Gorilla Glass

Gorilla Glass Giveaway!

2012-02-01T18:02:00.000-08:00

Have you seen our Rhomboid weights? They come in big AND small sizes (These particular ones are the small weights in black and white Linear) and in a multitude of colours. Wearing weights in naked lobes is surprisingly comfortable and striking - a beautiful alternative to the traditional plugs and tunnel style most commonly worn.

We want YOU to have your own pair and we want to GIVE them to you for our FIRST GORILLA GLASS GIVEAWAY!
Here's how you can make it happen:

FIND OUR GORILLA GLASS FACEBOOK PAGE and LIKE IT!

-Share this picture and/or tag mention Gorilla Glass on your own Facebook page (Even on the page of your favorite piercing studio! Let 'em know you want it!)
-We'll pick and announce ONE winner on Saturday out of those who mentioned and shared.
-If you're chosen, we'll put you in touch with our sales department to make your order!*

We're very excited to try this out and we hope you all will be as pumped as we are to make it happen.

(Now the fine print:)
-Only one winner per contest
-@mention link must link back to the Gorilla Glass Facebook page so we can track who's tagging us and where!
-Winner must be listed a current "fan" and "like" the Gorilla Glass Facebook page at time of announcement
-Winner will win one pair of small Gorilla Glass Rhomboid ear weights, while there are various colour combinations to choose from, specific colour requests are subject to current availability
-If you don't claim your prize in 72 hours, another name will be chosen and you will forfeit your prize this time
-No cash value, you may not trade your prize for any other Gorilla Glass products (Why would you! These are hot!)
-All terms subject to change

Lexci's Gorilla Glass Adventure! pt2

2012-01-25T13:23:00.000-08:00

The day after the art show and Operafication performance was a day of sight-seeing around the Zocalo square in the heart of Oaxaca city.

Our friends from Germany accompanied us to breakfast for some huevos and cafe!

Our trip fell on the Dia de los Muertos festivities and the kids were out all day wandering the market and square decked out in ghoulish costumes. Give one some pesos, you give the seven other friends the rest of your pesos as Wayde learned the hard way.

We did lots of sightseeing and enjoyed taking in the culture of the neighborhood and the people.

The Gorilla Glass opening party was upon us.. a night we won't soon forget.

The Gorilla Glass factory had been in the processes of moving and expanding locations. With the opening of their new facility, it was easy to see the cause for celebration.

The afternoon started with our quick private tour through the new building. The living spaces, the factory, the equipment and the people!

We entered the main space and found a bright and elaborate altar to commemorate and celebrate loved ones. Flowers and trinkets and treats were placed with care.
Jason explained to us that people place pictures of their loved ones who have passed and that once a year, the spirit of loved ones come through the archway and visit their families.
Their favorite food, drink and items are left out for them to enjoy. Some had chocolates and fruit, others had spices and cigarettes.

The food spread was awesome! All kinds of colourful, traditional Mexican food.

We all waited eagerly for the roast lamb. A pit was dug into earth behind the building and a lamb was slow roasted all day. Shortly after we arrived, the basket was carried out and the lamb presented.

A spicy soup made from the drippings of the lamb and mixed veggies was served up. I took a big bowl of it and gave it a try. My love for hot and spicy soups put this recipe high on my list of most delicious soup! It was rich in flavor and texture.

After stuffing ourselves on second helpings of food, we grabbed a couple Modellos and walked next door where a glass blowing school was having a demonstration.
We watched a large glass figurine being made with the efforts of a 4 person team.

From across the yard we heard the band. We made our way back to Gorilla Glass headquarters.

The raised portion of the lanscaped yard provided the ultimate concert stage and the dancefloor below was big enough for everyone. Even Wayde and I (and there was no amount of protesting from us that could've convinced our fellow party people that we weren't the dancing type.)

The band was spectacular! They played late into the night with many encores encouraged from the guests who probably would've danced long into the night.

A round of fireworks signaled the end of the set, but definitely not the end of the party, and we discovered a crew of dudes had been building us a bonfire!

We partied late into the night with new friends and old friends until a van picked us up to take us safely back to our apartments.

Our first visit to Gorilla Glass was a fantastic experience and we left with full bellies and happily exhausted from laughing and dancing the night away.

[To be continued...]

Lexci's Gorilla Glass Adventure! pt 1

2012-01-24T12:09:00.000-08:00

In October, Gorilla Glass hosted a Grand Opening to celebrate the new factory headquarters.

My partner, Wayde, and I were meaning to get down to Mexico and visit Gorilla Glass for years now and this seemed like the perfect reason to get out of Canada just as the winter chill began to set in.

This will be the first installment of my adventures with Gorilla Glass feature for this week.

I was a bit nervous to visit a new country and spend a week with people I didn't really know, but that nervousness turned into excitement when we stepped off the plane to see Margaret waiting, big smile and wave to take us to our apartment where we napped and I spent the next week in the most amazing place, with the most amazing people, and fell in love with Gorilla Glass all over again with a new appreciation for the company, the jewelry, and the people who make it happen...

After a much needed nap, I made myself a cup of coffee and headed out on the balcony of our wee apartment. Ancient mountains overlooked our condo and the weather was lovely! Much nicer than the dead, chilly autumn setting in back home in Canada. Dozens of hummingbirds battled for the best spots in the flowering trees in front of me and a little cat lazed in the sun on a tin roof below.

I could get used to this!

