Yes, of course it hurts! But it is a matter of how we perceive the pain, and how we are conditioned and trained to tolerate pain. For us pain is our profession and we deal it with on several levels and for several purposes. There is multiple methods and techniques that can be used to increase the threshold for pain, and various ways deal with the sensation.

The HeadMaster: "Hard to say. I have always been drawn to explore pain as an interesting sensation. At age twenty I became aware of my special talent and intensified me research and pain studies. I came out of the closet and started to use the title Fakir in -91, with my first public performance in Brasilia DF, Brazil. I formed Pain Solution in -93 and have ever since had Pain Solution as my main business."

The Maniac has a background in skateboarding and recklessness. He came in contact with Wings of Desire at the Oslo SusCon in -03 and continued attending on a regular basis. He became a teamleader in the Wings of Desire crew in no time and formed Sceneskrekk (Stagefright) with his partner 5150, a sideshow group they developed during three years, from 2004-06. He attended The Fakir Academy through 2007-09 and has a Bachelor degree in Sideshow and pain tolerance.

The Princess of Scars discovered body suspension as her first true sensation of joy at the Oslo SusCon in 2005. She soon became a regular attendant at our suspension events and eventually started to train for the Wings of Desire crew. She was under my guidance for a period of time in an attempt to find a way to deal with her self harm, and more so; the reasons behind it. As an extension to the experimental therapy she attended The Fakir Academy through 2007-09 and has a Bachelor degree in Sideshow and pain tolerance.

Yes, we do! And we wear them with pride! We all had a fair collection of them even before we started to make them on purpose. The scars tells our stories, for good and for bad, they always will. No one should ever have to be embarrassed of their scars.

Yes, Pain Solution does not fake it. Bleeding is healthy!

Normally not. We control and limit the damage to our bodies, we should always be able to go again the next day. Wounds may not heal instantly, but we can repeat everything again for many days if needed.

Who knows? Ten years ago I would say I hope to be on stage till I'm 70. Now I'm not so sure about that, but on the other hand I do know that I'll be directing Pain Solution beyond my ability to be on stage in person. It's clear to me that I'll be developing Pain Solution till i die. And then I hope my successors will continue to develop the work we are creating.

No. You would be surprised how many professions that are at a higher risk than us. In our line of work accidents can be crucial and cause serious injury, and part of our job is to be in total control to avoid damage. Some severe accidents have happened in the past, a few are bound to happen in the future, but they are far from frequent.

How can we not? This is what we do, this is what we can. This is who we are! We quite enjoy our work and all that it involves, and we are more than willing to pay the price of some pain to have the privilege of travelling the world, doing what we love, meeting all the people on our paths, and spread a little joy and happiness. Spread a little fear and fright. A little shock and lots of amusement.

No. Fear could potentially provoke the infection itself. Fear is a strong and dangerous sensation. We cannot afford to be afraid of infections or any other unintentional harm to ourselves. We know how to limit the risk of infection, and we have built resistance to bacterial infections. And should we get infected, we do know how to deal with it. Nothing to be afraid of at all.

There is both physical conditioning and mind over matter at play when we stand on knives and jump in glass. It takes endurance and balance, and a lot of practice.

By trial and error, exploration and research. It was difficult before internet was available to me. It has taken me quite some time to master the discipline and develop as a Fakir. I have stepped up a level after taking on students and it has been very fulfilling to be able to pass on the knowledge and the skill to The Maniac and The Princess of Scars. They on the other hand, have had the advantage of not having to figure out everything for themselves.

We sure try as hard as we can! Pain Solution is our job. If we should spend to much time working for money elsewhere, we could not do all the work Pain Solution requires. The fact that people are willing to pay to see us do what we do best; put on a hell of show! That is a privilege we have earned. For nearly two decades we have struggled to get recognition for our art form and we are determined to reach our goal.

Because we can. Because we want to. Because you want to see it. Because we must. Because who else would do it? For fun.

The Fakir Academy project is concluded. It was a three year education for a chosen few, two of the students graduated with a Bachelor in Sideshow and Pain Tolerance. Now they continue to work as part of Pain Solution and helps develop the company in new endeavors. A future schools project is on the horizon, but before that we have other tasks to tend to.

Yes. Our school building was damaged in a fire that struck us in August 2009. Along with the emotional stress and loss of equipment and props, we had to take the irony. The sad fact is that police investigation proved the fire was lit on purpose, and by that conclusion they closed the case. ACAB! We lost about half a million NOK worth of stuff and our dear school building. Hundreds of hours of labour at the site to clean up and save what could be saved only made us stronger. Who ever tried to hurt us missed terribly!

Although there's a bit of age difference, the same pattern seems to have been the case for all the 3 sets of parents; very skeptic and not at all supportive at the beginning. Then, after a while coming to terms and accepting the fact that they can't change it. And finally starting to understand, respect and be proud of our choice.

Again there's a huge age difference. But again the same scenario unfolds, they are our children. They grow up with strange parents, and normal becomes strange. When they come of age they realize other parents, aunts and uncles, are for the most part norms, they are proud to have a special dad, aunt or uncle.

Feel free to contact us, or another suspension team that might be closer to you. In our links section you should find links to groups. At suspension.org theres is a directory.

I don't know. Can you?

Duh.

No. That is a very serious and rare condition. It's rare because it is lethal! We do feel the pain involved in our feats of endurance. We accept that and we don't mind it at all. It is a matter of choice. Pain by choice is tolerable.