Quentin heads up Kalima body mod studio in Worthing, West Sussex. He specialises in diathermic branding, which uses electricity to ‘burn’ skin, either to leave decorative scars or remove 'blow outs' - extra folds of skin tissue that can occur on earlobes if piercings are stretched too quickly. Quentin's widely regarded as an expert in reconstructing ears after body mods have healed badly. He's also known for his spiritual, holistic approach to modding. Here, he tells Bizarre about outdoor suspension. See more at Kalima.co.uk

"Some studios offer suspension sessions where the atmosphere is lairy and laddy; to some extent, they’ll ‘hook up’ with anyone who’s got the money and the balls. Their clients tend to be after a daring, quick-hit rock’n’roll rush that they can whoop about with their friends.

That’s fair enough, but I see suspensions as more spiritual; testing the limits of your body to an extent that allows you to enter a deep meditative state.

Because of these differences in approach, it’s essential to find the right person to suspend you rather than booking with the first studio you find; you shouldn’t just be checking the credentials of your suspension artist, but whether they share the same mindset as you.

If you’re after a more tribal, sacred affair, then you don’t want someone cheering, 'Hell, yeah!' with the stereo pumping while you’re hanging there. Similarly, if you’re chasing an instant adrenaline buzz, you won’t enjoy a crusty old hippy like me talking to you about rituals!

I don’t charge for suspensions, but I’ll only do them for exceptionally close friends and family who I feel I’m on a level with. If we’re really in tune, I might suggest a new way of ‘hanging out’ – an open-air suspension.

LEAFING THE GROUND

The pictures you see here are from an outdoor session in my local area, Worthing, with a trusted mate called Siobhan. She’s been suspended three times before: twice in Montana at Skindependence, a body mod festival run by BodyMod.org in the US, and once with me in Scotland.

She’s about to leave the UK to go travelling for a long time, and wanted to be suspended to clear her head of worries about the trip and feel brave enough to fully embrace the adventure.

The set-up works as follows: four specially-made suspension hooks pierce Siobhan’s upper back to allow her to be suspended in the ‘suicide’ position, so-called because when winched up, you look like you’ve hung yourself.

The hooks attach to a sturdy A-frame I commissioned from a blacksmith. The frame then connects to a tough climbing rope, which trails up to one of the thick main boughs of a tree, where it’s threaded through a sailing pulley fixed to the branch, allowing me to pull the other end of the rope and smoothly raise Siobhan off the ground.

I’ve been using this tree for three years, so I know it’s strong enough to bear her weight. In fact, the most dangerous part of the operation is when I climb up the trunk to secure the pulley, especially if it’s slippery!

BRANCHING OUT

It’s sunny for this suspension, but it poured down when I did it in Scotland. I wouldn’t work in really windy conditions in case the rope swayed too much, and I wouldn’t leave a person suspended in chilly weather for long in case they caught a cold or went into shock.

Siobhan’s suspension lasts about 15 minutes. 'It was far more peaceful than previous experiences,' she says. 'In Montana there were crowds, drums, and tons of energy, but this time I could hear the birds, which was odd but beautiful.

When I’m suspended I don’t like to talk to anyone but Quentin, and even then we’re not really talking – he has an intuitive way of reading people without breaking the mood. Next, I plan to do a knee suspension; the skin can tear more easily in this position, but I’ve heard you can also hang for longer… though I’m not sure how I’ll cope with all the blood rushing to my head!' "