Manchester has always been on the cutting edge of national and global change. From the Peterloo massacre and the suffragette movement, to the discovery of the atom and the invention of the original code-cracking machine during World War Two, Manchester has been home to many important shifts; so it’s no surprise that the ‘living, social practice artwork’ Human Rights Tattoo is set to be coming to town.
Human Rights Tattoo was initiated in 2012 by Dutch artist Sander van Bussel, who travels worldwide tattooing the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights onto the skin of 6773 human beings one letter at a time.
Currently, the first 23 articles are available to be read in tattoos. The growing tattooed community carry this Declaration throughout their lives, and the artist wants the tattoos to be a self-reminder but also to spread the story as people talk about their tattoos. Human Rights Tattoo (HRT) has grown into a community of 4601 participants to date, from 77 different countries and this is the first time it will be hosted in the UK.
Creator of the project, Sander van Bussel said: “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was written by the United Nations in 1948, wishing to protect humanity from the nightmares of WWII. Now, well over 70 years later, little seems to be left of that hope and the global divide is still growing.
“Our mission is to use the power of the idea, the imagination and individual decisiveness as a weapon against division and indifference. In today’s world where polarization on all levels is on the rise, emphasizing these fundamental human rights is particularly relevant. Everybody gets one letter. Everybody has their own unique story.”
30 people aged between 18 – 30 years old are invited to apply to Contact Theatre in Manchester to participate in the project and receive one 1cm2 tattooed letter. Manchester’s Contact is managing and hosting the event with Human Rights Tattoo, and an experienced local tattoo artist will apply the letters over the course of one day.
Applications are open from August 7 for people aged 18 – 30 years, who are asked to express what the human rights movement means to them and why they want this tattoo. The participants will be selected anonymously by Contact staff and associated young people, and all one centimetre square tattoos will given be on a ‘pay what you decide’ donation basis.
The artist and founder of the project Sander van Bussel will be present on the day to speak to participants and document their tattoos and stories. The tattoos will be skilfully created by Dax, a Manchester-based tattoo artist from India who specialises in fine line, single-needle tattoos.
Keisha Thompson, Artistic Director and CEO of Contact, said: “At Contact, we commit to caring for our planet, its people and communities so we are over the moon to be hosting the first ever Human Rights Tattoo in the UK. We also acknowledge the artistry of tattooing and are delighted to be working with local artist Dax. This project aligns with our values, and we are proud of giving young people an opportunity to be part of this extraordinary, global project uniting around human rights and connection.”
The deadline for applications to have a Human Rights Tattoo in Manchester is Monday 21 August and the tattoo event is on Saturday 9 September. Full details on the project and how to apply can be found here.
You can find Contact Theatre at Oxford Rd, Manchester, M15 6JA.