We received word we would be heading out to Jason's art show and the Operafication performance. Getting ready, we looked forward to meeting the other guests of the week.

The art show was very cool. Each room with something intriguing to take in.
Of course my favorite was Jason's display featuring photos of some familiar faces in some familiar jewelry designs.

Thanks to the diligent bartenders, we were never without a Corona in hand!

And then from below the hum of the crowd, arose Hilary's voice, clean and clear, causing a hush to wash over the gallery.
Hilary stood, wings pierced into her back, singing as we all stood and watched in awe. Followed by the devil himself, she began walking towards the door and down the street.

Intrigued, we followed the procession down the cobblestone streets. Flanked by a small band of horns and drums, the people walking down the street were obviously shocked at what they saw and joined us!

We entered the new location and settled in front of the stage. Scaffolding towered above the crowd while a live string quartet fired up and the Oprafication performance began it's main event.

So many had no idea what we were about to see.

A beautiful woman singing like an angel with angel wings pierced deep into her flesh with a pair of elegant contemporary dancers played out a scene of romance and tragedy and good vs evil. The Devil peered down from above the scaffolding, a dark hooded figure loomed in the shadows..

Suddenly, the crowd gasped as the Devil dropped from the sky, catching heavily on hooks pierced into his back and suspended over the lovers in the scene.
The singer was lifted off the ground from hooks as well and the performance played out beautifully. Suspension and Opera and an unsuspecting audience. BRAVO!

What a spectacular finale to a seriously awesome night.

As we watched Jason and the rest of the cast of Operafication cast do interviews for local news and media, we had the opportunity to meet some of the other Gorilla Glass guests of the week.
To our delight, we found that we were all staying at the same apartment condos and decided to head back that way for the closing party for the art show and performance.

What a party!!! We had no idea that this would only be a small taste of what was to come for the rest of the week..

We met our friend, Mexican Borat, discovered that Germans are taller than everybody and that cacti fight back!

I'm loving this recounting of our adventures in Oaxaca with the Gorilla Glass crew this week, and it's an honor to be able to share it with Gorilla Glass fans on this blog :)

To be Continued....

Lexci

Gorilla Glass/Anatometal Collabo

2012-01-20T09:56:00.000-08:00

Our friend Matte Erickson needed something extra-special. He approached Gorilla Glass and Anatometal to come up with something unique.

We think this does the trick, no?

After the design was perfected in glass, it was off to Anatometal to be set with precision into the infamous "Bling" eyelet design for stretched lobes and a lovely pendant to match.

If this piques your interest, piercers, remember there are 6 months til APP. There'll more where this came from! Have any ideas for an interesting custom piece? Give us a shout, lets see what else we can do!

Custom Gemmed Eyelets and Pendant in ASTM F-138 stainless steel; synthetic sapphire, black zirconia, synthetic garnet gems/glass heart center.

New Year, New Blogs, New pictures, New designs!

2012-01-10T11:02:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all our friends!

This past year has been full of exciting leaps and bounds for Gorilla Glass.
Please bookmark and share our blog as we promise to have it updated regularly with pictures and news from our headquarters in Oaxaca to what's new and exciting with our friends across the world.
We're looking forward to offering some promotions and contests in the near future too. (Who doesn't love free stuff and shopping sprees?)

Every year Gorilla Glass focuses on a new theme for limited edition jewelry collections. In 2011 we paid tribute to ancient cultures that influenced modern body modification.

This year we are going back in time fifty years to highlight designs inspired from the sixties. This collection is informed by wall paper designs and industrial design motifs from home appliances. Geometrical patterns, plaid, and op-art all have their influence here. Color combinations are conservative; lime green, baby blue, orange, brown, black and white.

Here is a sneak preview of the first prototypes. The first designs will be available in late January. The complete Spring collection will be launched in March in Milan, Italy at the A.P.T.P.I. body modification convention.

Organic Farming in San Juan Colorado, Oaxaca

2010-12-01T09:48:00.000-08:00

Margaret MacSems is the sales person and customer service at Gorilla Glass. When she is not in the office she is doing her passionate work, helping a rural community develop a sustainable organic farming collective In San Juan Colorado, Oaxaca, Mexico. For the second year in a row, they have won funding from the Harp Helu foundation. Congratulations Margaret! We are proud of you and the community of San Juan Colorado. Here is some more info in her own words...

"San Juan Colorado is a mainly indigenous, mixtec-speaking town nestled in steeply rolling hills an hour’s drive up and away from the Pacific coast of Oaxaca. Here most people are still dependent on their corn harvest in order to keep food on the table. Though poor in economic terms the community is rich in natural resources and cultural traditions including pre-Hispanic spiritual rituals, post-colonial folk dances and back-strap loom weaving.

I began working on sustainable community and agricultural development in San Juan at the end of 2008. I had been there in 2006 doing research for my master’s thesis and decided to go back and put into action what I had studied and learned in the International Agricultural Development master’s program at the University of California Davis.

The general thrust of the project is to increase the capacity of community leaders (farmers, weavers and would-be administrators) to understand, imagine differently and solve their basic food and economic needs in socially, culturally and environmentally sustainable ways.

We have been focused on developing farmer to farmer education with an emphasis on the use of green manures (nescafé). The training that we have been providing so far also includes learning to make bio-pesticides and fertilizers, constructing field terraces and live plant barriers to reduce erosion, sustainable animal husbandry and pasture management, seed saving and small farm management.

