Steve Haworth

Last updated
Steve Haworth
Occupationbody modification artist & flesh engineer
Known forinventor of 3D body modification
Website http://www.stevehaworth.com/

Steve Haworth is a body modification artist based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is responsible for the invention and popularization of subdermal and transdermal implants, such as the "Metal Mohawk". [1] He designed specialized medical instruments called dermal elevators for this process. He has also done pioneering work with surface bars, ear shaping, tongue splitting, magnetic implants, and artistic branding (using electrosurgical units). [2] He has worked on individuals noted for their extensive modifications such as The Enigma, Katzen, Stalking Cat, The Lizardman, [3] and biohacker Tim Cannon. [4] He is listed in the Guinness World Records as "Most Advanced Body Modification Artist", 1999 to present. [5]

Many other respected artists in the body modification community cite Haworth as an inspiration. Fellow body modification artist Samppa von Cyborg says that "He's the most important, most respected body modder out there." [6] Shawn Porter of Scar Wars explains, "I directly credit Steve’s [electrosurgery] branding as a main influence on the newer generation of scarification artists; his high detail branding (which caused a stir when it was featured in In the Flesh , Body Art , and Bizarre ) showed people that you could do more than just dots, chevrons and geometric shapes." [7] According to Ron Garza, a respected scarification artist, "Steve has always been a pioneer and innovator. He has made a huge contribution to the modification community as a whole..." [8]

Steve Haworth's father was a manufacturer of surgical equipment and Steve Haworth continued in the family business career eventually branching into piercing jewelry and body modification instruments. Steve Haworth formed a company called Haworth Med Tech in the late 1980s to produce medical equipment, later called HTC (Haworth Tech Company), which had subsidiaries of HTC Body Jewelry and the HTC piercing studios. He sold the HTC piercing studios in May 2005 and retired from regular piercing, preferring to concentrate on 3D implants and other types of body modification. He continues to manufacture body jewelry and tools for body modification. [9] He and his business partner Jesse Jarrell create unique silicone jewelry for large-gauge piercing with their company Kaos Softwear. [10]

Haworth travels around the country and the world frequently, and conducts seminars on his body modification techniques. He founded the body suspension group Life Suspended and performs suspensions with them on regular basis. He is also the co-founder of the production company Horns & Halos, which puts on several fetish-themed events every year. [11]

Haworth is the subject of the 2007 documentary Flesh & Blood by director Larry Silverman [12] and also appears in the 2005 documentary Modify . [13] He has appeared on the TV shows Extreme Dr. 90210 , Ripley's Believe it or Not , and Secret Lives of Women , among others. [14] His work has had cultural impact such that Lady Gaga appeared in her video for "Born This Way" and in concerts and interviews wearing fake versions of subdermal implants. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human physical appearance</span> Look, outward phenotype

Human physical appearance is the outward phenotype or look of human beings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nose piercing</span> Piercing of the skin or cartilage of the nose for wearing jewelry

Nose piercing is the piercing of the skin or cartilage which forms any part of the nose, normally for the purpose of wearing jewelry, called a nose-jewel. Among the different varieties of nose piercings, the nostril piercing is the most common.

An earring is a piece of jewelry attached to the ear via a piercing in the earlobe or another external part of the ear. Earrings have been worn by people in different civilizations and historic periods, often with cultural significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearling (body modification)</span> Permanent insertion of beads under genital skin

Pearling or genital beading is a form of body modification, the practice of permanently inserting small beads made of various materials beneath the skin of the genitals—of the labia, or of the shaft or foreskin of the penis. As well as being an aesthetic practice, this is usually intended to enhance the sexual pleasure of partners during vaginal or anal intercourse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subdermal implant</span>

A subdermal implant is a body modification placed under the skin, allowing the body to heal over the implant and creating a raised design. Such implants fall under the broad category of body modification. Many subdermal implants are made out of silicone, either carved or mold injected. Many people who have subdermal implants use them in conjunction with other types of body modification to create a desired, dramatic effect. This process is also known as a 3-D implant, or pocketing.

A transscrotal piercing is a body piercing that travels through the scrotum from front to back, or from side to side. It is a high risk procedure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fakir Musafar</span> American body piercer, photographer and BDSM figure

Roland Loomis, known professionally as Fakir Musafar, was an American performance artist considered to be one of the founders of the modern primitive movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lizardman (performer)</span> American sideshow performer

Erik Sprague, known professionally as the Lizardman, is an American freak show and sideshow performer. He is best known for his body modification, including his sharpened teeth, full-body tattoo of green scales, bifurcated tongue, subdermal implants and green-inked lips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suspension (body modification)</span> Body modification

Body suspension means the act of rigging a human body to hang from implements that have been placed through temporary perforations in the skin.

