Regina men 'hooked' on performance art
Last Updated: Thursday, August 19, 2010 | 9:26 PM CST
CBC News
Dustin Detrisor sways in the air suspended by hooks inserted through his skin. (CBC)Two Regina men are showcasing a somewhat disturbing form of performance art, suspending themselves from hooks that pierce their skin.
On Wednesday night, Dustin Detrisor and Sean Wilde performed at a Regina nightclub where people paid a $10 cover charge to watch the pair dangle and sway in the air.
Detrisor performed first. To accomplish the stunt, he began by having an assistant — Wilde — insert four metal hooks through the skin of his upper back.
Using the hooks and some ropes, Detrisor suspended himself in mid-air. To add to the effect, Wilde tugged on the ropes to get Detrisor swinging.
Hooks are inserted into the skin of the upper back of Dustin Detrisor. (CBC)Detrisor, 25, learned the technique from Wilde, 23, who also has a number of body piercings and has performed suspensions in the United States.
On Wednesday night, Wilde dangled from hooks attached to the skin on his knees.
"It's like the closest you can get to flying without using an airplane or skydiving," Wilde told CBC News on Wednesday. "I mean, I can fly when there's a band ten feet away from me instead of jumping out of a plane."
When asked how it feels, Detrisor quipped it was comparable to "fluffy clouds and kittens."
"No," he quickly added. "It hurts because you have metal hooks in you and you're getting pulled up with all your body weight. But after a while the adrenaline kicks in and so do the endorphins and it feels pretty good."
Sean Wilde says he has done over a dozen pierced suspensions in Montana. (CBC)According to Wilde one square inch of skin is capable of holding 80 pounds of weight. The hooks must be carefully placed to ensure a proper distribution of weight, and the equipment must be sterilized.
While Wilde and Detrisor performed for a curious, and at times gasping, audience on Wednesday it is not a full-time profession for them.
Wilde works in the newspaper distribution business. Detrisor, who spent his summer in the oil fields as a rig worker, plans to return to school in the fall.