In the second phase of the project we are working with the weavers (all women). San Juan is a site of origin for naturally colored brown cotton (coyuche). These artisans are well-known throughout Oaxaca for their weaving, but in recent years they have all but lost the seeds to grow the native cotton. We are now in the process of rescuing the seed from near extinction and also introducing appropriate technologies for processing the cotton into yarn and thread.

The link between the two aspects of the work is applying sustainable agriculture technologies to both food and cotton production and educating the farmers and their families on the sustainability of biodiversity, crop rotation and the need to balance growing crops for sale with crops for household consumption.

We are pleased to have been selected in November, 2010 for the second time, to receive funds from the Alfredo Harp Helu Foundation, Oaxaca."

If you are interested in knowing more about the project or purchasing our natural cotton or weavings, please don’t hesitate to contact me at: 530-419 5191 (California phone number) or mdmacsems@gmail.com.

Day Of the Dead

2010-11-04T17:05:00.000-07:00

Day of the Dead in Oaxaca is always special. It is my favorite holiday, with three days of celebration and parades, music and costumes, beauty and death. This was the first year I set up an altar in my house. Flowers, sugar skulls, bread, candles, and the favorite food and drink of my dearly departed are the basic offerings. I left some black licorice for my Swedish grandmother, bacon and coffee for my Dad. Photos of my old friends and family adorn the altar, an arc of flowers opens a doorway for their souls to come and visit. At night there are parades, performances and music.

Life on the Tramp

2010-10-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of my Europe trip was five days on The Tramp, a house boat in Amsterdam. Truly an excellent way of relaxing after several weeks on the road. Masa made an awesome sushi feast for us one night. Great friends, good times.

One of the highlights of my Europe trip was five days on The Tramp, a house boat in Amsterdam. Truly an excellent way of relaxing after several weeks on the road. Masa made an awesome sushi feast for us one night. Great friends, good times.

Snake Oil in Mexico

2010-08-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

Gorilla Glass had the pleasure to sponsor the Snake Oil Inc., side show theater and performance group during their stay in Mexico this past April. Hailing from Finland, Snake Oil creates a bizarre mix of fire eating, body piercing, slap stick clownery, pyrotechnics, suspension and other heroic feats. We had many adventures together in Mexico and they put on two amazing shows, one in Oaxaca and another in Mexico City. These photos are by Antonio Turok, taken in the glass factory. Here you get a glimpse of Wisa, Jussi, and Lassi in and out of costume.

Gorilla Glass on Gorilla® glass

2010-08-06T10:45:00.001-07:00

When I started receiving mad requests for stock options this week I knew something was up. Yep, this week Corning went on a marketing blitz for their new trademarked Gorilla® glass. I also received some e-mails from concerned customers.

Am I upset? Well no…..I have known about this glass since they first announced it in 2006. Maybe a little jealous since my company will never match their nine billion dollar sales projection for next year and anticipating that I will soon be displaced in the search engines. But hell, I am in this for the lifestyle, not to become rich.

In fact Gorilla® glass from Corning is an amazing innovation in glass technology so I am curious to see all of its future applications. Glass in fiber optics revolutionized modern communications, ushering in the computer age and ultimately changing how we socialize and interact in high tech societies. The interface between technology, glass, and society is fascinating. Here is a run down of Gorilla® glass history and technical innovation, brought to you by the original Gorilla Glass Inc., manufacturer of glass piercing jewelry.

Basically, this is a soda lime sheet glass that has been chemically treated to create one of the most durable glasses ever. Indeed, now there is a soda lime glass more durable than borosilicate glass (aka Pyrex, another specialty glass invented by Corning). The current applications getting so much attention are the protective covers for digital devices including cell phones, lap tops, and touch screen devices. Gorilla® glass will also be used in a new generation of TVs; sheets of glass the thickness of a dime mounted on the wall for the most minimalist TV ever invented.

Originally developed in the 1960´s as part of a research project dubbed “Project Muscle”, the result was a glass named Chemcor. Chemcor had hopeful applications in windshields, but was displaced by a cheaper manufacturing process. Instead it found a use in the pharmaceutical industry until the nineties. In 2006 Corning realized the market potential for glass screens for mobile devices and selected and renamed Chemcor, Gorilla® glass. Two more innovative compositional developments happened before the new glass was ready for marketing to the heavyweight brands (LG, Samsung, Motion Computing, and Dell) in 2009. And now in 2010 the brand name hits the internet in a big way.

What makes Gorilla® glass so durable? A chemical strengthening process called ionic bombardment to a greater depth than previously achieved, and a production process that allow it to be drawn out into ultra thin sheets. Gorilla® glass resists scratching and dings and therefore suppresses damage zones that would lead to breakage and failure of other glass types.

So there it is. Maybe Corning will eventually be able to offer this specialty glass as rods instead of sheets and I will begin manufacturing piercing jewelry from it. Imagine Gorilla Glass made from Gorilla® glass, the most durable glass piercing jewelry on the planet!! That would be awesome.

Portrait Photos from Las Vegas

2010-07-30T16:55:00.000-07:00

At the Association of Professional Piercing conference in Las Vegas this year I had the pleasure of having Gregory Allen as a guest photographer, documenting all the beautiful people in the gorilla booth. The result is a wonderful collection of photos that demonstrates in living color what a wonderfully diverse community we are. I am struck by these photos how our community transcends stereotypes about race, age, and gender and how we define beauty and identity according to our own standards. Thanks to everyone who came through and had their portraits taken!
You can see the full gambit of photos here;
http://picasaweb.google.com/107867376438565402797/APPConferenceLasVegas2010?feat=directlink#

Also special thanks to Gregory for coming down! You can see his impressive portfolio of fashion photography here; http://www.plasticimage.com/

Big Belly and Big Teardrops

2010-07-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

Friday was Natali´s last day in the Gorilla shop, and now she is off on maternity leave! Natali works in the cold-shop, grinding and polishing all the beautiful Gorilla jewelry. We will miss her and look forward to having her back after the birth of her daughter.

