We joked on our Instagram page the other day that the way 2020 is going, July will see aliens reveal themselves to humanity. But in Barcelona, one already walks among us... he is known as The Black Alien Project.
The Black Alien has spent the past six years transforming himself from handsome Frenchman in to an ear-less, fork-tongued, tattooed, bumpy-headed freak - and we love it.
Anthony Loffredo's Instagram page is full of very arty pictures of him in all his bonkers alien glory, with lots of philosophical musings about his evolution from man to E.T.
"Some say that I am just a fool, others say that I am the devil in person, that I do not deserve to be here ... I will fight until my last breath. I will defend my project until the end."
The 31-year-old has already undergone a series of extreme and totally irreversible procedures, including:.
Body tattooed in black lines
Face tattooed totally black
Split tongue like a lizard
Sclera tattoos (black eyes)
Dermal implants to give bumpy, reptilian shaped head
Ears surgically removed
Dermal piercings on his brow, nose and chin
Sections of his cheeks sliced out to make pink lightening bolts
Eager to share his vision with fans who are accompanying him on his voyage to outer space via needles and scalpels, he posts drawings revealing his final goal. He wants to be an even musclier version of himself... with NO NOSE.
Whenever he mentions this to his fans they react in absolute horror - including concerns that not having a nose will leave him vulnerable to dangerous infections and germs.
But what is his motivation for setting off on this painful (and probably lonely) journey?
In a 2017 interview with French newspaper Midi Libre, he explained how a childhood interest in bodybuilding developed in to a new interest in body modification, which he has now dedicated his very existence to.
He said: “From a very young age, I have been passionate about mutations and transformations of the human body.
“I had a click when I was a security guard. I realised that I was not living my life the way I wanted. I stopped everything at 24 and left for Australia. ”
He doesn't say what happened in Australia to make him want to become a living alien, but since he's been back in Europe he's thrown himself in to it wholeheartedly.
Anthony added that his obsession has overtaken his entire life, describing his flesh as being "under construction".
He said: "It is magic. Everyone has their own freedoms. Mine is to have no limits in the mutation of my body.
"It has become normal, even unconscious, to constantly think about my plans for the next few months."
According to the interview, which was originally published in French, he loves seeing people's reaction to his terrifying appearance, and enjoys acting up to people's sense of wonder and dread, but is sure to keep his behaviour and interactions "respectful".
He said: "In general, they end up leaving me alone. I love getting into the shoes of a scary character. I often settle down somewhere and play a role, especially at night in the dark streets, he has fun. I explore the contrast between the role I play and myself. ”
Anthony finds these periods of observation a good chance for him to sit and philosophise about society. He asks himself: "'Do they still see a human or something else?' This is what is exciting and fascinating."
He adds that he will one day leave Montpellier and explore how others across Europe view him and his freakish look, and that he will be videoing their reactions. For work, he will be tattooing eyeballs.
The interview concludes with him explaining that he will never regret undertaking any of his bizarre modifications, but that "My only regret would be that I didn't do it."
Regardless of what you think of his appearance, we think this is a great attitude!
