Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Musafar, Fakir, 1930-2018
- Abstract:
- Chiefly photographs pertaining to Fakir Musafar and his work in body modification and related spiritual practice. This work focuses particularly on piercing as well as corseting, tattooing, branding, and other modifications identified with the "modern primitive" movement.
- Extent:
- 13400 photographs : approximately 13,400 photographs in 8 boxes (prints and text), 6 boxes (negatives), 1 carton (papers), 4 oversize boxes, 2 oversize folders, 69.38 GB (1 hard drive with 122 video files, approximately 5,950 image files, and approximately 183 other files), and 109.4 GB (1 hard drive with approximately 4,400 files)
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Fakir Musafar archive, BANC PIC 2018.066, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This archive comprises, chiefly, photographs pertaining to Fakir Musafar and his work in body modification and related spiritual practice. This work focuses particularly on piercing as well as corseting, tattooing, branding, and other modifications identified with the "modern primitive" movement, or considered part of B&D (bondage and discipline) practice in kink or S&M (BDSM) culture.
Imagery is often studio portraiture, or documentation of modification practice in a piercing or tattoo studio setting. Some imagery explores gender identity or presentation. Images from Fakir's workshops, classes, or ritual practice are also present, as are copy photographs or collected imagery that Fakir compiled for research or publication. This material is often international, cross-cultural, and/or historical.
Many of the photographs were taken by Fakir, including numerous self portraits, but photographs by others are also present. The collection includes photographic prints and negatives, some periodicals, ephemera, and posters, and a small quantity of professional papers such as writings, project files, and model releases.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Fakir Musafar (born Roland Loomis) is known for his fifty years of research and personal exploration of primitive body decoration and rituals. Fakir introduced concepts and practices for the "body-first" approach to explore spirituality in art, body modifications, SM and what he called "body play". Fakir's practices have been shown and his views expressed in the 1985 film Dances Sacred & Profane, in the 2013 film Body Of God, and in RE/Search publications 1986 book Modern Primitives (a term Fakir coined in 1979 to describe himself and a few kindred spirits).
As a shaman, artist, master piercer, and body modifier, Fakir played a significant part in the revival of body piercing, body sculpting, branding and other body-related practices for personal expression, spiritual exploration, rites-of-passage, healing and reclaiming. He co-developed many of modern body piercing techniques and was Director of the Fakir Body Piercing & Branding Intensives.
Roland Edmund Loomis was born in 1930 in Aberdeen, South Dakota. He studied electrical engineering and held a B.S.E. degree from Northern State University (South Dakota) plus an M.A. degree in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. For many years he held executive positions in San Francisco advertising agencies and operated his own ad agency in Silicon Valley.
His interest in body modification started at an early age, and he began taking photographic self portraits as part of this interest, developing and printing his images in a home dark room. Over the decades he often photographed with large format cameras (Rolliecord, Rollieflex, Maymia RB), and his prints have been exhibited in numerous galleries, including Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles, who served as his agent.
Fakir (Roland Loomis) was married to wife Gloria from 1966 to 1972. In 1990, Fakir married Cléo Dubois (also known as Carla.)
Fakir Musafar died in 2018 at age 87.
(Sources: excerpted, with minor modification and additions, from the Fakir Musafar Foundation website, visited May 2023: https://www.fakir.org/aboutfakir/ See also "Fakir Musafar, Whose 'Body Play' Went to Extremes, Dies at 87", New York Times, Aug. 13, 2018.)
- Acquisition information:
- The Fakir Musafar archive was purchased by The Bancroft Library from Roland Loomis (Fakir Musafar) and Charlotte (Carla) Loomis on April 12, 2018. Additions from Charlotte (Carla) Loomis were made in April, 2022.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Bancroft Library staff in 2022.
- Physical location:
- Many Bancroft Library collections are stored off-site and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
- Physical facet:
- : chiefly JPG and digital video formats
- Rules or conventions:
- DACS
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research. Negatives and slides available by appointment only. Some specified materials have been restricted due to privacy concerns. Digital files are unprocessed and unavailable for use.
- Terms of access:
-
Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Roland Loomis's (Fakir Musafar's) copyright in this collection has been assigned to the University of California Regents. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For additional information about the University of California, Berkeley Library's permissions policy please see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies
Duplication requests require curatorial review and approval due to third party privacy concerns.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Fakir Musafar archive, BANC PIC 2018.066, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
- Location of this collection:
-
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft LibraryBerkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
- Contact:
- 510-642-6481