These custom made two inch teardrops for a customer in Japan are some of the last pieces she worked on. It is somehow fitting these big pieces would have been finished by Natali with her big tummy!

Tibetan Flames in Ruby

2010-06-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

The limited edition Tibetan Flame plugs are now available in transparent ruby red for a limited time only. So get them while they are HOT! The model is Lea and the photograph is by Gregory Allen.

Virgin Bees Wax

2010-06-25T10:48:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went on a quest for virgin bees wax, an essential ingredient in the mold making process for the new Mayan Flare plugs we have been making. It was a classic case of material hunting in Mexico, going from one source to the next, each person pointing you in the direction until you find what your looking for. In this case I went from the downtown Oaxaca market, to the neighboring town of Teotitlan, famous for making elaborately woven and hand died rugs, and as I just discovered also known for making elaborate candles. At the market in Teotitlan, I was told to knock on “the green door around the corner from the zocalo”. I did find the door…and a candle making sign…but no body was home. No worries, the next door neighbor came out and greeted us, and they had virgin bees wax from the southern state of Chiapas. Bingo!

Mission accomplished we visited the local church, with its incredibly painted interior, and with pre-hispanic Zapotec stone carvings set into the façade. Afterwards we went across the highway to the nearby archeological site Dainzu. Photographed is the entrance to a tomb with a jaguar-bat carved into the lintel with claws coming down both sides of the doorway. I found a couple of flakes of obsidian in one of the courtyards. Winding up the afternoon we went for “caldo de piedra”, a prehispanic style of soup from the Mazateco region of northern Oaxaca. You are served the soup raw in a gourd and then two hot stones are dropped into mix, cooking the shrimp and vegetables in front of you! What a delicious ending to a wonderful day.

New Colors for Linear Earweights

2010-06-18T15:24:00.001-07:00

Gorilla Glass introduces two new colors of the Linear Keyhole Earweights;
1) French Vanilla
2) Black and White
These weights are extremely comfortable, and combine a classic form with a very modern look. Personally they are a nice change from wearing plugs all the time!

Mango

2010-06-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend I planted a mango tree at my future Gorilla HQ. You can see the before and after picture, showing the gray water and rainwater distribution systems as well as the completed infiltration basin (which helps absorb the water with mulch and send it to the roots of the tree). The "island" of stones prevents root rot and overheating, as well as acting as a dew collector during the dry season. Soon I will be planting a lime tree, banana, more bamboo, avocado, and chica zapote on the Western side of the building which will eventually help provide shade during the hot afternoons with the setting sun. And of course provide delicious food! I included a few more photos of the general construction.

Association of Professional Piercers Conference 2010

2010-05-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

APP Report
Category: Friends

I am still recovering one week after the Association of Professional Piercing annual conference in Las Vegas 2010. Wow, just wow. I have been doing the conference eight years now, and everytime I am impressed by what an amazing community this is and how lucky we are. It may sound totally cliche but its true, this is family to me.

Some of the highlights for me were; going on a pre-conference desert romp with Lars, Cuban breakfast while watching the local street life, Samars and Joshua Davids bad ass show at the banquet, Caitlins arrest and recognition by the APP volunteers, smashing the Gorilla pinata at the bar, having a last night out with Morton and Paul in North Vegas, meeting new people especially the international peers, and hanging out with old friends and family.

Special thanks to my crew who worked their ass off during the show and are absolutely the best. Lars, Julia, Fernando, and Louie you guys worked like a unit, it was amazing to watch, thank you. Thanks to Nae for helping with the computer meltdown. Also thanks to my team back home in Oaxaca for holding the fort down. And of course big thanks to my customers, I wouldnt be here except for you!

Also I was very lucky to have my photographer and friend Gregory Allen in the booth documenting the amazing gathering of people that is the APP. You can see his portfolio here: http://www.plasticimage.com. Thanks Gregory and thanks to everyone who came by to sit for a photograph. I will be posting the portraits on line just as soon as I can make it up to Mexico City and meet with Greg, hopefully sooner rather than later. The portraits are absolutely amazing!

Finally I want to thank the APP board and Caitlin and all the hard working APP volunteers. Without all that sweat and tears behind the scenes, this crucial event would not happen every year. THANK YOU!

Mesoamerican Earspools

2010-01-27T10:58:00.000-08:00

I recently had the great good luck to see an amazing private collection of rare Mesoamerican ear plugs and eyelets. My friend Christopher is working as part of a team restoring a massive collection of 40,000 ancient Mexican artifacts in Oaxaca. The collection originally belonged to an ex-pat living in Mitla. The collection is diverse, with pieces collected from all over Mexico, and it is the job of these archeologists to clean, repair, authenticate, and document each piece in the collection. I feel really lucky…it is a rare opportunity to see these amazing, unique and finely crafted pieces.