Stretching, in the context of body piercing, is the deliberate expansion of a healed piercing for the purpose of wearing certain types of jewelry. Ear piercings are the most commonly stretched piercings, with nasal septum piercings, tongue piercings and lip piercings/lip plates following close behind. While all piercings can be stretched to some degree, cartilage piercings are usually more difficult to stretch and more likely to form hypertrophic scars if stretched quickly. Dermal punching is generally the preferred method for accommodating larger jewelry in cartilage piercings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stalking Cat</span> American man best known for extensive body modifications

Stalking Cat was an American man known for his extensive body modifications, which were intended to increase his resemblance to a tiger. For his 14 surgical procedures towards that goal, he held a world record for "most permanent transformations to look like an animal". "Stalking Cat" was his chosen name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hip piercing</span> Type of piercing

A hip piercing is a piercing in the pelvic area through the skin near the hip bone. Hip piercings are often done in couplets with one on each hip, but it is not unusual to see only one. Hips piercing are a type of surface piercing. Microdermals or skin divers can be implanted in the hip area to give a similar appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Implant (body modification)</span>

In body modification, an implant is a device that is placed under the human skin for decorative purposes. Such implants may be subdermal or transdermal. In the context of body modification, some may consider injections of silicone and other substances a type of implant as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnetic implant</span> Procedure where a magnet is inserted to create a sense of magnetism

Magnetic implant is an experimental procedure in which small, powerful magnets are inserted beneath the skin, often in the tips of fingers. They exist in tubes and discs. This procedure is popular among biohackers and grinders, but remains experimental. Magnetic implants are often performed by amateurs at home, using readily available surgical tools and magnets found online. However, some professional body modification shops do perform implant surgeries. Magnetic implants can also be used as an interface for portable devices to create other new "senses", for example converting other sensory inputs such as ultrasonic or infra-red into a touch sensation. In this way the individual could 'feel' e.g. the distance to objects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Body piercing</span> Form of body modification

Body piercing, which is a form of body modification, is the practice of puncturing or cutting a part of the human body, creating an opening in which jewelry may be worn, or where an implant could be inserted. The word piercing can refer to the act or practice of body piercing, or to an opening in the body created by this act or practice. It can also, by metonymy, refer to the resulting decoration, or to the decorative jewelry used. Piercing implants alter body and/or skin profile and appearance. Although the history of body piercing is obscured by popular misinformation and by a lack of scholarly reference, ample evidence exists to document that it has been practiced in various forms by multiple sexes since ancient times throughout the world. Body piercing can be performed on people of all ages, although most minors are only permitted to have earlobe piercings.

Tim Cannon is an American software developer, entrepreneur, and biohacker based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is best known as Chief Information Officer of Grindhouse Wetware, a biotechnology startup company that creates technology to augment human capabilities. Grindhouse was co-founded by Cannon and Shawn Sarver in 2012. Cannon himself has had a variety of body modification implants, and has been referred to in the media as a cyborg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grindhouse Wetware</span>

Grindhouse Wetware is an open source biotechnology startup company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Grindhouse applies the biohacker ethic to create technology that augments human capabilities. The company is most well known for their Circadia device, a wireless biometric sensor that was implanted into co-founder Tim Cannon on the 22 October 2013. Grindhouse has been featured in television shows such as Taboo on National Geographic Channel, Joe Rogan Questions Everything on Syfy, The Big Picture with Kal Penn, as well as podcasts including Future Grind and Roderick Russell's Remarkably Human.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">María José Cristerna</span> Mexican lawyer, businesswoman, activist, and tattoo artist

María José Cristerna Méndez, known professionally as The Vampire Woman or, as she prefers, The Jaguar Woman, is a Mexican lawyer, businesswoman, activist and tattoo artist. She is known for her extensive body modifications, which she embarked on as a form of activism against domestic violence. She is recognized by Guinness World Records as the most tattooed woman in the world, with 96% of her body covered, and is one of the most famous personalities in the world of tattoo art.

References

  1. Dewey Webb (1997-03-27). "Mane of Steel - Page 1 - News - Phoenix". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
  2. Dewey Webb (1993-08-18). "A SCAR IS BORN - Page 1 - News - Phoenix". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
  3. "Body Modification". The Lizardman. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
  4. "The DIY Cyborg | VICE | United States". vice.com. Retrieved 2015-04-09.
  5. "Flesh & Blood - A Body Modification Documentary by Larry Silverman". Fleshandbloodmovie.com. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
  6. McComb, David (8 October 2009). Bizarre Body Art 3. Dennis Publishing. p. 16. ISBN   978-1-906372-82-8.
  7. "ESU- Steve Haworth". Scarwars. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
  8. "ESU- Steve Haworth". Scarwars. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
  9. "Steve Haworth Modified". Stevehaworth.com. 2012-12-13. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
  10. "Kaos Softwear LLC, Silicone Body Jewelry". Kaossoftwear.com. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
  11. Archived March 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  12. "Flesh & Blood". 25 March 2010.
  13. "Modify". 22 April 2005.
  14. "Extreme Dr. 90210". 2 December 2009.
  15. "Lady Gaga Considered Permanent Face Implants". Starpulse.com. 2011-04-25. Retrieved 2013-01-30.