Memorial tattoos: Wearing your heart on your sleeve

An exhibit by two Corner Brookpsychology professorsshows how people are wearing their heart on their sleevesand that's not allwhen it comes to using body art to remember lost loved ones.

"It Just Brings Me Closer": Reflections on Memorial Tattoos,acollection of photographs of 26 memorial tattoos that began as a research project,is now on a tour acrossNewfoundland and Labrador.

• Have ink? Tattoo convention converges on St. John's

"A memorial tattoo is a tattoo that somebody gets in remembrance of a lost loved one, to remember that loved one, or to mark their passing or to remember the relationship that the person had with that loved one,"said JenniferBuckle, who works at the Grenfell campus of Memorial University.

Buckle and her researchpartnerSonyaCorbinDwyer have an expertise in death, dying and griefcounselling.

When they asked forvolunteers to share their tattoos and personal stories, they wereoverwhelmed by people.

"Quotes, songlyrics, symbols, portraits, numbers.I would say, that for the most part, you would probably see one of those tattoos and not know that it was a memorial tattoo until probably you asked the person," saidCorbinDwyer.

The tattoos are a comfort, she said.

"This representstaking the person, or the loved one, sometimes its a pet, with them as well wherever they go. It's a permanent reminder they can look at each and every day."

Buckle said some of the tattoos are unusual.

One person had a portrait of a much loved grandfather:"a very detailed drawing of the man."

And there's a tattoo of a dog's paw print. Buckle said,"where the companion animal used to step on the body."

The tattoos have been on display inStephenville andGrand Falls-Windsor. The exhibitwill then move to the Arts and Culture Centre in Gander fromNov. 22 to Dec. 16before going to Labrador, and then to St. John's in 2016.

"We always have an ongoing connection with our loved ones, even after ourlovedones have passed," said Buckle.

"So the memorialtattoobecomesa reminder of that ongoing connection not that it'san open wound, that there's grieving and pain all the timebut that it brings comforta remembrance of that specialrelationship."