In this photo there is a clay figure representing Cocijo, the Zapotec god of rain and lightning. He is wearing a massive head dress, large ear expansions, and has an elephant like snout. In the foreground there are two eyelets in a floral design, one made in jade and the other in obsidian. The tip of each petal has a tiny perforation. Perhaps feathers or beads hung from the ends. The obsidian piece is interesting because of the length of the tunnel.

In this photo you can observe the wonderful transparency of the gray obsidian volcanic glass.

These are two obsidian labrets and several obsidian “corazones” or hearts. The hearts are the left over from the manufacturing process of knocking off long shards from a central core of obsidian. One of the labrets has a hole in the center, perhaps for hanging beads or for an inlay.

Here are a couple of pieces of jade Mayan style earrings. I believe these are jadeite, nephrite, or possibly diorite but I am not a stone expert. These are extremely interesting because they demonstrate how some ear expansors were designed in multiple parts to be fit together. The lighter jade is the back side, and the darker jade would fit into the groove. This explains how the wearing surface could be so small on many of the Mayan style flares, because they would have had a second back plate to keep them from falling out. The hole in the back side would probably have had a string with a counter weight passing to the front. These are most likely not a pair originally, but they are the proper scale to show how these pieces were designed.

In the sculpture of Cocijo the ear jewelry looks similar to this style. Could these be Oaxacan pieces with a Mayan influence?

These are a pair of copper ear tunnels. These are possibly from Central Mexico and are probably only five or six hundred years old, when metal working began to be more common in Mexico. Apparently there was a group in central Mexico who began to manufacture metal weapons and who most likely would have displaced the Aztecs if the Spanish invasion had not arrived first.

The last photo is an obsidian earspool in a classic Teotihuacan design, which was also used by the Mixtecs and other Mesoamerican civilizations. The manufacture and thinness of these pieces are astounding and it remains a mystery how they were made. I work with obsidian all the time, but I couldn’t imagine making a piece like this. And they didn’t have grinding wheels! Wow!

Gorilla Glass in Italy

2010-01-26T15:45:00.000-08:00

JASON WILL BE REPRESENTING GORILLA AT THE APTPI CONFERENCE IN MILAN, ITALY FROM JANUARY 15th to the 17th.

Conference Report, Italy rocks! Category: Friends I’m finally recovered from my trip to the APTPI Conference in Milan last week. The conference was

2010-01-26T14:54:00.000-08:00

I’m finally recovered from my trip to the APTPI Conference in Milan last week. The conference was a wonderful gathering of people from all around the world, taking courses on a wide range of topics on body modification and tattoo. It was cold as hell, and we mostly stayed in the hotel for the three days of conference. Italy for me is all about, pizza, espresso, and pasta, and I was not disappointed by the local family style restaurant that was our nightly escape from the hotel. The highlight was seeing all my good friends, from everywhere not just Italy, also Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Slovenia, Croatia, Spain, Mexico, and the USA. The conference was well organized and many thanks to the Italian hosts! Next time I hope to have a chance to stay longer and explore Italy some more.

Gorilla Xmas

2010-01-07T13:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Mexico is no joke. You don’t see much of Santa Claus nor Rudolf, but there is a ton of fireworks and two weeks of block parties in every pueblo. Basically a two week continuous party with the whole family. Expect to eat and drink a lot.

We had the year end Gorilla Glass party last week before vacations started, which consisted of a barbecue, gift exchange, and piñata. The piñata was a new sort that I had never seen before, with little strings to pull underneath so that you don’t need to wack it with a stick. This seemed way too easy and against the whole piñata concept, so we smashed it with a stick anyway. Abigail gave me a little painted armadillo, and I gave Yolanda a glass dragon fly that I made.

I am constantly reminded of what a great crew of people I have working with me. A good part of my team has been with me for years and we have struggled through all sorts of life hardships and joy together- funerals, births, sickness, weddings, and the day to day work making glass. We come from all sorts of backgrounds- me the tattooed gringo from New England, Margaret from Seattle, but mostly local women from small towns in the hills, many are single mothers.

In Oaxaca there is a big exodus of men to the bigger cities or to the United States to look for better paying work. In Oaxaca tourism powers the economy, and between the social unrest of 2006, the bad economy worldwide, and the swine flu virus, tourism in Mexico is in the dumps leaving many small towns in desperate poverty. I feel extremely lucky to be able to provide good work for my team during these hard times. Not only do I provide work I am also able to provide good benefits including free health care for all my employees and their families, free daycare, paid maternity leave, free continuing education opportunities, up to two weeks paid vacation, and a year of the end bonus equivalent to two weeks salary.

In reality Gorilla Glass exists thanks to my customers; it is the amazing community of customers and friends from around the world who demand glass piercing jewelry who make Gorilla Glass possible. The piercing community is one of the greatest groups of sweet, eccentric, passionate, occasionally jaded, diverse, and intelligent people I know. Thanks to all of you! It is with great satisfaction and pride that I can be the link between my community working and living here in Mexico and the big international community of piercing shops around the planet.

De la Torre Brothers in Oaxaca!

2009-11-11T12:04:00.000-08:00

The renowned glass and mixed media artists, Jamex and Einar de la Torre just finished a week long workshop in Oaxaca at the Xa-Quixe glass art studio. Students came from all over Mexico, the USA, and even as far away as Italy. The brothers stopped by Gorilla Glass headquarters to do a demo on the torch on Saturday.

