The Mark of Cain documents the fading art form and the Russian criminal tattoos, once a taboo subject in Russia. The virtual disappearance is now seen as a reflection of the transition of Russian society in general. Filmed in some of the most notorious prisons in Russia, including the famous White Swan, interviews with prisoners, guards, and criminologists show the secret language of the area and the Code of Thieves.
Stalinist Gulag inmates, or the area, as it is called, has developed a complex social structure (documented in the decade of 1920) that incorporated highly symbolic tattooing as a mark of rank. The existence of these inmates in prisons and labor camps was considered by the state as a closely guarded secret.
In the 1990s, the population of Russia broke jail overcrowding among the worst in the world. Some estimates suggest that in the last generation of over thirty million of Russia’s inmates have had tattoos, but the process is illegal in Russian prisons.
The Mark of Cain discusses all aspects of tattooing, the mere creation of the tattoo ink, tattoo artists interviews and sobriety seen in the double-edged sword of tattoos in prison. In many ways, which is needed to survive brutal Russian prisons, but it makes the prisoner for life, which complicates any reentry into normal society they may have.
Tattoos expressly identifies the inmate has been convicted, like many prisons in the state s and what kind of criminal he is. Tattoos, in essence, will tell you everything you need to know about that person without even asking. Each tattoo represents a variety of things; domes of the churches represent the number of convictions a convict has epaulets on the shoulders tattooed represent the range of the person in the world of crime and so forth.The mark of Cain documents the fading art form and language Russian criminal tattoos, once a taboo subject in Russia. The virtual disappearance is now seen as a reflection of the transition of Russian society in general. Filmed in some of the most notorious prisons in Russia, including the famous White Swan, interviews with prisoners, guards, and criminologists show the secret language of the area and the Code of Thieves.
Stalinist Gulag inmates, or the area, as it is called, has developed a complex social structure (documented in the decade of 1920) that incorporated highly symbolic tattooing as a mark of rank. The existence of these inmates in prisons and labor camps was considered by the state as a closely guarded secret.
In the 1990s, the population of Russia broke jail overcrowding among the worst in the world. Some estimates suggest that in the last generation of over thirty million of Russia’s inmates have had tattoos, but the process is illegal in Russian prisons.
The Mark of Cain discusses all aspects of tattooing, the mere creation of the tattoo ink, tattoo artists interviews and sobriety seen in the double-edged sword of tattoos in prison. In many ways, which is needed to survive brutal Russian prisons, but it makes the prisoner for life, which complicates any reentry into normal society they may have.
Tattoos expressly identifies the inmate has been convicted, like many prisons in the state s and what kind of criminal he is. Tattoos, in essence, will tell you everything you need to know about that person without even asking. Each tattoo represents a variety of things, church domes represent the number of convictions a convict has epaulets on the shoulders tattooed represent the range of the person in the world of crime and so forth.The mark of Cain documents how fading art and language of Russian criminal tattoos, once a taboo subject in Russia. The virtual disappearance is now seen as a reflection of the transition of Russian society in general. Filmed in some of the most notorious prisons in Russia, including the famous White Swan, interviews with prisoners, guards, and criminologists show the secret language of the area and the Code of Thieves.
Stalinist Gulag inmates, or the area, as it is called, has developed a complex social structure (documented in the decade of 1920) that incorporated highly symbolic tattooing as a mark of rank. The existence of these inmates in prisons and labor camps was considered by the state as a closely guarded secret.
In the 1990s, the population of Russia broke jail overcrowding among the worst in the world. Some estimates suggest that in the last generation of over thirty million of Russia’s inmates have had tattoos, but the process is illegal in Russian prisons.
The Mark of Cain discusses all aspects of tattooing, the mere creation of the tattoo ink, tattoo artists interviews and sobriety seen in the double-edged sword of tattoos in prison. In many ways, which is needed to survive brutal Russian prisons, but it makes the prisoner for life, which complicates any reentry into normal society they may have.
Tattoos expressly identifies the inmate has been convicted, like many prisons in the state s and what kind of criminal he is. Tattoos, in essence, will tell you everything you need to know about that person without even asking. Each tattoo represents a variety of things, church domes represent the number of convictions a convict has epaulets on the shoulders tattooed represent the range of the person in the world of crime and so on and so on.
