their life. Every kindness they offered, every moment of friendship they shared with you is repaid in the tears that fall from the loss and the smiles that come from the memories you have to hold onto.

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When most people ask for help, they are usually asking you to make a financial contribution to their cause. Well what if you could make a difference that could change someone’s life simply by posting online? We do it a hundred times a day through facebook, twitter, and other social media sites, and it’s all that J.C. Potts of Pangea Piercing is asking us to do to help make a difference in a young man’s life. Chris Huckstadt is an aspiring piercer in Long Island who, at only 15, is fighting a very aggressive form of cancer. He is barely old enough to be a part of our modification community, and yet he is facing something harder than many of us as adults will ever have to go through. Rather than dwell on his situation or ask for sympathy, Chris’ only request is to meet his idol, J.C. Potts.

J.C. has contacted many major airlines to try and arrange for them to donate flights for him and his film crew to make it to Long Island to visit Chris, but so far has been told he isn’t a big enough celebrity for them to do anything. So he is out to prove just how big the modification world is, by asking all of us to politely tag, message, or post about this to get their attention. We are by no means a small community, and what he is asking literally takes less than 5 minutes out of your day. Please watch the video and post to these companies. Help us get them the support to make this kid’s day a little brighter. We have proven before how fiercely we can pull together, let’s show Chris and his mom just how amazing this community is that he wants to be a part of.

Back in November, AGRO Springfield set aside some time to focus on a project that Josh Taylor and Alisia Colbert had been considering trying, an ornately rigged lotus suspension with huge 6 foot tall ‘wings’ coming from her back. Anyone who has worked with complex rigging knows that things rarely end up being exactly the same on paper as they are when you begin working on the actual suspension. This was probably one of the exceptions to that rule; the piercing placement that Shane Shields and Scott Creel chose for it combine with the rigging by Josh came together perfectly. The end result was an almost weightless, fairy-like look with the dark wings angled out behind Alisia with her body sitting exceptionally centered and level.

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It is somewhat difficult to know where to begin when talking about Anchors Aweigh; oddly it is always harder for me to find the right words when I know a team well than when it is a group of strangers. Do I start with the incredibly talented people involved, the abundance of lovely photos coming from their work, or the heart warming romance that turned into a cross country adventure for members of their team? I supposed the only appropriate place to start would be the beginning. Luckily for the length of this post, that beginning isn’t so far back.

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For those outside of suspension, it can be incredibly difficult to explain what motivates people to take part in this; how do you really explain to them that there is something happening beyond the flesh and hooks they are so focused on? It also happens to be one of my favorite things to learn about people in our community. Although many of us have some common ground for why we suspend, there are always details that really make each person’s reasons unique to them. Katy Doran was willing to open up and share part of her story with this video and photo shoot of her superman suspension done with Sick Boyz Suspensions of Oklahoma City. Not only is Katy a proud part of the SBS team, they were also the first people to bring suspension into her life at a time when she needed it more than she knew.

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