I have known the De la Torre brothers since the late nineties, when I got to watch them work at the Pilchuck Glass School above Seattle. Their style is loose, the aesthetic is over the top kitsch, and there is always a humorous element to their work. They explore their Latino identity in much of their work, and are heavily influenced by consumer culture and globalization. I remember seeing an installation they did at Urban Glass in Brooklyn, which consisted of a wall of massive glass vaginas decorated with fake fur and other niceties. On approaching the wall, you realize the vaginas are in fact windows or “portals” looking into a hidden shrine illuminated on the other side.
Ah, the gift of life!

www.delatorrebros.com
www.xaquixe.com

Day of the Dead

2009-11-04T13:37:00.000-08:00

My favorite holiday of the year in Mexico is Day of the Dead. Far from being an old, outdated ceremony or commercialized sugar frenzy like Halloween, the Day of the Dead is an active, dynamic cultural event. The celebration is constantly absorbing outside influences and re-inventing itself. The party lasts three days and involves leaving offerings in the cemeteries, making altars at home, and street parties with marching bands and parading through town until the dancers literally collapse on the side of the road from exhaustion. On Friday we received the neighborhood children from the local day care in the shop, on Saturday we went to Mitla (“the City of the Dead”) exploring some of the biggest tombs in Oaxaca, and on Sunday we went to the comparsa in the small hill town of San Agustin dancing until dawn!

Chinese Swasrika Plugs

2009-10-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

My mom was born in a bomb shelter while my Swedish grandmother was escaping Germany with two other young daughters. My grandma, Mormor, had to change trains repeatedly since the English were bombing the railroad tracks, and on arriving alone in Sweden she had no choice but to put my mother and aunts with foster parents. My German grandfather was only able to leave the country after the war ended. They managed to reunite with the children and my family immigrated to the USA on a boat shortly thereafter.

Fifty years later I am returning to Germany to attend the Body Modification Exchange in Essen, and I have been working on these Chinese Swastika plugs as part of a new collection for the show. I think it ironic how life works, and I wonder what my strict German grandfather would think about my tattoos and piercings (and swastika plugs) if he were still alive. Of course that is the whole idea of presenting swastika plugs in Germany, to help remove the Nazi stigma on an ancient and universal symbol. The swastika represents a cross in motion, inner energy, good luck, and well being.

The idea of rehabilitating the swastika is nothing new. I was first introduced to the idea by the classic Re/Search # 12 Modern Primitives interview with ManWoman, a Canadian artist who had his arms and back tattooed with dozens of swastikas beginning in the sixties. Of Polish descent ManWoman had taken it on as part of his life mission to change the modern perception of the swastika and even founded a swastika museum.

Last year in Europe I saw a whole new generation of young modified peoples who are really taking the next step de-toxifying the symbol. There is even a suspension group from the Netherlands named the Flying Swastikas. It is encouraging to see change and to confront outdated, stigmatized perceptions right at the source. So these plugs are my contribution to the cause, and hats off to the next generation!

Gorilla HQ Construction Update

2009-09-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we poured another concrete slab in the future Gorilla Headquarters. In Mexico when you pour a floor slab it is tradition to have a barbecue and party. So last Wednesday at the local market I bought a sheep and Pedro prepared the meat in a pit overnight. Add nine kilos of tortillas, five cases of beer, plus friends = PARTY. Unfortunately the taxi union blockaded the highway which delayed the cement truck and we were forced to run electrical lines and work into the night. I had friends visiting from as far away as Los Angeles and Tijuana and the fiesta continued into the early morn. Check out one of the workers tattoos, an old school erotic senorita on his forearm.

Ancient Glass Lingling-O

2009-08-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

I am sometimes surprised at people’s assumption that piercing and body modification has its roots and history amongst “primitive” tribal people living in the jungle somewhere. I live in Mexico and I am regularly reminded by the public that my stretched ear lobes are like the Africans. “Actually they are just like your Zapotec and Mixtec ancestors”, is my typical response. The Zapotecs were not hunter gathers, they had large urban centers, advanced calendar systems, elaborate burial rites, and practiced cranial and dental modification as well as tattooing and piercing. Advanced societies throughout the world practiced piercing in Egypt, India, Southeast Asia, China, and Mesoamerica. I recently acquired some amazing ancient Vietnamese ear weights that clearly demonstrate that piercing was not exclusively part of primitive cultures but also part of highly advanced civilizations. These are from the Sa Huynh culture that flourished between 1000 BCE to 200 CE, and had a unique tradition of cremating the dead and putting the ashes and offerings in large ceramic jars.

The Sa Huynh were sea farers and master craftsmen, producing magnificent jade and glass ear jewelry. They had an extensive trade network, Sa Huynh ear ornaments have been discovered in archaeological sites throughout Southeast Asia. They had a special connection with the Philippines, where Sa Huynh ear weights and ceramics have been discovered in the Kalany Cave complex. Other discoveries of Sa Huynh artifacts have been found on Orchid Island in Taiwan, in Thailand, as far north as Hong Kong and as far south as Java. Conversely, many of the beads discovered in Sa Huynh burial sites are made from materials foreign to that region. Carnelian, agate, zircon, gold, and garnet were traded from as far away as India and perhaps China.

My particular focus is on glass, and this group of pieces is an excellent opportunity to put early glass making into historical context. Glass making was not invented by accident, and the technology and physical forms of the jewelry were based on pre-existing technology and regional styles respectively. Historically, the spread of glass technology in ancient India follows the spread of iron working, and this pattern is repeated in Vietnam. The Sa Huynh specialized in iron tools and weapons in contrast to the contemporaneous Dong Son culture in Northern Vietnam, who specialized in bronze artifacts. It seems probable that the high temperatures and powerful furnaces necessary to smelt iron were a pre-requisite for melting glass as well. The greenish color common in much of the Sa Huynh glass is the result of iron being mixed into the glass batch as a colorant.

