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SLIDESHOW: Flesh suspension at The Vault
OGDEN -- Dan Christensen has received 43 body piercings during the past few years, but even for him, the thought of inserting four large fish hooks into his back, then being suspended from the ceiling was almost too much to stomach.
He did it anyway.
After the hooks were placed under his skin Nov. 7, Christensen was hoisted up in front of as many as 80 people at the Ogden nightclub The Vault. Once the hooks were attached to a hanging device, the only thing holding Christensen up was his skin.
It's a practice that some call flesh hook suspension and can be compared to what is depicted in the 1970 movie "A Man Called Horse," in which an Englishman is captured by an American Indian tribe. The Englishman eventually becomes chief after going through a painful ritual of being hung from a tree with only blades hanging beneath the skin on his chest.
For Christensen, who does piercings at Legacy Tattoos in downtown Ogden, flesh hook suspension is something he has wanted to try.
Then, when a longtime friend died of a drug overdose late last year and his family was unable to afford a grave marker, Christensen thought making his first hook suspension a public event would be a good way to raise money for them.
Christensen said he was a bit nervous about going through with the exhibition at first, but thought about his friend for strength.
"I thought, 'This is this time. I'm really going to do this,' " Christensen said.
Without any kind of numbing agent, the large hooks were placed into Christensen's back before he arrived at the nightclub. He was later suspended in mid-air for about 20 minutes in front of curious patrons.
Officials with the Weber-Morgan Health Department say this is the first commercial display of flesh hook suspension in the area that they know of.
They didn't know what to think when Christensen contacted them recently to announce his plans.
The department sent a licensed environmental health scientist to the event to make sure the procedure was carried out safely.
"There's no ordinance that governs these sort of things that we know of," said spokeswoman Lori Buttars. "We just encouraged him to have the hooks inserted at a reputable place that's been inspected and found clean."
Participants often experience minor bleeding and may become light-headed or nauseated the longer they are suspended.
Online forums about the practice point out that some people practice flesh suspension because it can put them in a meditative state.
Buttars said if the practice becomes more common, the department may refer to the state Department of Environmental Health for guidance or recommend that guidelines be crafted to ensure people do it safely.
"They didn't quite know what to do or think about it," Christensen said. "They were concerned about my safety. I'm happy they weren't against it; otherwise, I would have had to do it in my garage."
Christensen and his friends had distributed fliers for about a week before the event to try to raise the money for the family. In all, they raised about $225 on Nov. 7, about $1,000 short of the money needed for the gravestone.
Christensen plans to donate a portion of the proceeds for piercings he does at Legacy Tattoos until the family is able to pay for the marker. He also plans do more advanced forms of flesh suspension as a hobby.
"It was the best thing I've ever done," he said. "I plan on doing every suspension I can come up with. I'm ready to explore."
If you only knew.
jvantassell,
My name is Daniel Christensen--I'm the one that did the suspension. I don't suppose you're ever going to come home to your son or daughter doing a suspension in your house/garage/tree in your yard--that's your prerogative. There are however several lessons that can be learned from this:
*There are better ways to help people than to go through physical pain.
*There are ways to help people you don't even know.
*Cookie sales, barbeques, and car washes aren't the only way to have a fundraiser--you came make it interesting!
If your child is fourteen, than I garauntee you that in two more years, he/she is going to be repeatedly tossed into risky situations. That's a part of growing. The general role of the gaurdian is to make sure that the important lessons in life are taken to heart in the safest least oppressing ways possible. I'm sure that if you read the rest of the paper, you'll find far more grotesque and immoral articles.
A few things they didn't mention on the paper are:
*I organized virtually by myself--I'm a 19 year old "freak" holding three part-time jobs and still living with a conservative family.
*The three djs that spun (played) for the event are only 18 years old and all graduated high school and got into the industry by their own means and are very successful. They all volunteered their time.
*Nick Mattern, the guy that was in charge of the rigging, he journied up here and volunteered his time as well.
*Bryce's cousins Liz and "Foxy" came to donate their time, but Laron Zaugg (owner of THE VAULT) told me that if I let them in the building, he'd cancel the event.
*All Bryce's friends were doing security for this event and donating their time.
*Karl, the body piercer that put the hooks in, he donated his time.
*Frank Carlsen from the Weber/Morgan Health Department had a hayday figuring this out and he came off the clock to the event to supervise--again, another volunteer.
*Bryce's old tattoo artist(s) gave us some $40 gift certificates to raffle off for the fundraiser.
*An acquantence of mine from a very successful industrial donated two cd's and paid the shipping.
*My old art teacher donated two $150 art prints for an auction as well.
*The club we held the event scammed us out of over $375.00.
*Kinko's donated 200 sheets of paper for fliers.
*This was the first time that someone has gone to a health department in this state and asked permisson to do this kind of thing publically.
*Material costs to throw the event are in the hundreds of dollars--producing commercial revenue for the community and possibly going towards your paycheck.
*Hopefully I inspired at least 1 other person to aspire to go out of their way to help someone and inspire them to aspire to do something great, and so on.
You would agree; there's too much ugly in this world.
The possitive outcome that's become of this completely outweighs the two in long, six millimeter needles that went on the tips of four six millimeter thick, four in long hooks and shoved two - three millimeters under my skin two inches apart across my upper back. The six weeks of planning I put in to this was more than worth the 20 minutes or so I spent doing something no one I've ever met has ever done and watching the faces of all my close friends and a few strangers while I--for the first time in my life--did anything durastic to help someone. The fifty dollars or so I personally invested in this fundraiser was well worth the opportunity to turn the outcome of the event into a blessing in disguise. Parents oppressing their children by not teaching them the right lessons and possibly pushing them to do "rebellious" and "taboo" things like flesh suspensions.
By the way, any impulse you ever have to hold a conversation, get in contact with me. I'm not offended that easily, so don't worry too much about your wording. I'm sorry you have negative feelings about my life--but I'm only human.
Feel free to respond through e-mail. OMINOUSohm@hotmail.com .
Aspire to inspire,
Daniel Christensen
hooked on trash
If I wanted to read and see stuff like this, I'd buy those trashy tabloids at the grocery check stands. I don't like having to hide the newspaper from my 14 year old because you can't come up with anything better than junk to put on the front page.
There is nothing trashy about
There is nothing trashy about this. I personally know Daniel very well and he is an awesome person...I highly doubt you would do anything more for a deceased friend than hope the church will donate money. Don't look down on people for helping others, just because they do it in a way that you wouldn't. And hopefully with all this sheltering you do to your daughter she won't turn into a judgemental ass like yourself.