Tramp Stamp

I should probably never get a tattoo. I'm just not one of those decisive, gutsy people who have convictions and are willing to wear them on their full sleeve. I'm fairly flakey actually, I like stuff, and then I don't like stuff and some stuff I don't even know what I think about. But I enjoy daydreaming and I enjoy stories. And if I were to write a story about the kind of me that would get a tattoo it would be a tattoo that represented something important to me, but not too cheesy or kitsch, something that would always remain relevant. At one stage when I was younger I wanted the 'ohm swastiastu' symbol, but I'm nowhere near that hippy anymore and I don't really believe that god is going to be with you - no matter what language we are saying it in, what god we are talking about or how pretty the symbol is.

Then I thought about getting a tattoo that represented Bali and all the great times and memories I associate with there, but frangipanis are so cliche. I briefly contemplated a gecko on my shoulder (I got a crap looking henna one when I was 18) but I really hate reptiles and would feel like a bit of a tool. "Nice tat! Are you into lizards or something?" and I would have to say "nah - hate them, just thought I would look cool"

So I have been thinking for a while that I would like something fairly patriotic, I love Australia, particularly Western Australia so have contemplated some kind of beach scene, perhaps the view of Leighton Beach from Stirling Highway? Somehow sneak in the dingo flour mill? The same view I drove past everyday on my way home to my parents place that means so much to be. But I realised as much as I still love that view - its something from the past, not something that is always going to be relevant.

So this week I have decided exactly what art I would get if I was ever going to get something, of course I reserve the right to change this final decision at any time in the future.

I want to get a panoramic image of Kings Park and the Perth City skyline on my lower back. There is a spot on the Kwinana Freeway - just after the South Perth exit - I think - where you can see Kings Park really clearly, the treetop walk, the war memorial - all the bits, then as you pan right it dips down to the freeway and the Perth City skyline is on the other side. So imagine this image stretched across my lower back, with the dip in the middle the centre of my back. I've tried to find a photo on the net of the exact view I'm talking about but can only find night images. Mine would be on a bright sunny day, perhaps with a fluffy cloud or two, the image soft, almost like a watercolour but still showing enough detail to be instantly recognisable.

I like this particular image for many reasons, I love my city, I think it's beautiful and spend quite a bit of time down on the south perth foreshore walking around the river and never get tired of how freaking beautiful it all is. I like it because I would be able to point things out - the 33rd floor of St Martins tower with the revelving restaurant I used to work in, the convention centre where I worked when it first opened, the belltower (hah!), the spot in kings park where Jacobs Ladder is, the many wonderful family picnics had in Kings Park and the many days wandering around the streets of the city after school or on my way to and from uni.

I also like the idea that the tattoo wouldnt necessarily have to stay the same, as the city develloped and grew, so could mine - I would look forward to going back one day and having the swan island added in or the cable car from Barrack street to Kings Park. I would enjoy the visual difference in the age of the ink and the age of parts of my city. My City.

That is all.