There are three widely recognized styles of Sa Huynh ear weights, two of which are pictured here.
One classic form used by the Sa Huynh was a rounded ear weight with a small hook that passes through the ear, with three protruding diamonds coming off the bottom and sides. These are called linling-o . The Ifugao peoples in the Philippines still manufacture this style of ear weights and call them bung or boong and trade them with their neighbors, the Bontoc, Kalinga, and Gad-dang.

The first lingling-o weights shown are made of stone, the second image is of jade (nephrite), and the third image is of glass.
The same shape and composition was used in all three materials. The glass was carved from a cast block, in the same manner that jade was carved. This illustrates how lapidary skills were also a pre cursor to the manufacture of early glass ear weights.

It may be that the Sa Huynh shared the same respect for jade as the Chinese. Jade was considered a magical and sacred material that increased longevity. Early Chinese experiments in glass making were made by Taoist alchemists trying to invent a man-made jade. In this context glass was not considered imitation but creation, working within formal aesthetic restraints informed by earlier jewelry traditions.

The second collection of glass ear crescents are interesting because of the wide variety of color and size of the pieces. Several shades of green, blue, purple, and black can be identified. These pieces appear to be manufactured hot in a flame and later ground down and polished to form the triangular shape. This shows a further sophistication in glass working as it is more complicated to manipulate hot glass than to carve it after it has cooled to a solid. The range of colors illustrrates an advanced understanding of glass chemistry. The discovery of glass workshops and pits of white sand at Giong Ca Vo archaelogical site in Ho Chi Minh City is further proof that they melted their own glass, although it is probable that they also imported glass blocks from India. Stylistically the Sa Huynh ear crescents resemble the popular leech motifs found in Dayak imagery from Borneo, and may point to a common ancestry of the two cultures. There are similarities between ancient burial sites in Borneo and Vietnam that support this theory.

In conclusion, the Sa Huynh was a highly sophisticated civilization with urban centers, wide spanning trade, complex burial rights, and advanced technology. They achieved a highly advanced level of glass working technology over two thousand years ago. This development viewed in the context of iron working and lapidary traditions helps us to understand how glass technology evolved and how earlier jewelry forms were replicated in glass. The focus on glass as a raw material and as jewelry highlights the extensive trade relations the Sa Huynh had in the ancient world.

GORILLA GLASS in EUROPE

2008-07-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

I am excited to be heading to Dusseldorf, Germany next week to attend the BMXnet body modification conference. I will be doing a talk on glass as a material for piercing jewelry. I am excited to make the trip and meet more people in this freaky industry! After the conference I will be going on the road making a sales trip, with the goal of visiting as many piercing shops as possible, seeing my European friends in their own shops. My tentative travel stops will be Dusseldorf, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Strasbourg, Frankfurt and Berlin. If your in Europe and have a shop and would like a visit please feel free to contact me via e-mail HYPERLINK "mailto:sales@getgorilla.com" sales@getgorilla.com. Yeah!

DERMAL PUNCH AT SUCHILQUITONGO OAXACA

2008-07-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

On Thursday May 22nd, 2008 Zak Zito dermal-punched and stretched the upper parts of my ears, my flats, atop the highest pyramid of an ancient Zapotec archeological site, Suchilquitongo, in Oaxaca, Mexico. Ana Paula assisted with the placement and preparation of the procedure. Luisa and Claudia came to observe.

I had been planning to pierce and stretch my ears for some time, but was undecided between piercing my flats or my conches. After talking with several people, I decided not to get my conches punched, I did not want the piercings to affect my hearing. My other concern was the long healing time. Since I work in a glass studio and train Aikido (a Japanese martial arts), two or three months’ healing time seemed really long. Oh well, the things we do for vanity!

We intended to punch my flats during a previous weekend while we were at another set of fantastic ruins located in the mountains of Mixteca. However, due to a minor technicality, we decided to postpone punching them. The taper we brought did not match the jewelry. We planned to punch my flats at 8 mm. and stretch them to 10 mm. but the steel taper only went up to 9.5 mm. (00 gauge). The glass earlets we going to use were 10 mm.— half a millimeter larger than the taper. Damn! Hung up by half a millimeter. We decided to wait instead of making it a more intrusive procedure. It was also raining lightly, so it didn’t feel like the perfect moment.

Four days later, we were on top of another pyramid, at Suchilquitongo, getting ready to do it again. This time I manufactured some glass tapers (image to the right, click here for full-sized image) that went to a true 10 mm. They were designed to fit into the back of the glass earlets, so they would slide into the punch with one easy movement.

My attraction to ancient sites and pyramids is hard to explain. The footprints of these people and lost civilizations are everywhere in Oaxaca. Civilizations with cities, monumental architecture that align with the stars, mathematics, astronomy, writing systems, agriculture, ceramics, art, body modification, and so many lost and hidden treasures. Walking in these sites, you can’t avoid finding pottery shards, sometimes obsidian shards.
How does our modern society measure up to theirs? Cell phones, the Internet, digital cameras, satellite TVs, fancy cars, and cappuccinos. Is that really what it is all about?
The Zapotec lived in their hilltop cities for 1,500 years and then abandoned the old cities. The monumental pyramids were wind-blown and covered in dirt. Old tombs were looted or forgotten. The old cities of the Zapotecs collapsed before the Spaniards arrived.
How long do we have?

