Skilled French tattoo artist JC Sheitan Tenet tragically lost his lower right arm 22 years ago. You would think this event ended his career forever, but last month, things changed for JC. He was fitted with a custom built, hybrid prosthetic arm and tattoo machine.
Sheitan teamed up with fellow artist JL Gonzal, who is known throughout the tattoo community for his mechanized taxidermies. The two began to develop a prototype for an old prosthetic that JC had lying around his house.
Using the prosthetic arm as a base, Gonzal tinkered away, using parts from things such as a record player and a sewing machine to create the perfect new tool for Tenet. The arm is also capable of moving 360 degrees during wear, and is as lightweight as possible.
The Reveal
Recently, in Devézieux, France, the pair gave a demonstration of their incredible invention. It was received with wonder and disbelief. “At the convention, people said ‘What the f*** is that!? That’s f***ing cool!’” – Tenet told Motherboard.
At first the two artists started telling people the arm was a kinetic sculpture. However, the reactions they had received throughout the day told them the arm could be much more than that. They had in fact discovered an efficient tool that could possibly rival a regular arm.
And it’s not hard to agree when you see the calibre of Tenet’s work, and his arm in action.
See more of JC’s work on his Instagram page.