Suchilquitongo is one of my favorite sites. It’s located on a ridge just a ten-minute drive North of my glass shop. It has one of the most important tombs in Oaxaca, which was uncovered in 1985. It’s an actual house of the dead with an underground courtyard, surrounded by four rooms with painted murals and carved stella. The Zapotecs buried their relatives in tombs, literally, underneath their houses and temples so the family would not be separated even after death. The main tomb is closed to the public with huge steel doors. Last November, on the Day of the Dead, I had the remarkable opportunity to enter the tomb along with Bethra and Elayne. Some archeologists, who were visiting, opened it up and allowed us to join them, but that is another story.

The sun was already heading towards the horizon as we drove to the site after work. I was worried Zak would not to have enough light to properly mark my ears, since it is a short hike to the top of the pyramids. Someone drumming in town provided a pseudo-tribal entrance for us. I wanted to go straight to the tallest pyramid, which forms the North side of the ball court. These pyramids were built into the side of the hill in a way so you couldn’t tell where the pyramid ends and the mountain began. It is one continuous surface. The pyramid I chose is the tallest with a 360-degree panoramic view of the valley, but was just bare rock with a stone cross from the Spanish. A wind began to pick-up, as the sun got closer to the horizon line. Zak had almost stepped off, backwards, from the platform, which would have surely resulted in death or at least some severely broken bones! Together, he and Ana Paula (owner of Quetzalli Jewelry) proceeded to analyze the precise angle and placement of the dermal punches. They marked my ears with a Sharpie while discussing the irregularities and peculiarities of my ears. I could hear the sound of humming June bugs in the distance alternating with the sound of the massive swarms of mosquitoes over our heads.

Finally, I was ready for the punch. I relaxed, lying down on the rock surface with Luisa’s handbag as a pillow. It was dusk and the sun was going down, changing the horizon’s colors. I could see Monte Alban in the distance, across the valley, to the South. I entered a space of complete tranquility and surrender. On my back atop the tallest pyramid, I felt suspended—as if gravity has reversed and I might fall toward the gaping dark sky that opens above me. Breathe in, breathe out and Zak punched my left ear. There was pressure but no pain. He inserted the glass taper, stretching it to 10mm. There still isn’t pain, only a wet feeling behind my ear. I rolled over as Zak moved to my other side. Breathe in, breathe out and Zak punched the right side. Tapered and stretched, it was fast and proficient. I am surprised, in a sort of detached way, that there was no pain. I enjoyed the moment, staying on my back and looking up at Venus blazing in the West, it was dark and the stars were out.

Three days later and my ears are already healing. I was able to sleep right off on the same night they were punched. I have been doing a simple after care: keeping them clean and dry. Letting water wash over them in the shower with no soap and removing any dried blood that forms overnight. Otherwise, I haven’t touched them or have done anything to them besides than let them heal.

ancient china

2008-07-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

The Chinese have one of the oldest glass traditions in the world. Taoist alchemists experimented with various formulas to try and create an artificial jade. Jade was precious to the Taoists as they thought it had special powers to preserve the human body and spirit and attain immortality. Recent studies at Stanford have connected the "Chinese Purple" used to paint the famous Qin terracotta warriors as a by-product of barium glass making formulas. The Chinese were the first to use lead and barium in glassmaking. These three Chinese glass plugs are all probably from the Warring States Period (479-221 BCE). The blue plugs are an example of crizziling, a result of an imperfect glass formula that allows the glass to break down over time in humid enviornments. The other two pairs are called "erdangs" have a tiny whole in the middle, they were probably formed on a torch, with the glass being wound around a glass wire. Colored beads may have been strung through the ear-plug, and are called "yuandangs". The multi-colored pair may be an a application of lusters to the surface of the glass, or may be an natural iridescent effect of being buried for a long period. The photos are by Victor Mendiola and the plugs are from my private collection.

2008-06-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

so... now that we're living up in the mountains im finding alot of different things in and around the house... some of which are really cool! others are really cool but i could definitly rest better with them staying outside...

i think im going to start a gallery of weird and dangerous shit that i find around casa de gorilla...

the list will probably get very lengthy at the rate im seeing/finding things

there are still 2 scorpions in a jar which i have yet to photograph... one i found climbing the adobe wall in my bedroom... the other was found hiding under the stereo...

i'll also add that i have no idea what alot of this stuff is other then being just bugs..... so if anyone has a clue please feel free to chime in... (click image to see it full-sized, all links open in new windows)

subject #1:
i found this enormous beetle capsized on the front porch doing the backstroke upside down.... he was actually high polish when i found him but i couldnt resist giving him a bath in the anodizer to brighten him up a bit..... im assuming that was his death dance because he's not an ornament on the window sil......

yeah i know i needed to clean my nails and cut them... its since been addressed...

subject #2:
i have absolutly no idea what this is... my best guess would be
an insanely well armored and even more constipated ant whoose abdomen is about to explode... it definitely got the WTF is that response from gorilla when it showed up on the porch early sunday morning....

first a size refrence photo...

now a picture of him as some sort of insectoid godzilla coming to destroy the house....

next is a snake of unknown species that i found under a board in the field... i think its some species of rear fanged catsnake but im not sure...i definitly plan to research this further... it was docile enough

2008-05-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

we gots a banner!
so if your on iam
or myspace...
do us a favor
and post it!

(click image to view it full size)