Reclamation

I discovered Thomas Doyle by chance between the pages of Hi-Fructose, Volume XI. Originally, I intended to read an interview concerning Mark Ryden, but as soon as I saw the glass bell jars and disturbing situations I fell in love. Through the article, and a perusal of a his website I also discovered that his work is broken down into three categories: Distillation, Reclamation, and Bearings. In chronological order these classifications focus on domestic settings, romantic drama (my personal favorite of the three), and isolation (the main character often being a man in red).

Les Bals des Victimes

Les Bals des Victimes, or The Victim's Balls were macabre balls hosted and attended exclusively by those who had a close relative or spouse who had been executed during the Revolution, and papers proving their right to enter needed to be given at the door. These balls took place after 9 Thermidor and were first mentioned in writing in 1797. The purpose of these soirees was to express the harsh emotions felt at the death of the loved one and at the Revolution in general. Attendees showed this by wearing red ribbons round their necks, cutting their hair short a la victime (meant to imitate the way prisoners hair was cut before their execution), and by jerking there heads down in place of a graceful bow to imitate the moment of death. Some say guests would wear mourning clothes, others Greco-Roman attire with naught but ribbons tied around the feet of the women, while others still suggested that they were scantily clad as a result of being impoverished. Unfortunately, scholars suggest the the balls themselves might have been total fiction based on rumors, but even if the their actual occurance is suspicious they still make for a nice story!

More here and here

Hearts and Other Horrors

I found this through a link that Kirsten Miller provided on how to make "canned monstrosities", and since then it's become my favourite video on youtube. Before you freak out, the "heart" is actually made out of gelatin with corn syrup and grenadine serving as "blood". Here's a direct link.



I also recently discovered what is called a Mini Munny at the Urban Outfitters in San Fransisco. Apparently they've been around for awhile. Basically they are little monkey shaped figurines which you can sculpt, write, or draw on. The website even has a how-to/tip page for them. Even a few artists such as Tara McPherson have designed some which you can see here.

Germany's Upside Down House

This house was just built in Trassenheide, Germany as part of a project called The World Upside Down. The makers say it was "inspired by a range of similar buildings in Spain and America, in which the exterior of the house is upside-down, but not the interior". Visitors report that they feel dizzy and sick after just a few minutes, although the house is perfectly safe. You can read and see more here and here. If you ask me it reminds me of when that house squashed The Witch.

Kudos to Monica for the heads up!

Til' Death Do Us Part

Best known for her designs of sad-eyed girls from the Depression Era, Angelique Houtkamp has recently published an art book titled Tattoo Darling. In her own words her "imagery mixed with mythological dreams, antropomorphed critters, nautical iconography and haunting Hollywood romance". Even if you're not interested in getting a tatoo her site is worth a visit.

The Gold Bug

Named after the famous short story by Edgar Allen Poe, and located in Old Town Pasadena it rather reminds me of The Evolution Store in New York, albeit there is much more of a focus on art. Every time I pass by the displays are always different. It is a true mecca of the macabre. From heart shaped rings with a red velvet center and protruding golden arrows to ostrich feathers and bird bones, just about anything can be found here. You can find their address at their website and more information can be found here.

Bastille Day

Vive la Revolution!

Today is a French national Holiday commemorating the Fete de la Federation and the storming of the Bastille. Its one of my favorite holidays, not only because of the rich history, but also because of the wonderful fireworks performance that is held behind the Eiffel Tower.

Coincidentally, I happen to be reading a book that concerns the time period. It is called The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner. I must say I loved the American cover just as much as the original for its wit.

Death To The Normals!

Saw this near Hollywood and Vine.

Gotta Love It!

July 8th

Since today is my birthday I decided to post a list of historic events that have taken place on this date, as well as famous people who were born and died on this date.

1099 - First Crusade: 15,000 starving Christian soldiers march in religious procession around Jerusalem as its Muslim defenders look on.
1497 - Vasco da Gama sets sail on first direct European voyage to India.
1663 - Following restoration of the English monarchy, a new charter was issued to the American colony of Rhode Island. It guaranteed religious freedom regardless of 'differences in opinion in matters of religion.'
1709 - Great Northern War: Battle of Poltava: Peter I of Russia defeats Charles XII of Sweden at Poltava thus effectively ending Sweden's role as a major power in Europe.
1776 - The Declaration of Independence was read aloud in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1835 - Liberty Bell cracks (again)
1889 - The first issue of the Wall Street Journal is published.
1892 - St. John's, Newfoundland was devastated in the Great Fire of 1892.
1898 - The shooting death of crime boss Soapy Smith releases Skagway, Alaska from his iron grip.
1932 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches its lowest level of the Great Depression, bottoming out at 41.22.
1947 - Reports are broadcast that a UFO has crash landed in Roswell, New Mexico.
1948 - The Moscow Conference convened to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the independence of the Russian Orthodox Church from control of the Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople.
1999 - Allen Lee Davis is executed- the last use of the electric chair for capital punishment in Florida.

Born:
1528 - Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy (d. 1580)
1545 - Don Carlos of Spain (d. 1568)
1593 - Artemisia Gentileschi, Italian painter (d. 1653)
1621 - Jean de la Fontaine, French writer (d. 1695)
1792 - Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, queen of Bavaria (d. 1854)
1830 - Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna of Altenburg (d. 1911)
1836 - Joseph Chamberlain, British politician (d. 1914)
1838 - Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin, German inventor (d. 1917)
1839 - John D. Rockefeller, American businessman (d. 1937)
1908 - Louis Jordan, American saxophonist (d. 1975)
1914 - Billy Eckstine, American jazz singer (d. 1993)
1924 - Johnnie Johnson, American blues musician (d. 2005)
1935 - Steve Lawrence, American entertainer and singer
1944 - Jeffrey Tambor, American actor
1949 - Wolfgang Puck, Austrian-born celebrity chef
1951 - Anjelica Huston, American actress
1958 - Kevin Bacon, American actor
1959 - Robert Knepper, American actor
1961 - Toby Keith, American singer
1961 - Andrew Fletcher, English musician (Depeche Mode)
1968 - Billy Crudup, American actor
1970 - Beck, American singer
1977 - Milo Ventimiglia, American actor
1982 - Joshua Alba, American actor
1982 - Sophia Bush, American actress
1985 - Jamie Cook, British musician (Arctic Monkeys)

Died:
810 - Pepin, King of Italy, son of Charlemagne (b. 773)
975 - King Edgar of England
1695 - Christiaan Huygens, Dutch scientist, son of Constantijn Huygens (b. 1629)
1721 - Elihu Yale, American benefactor and namesake of Yale University (b. 1649)
1822 - Percy Bysshe Shelley, English poet (b. 1792)
1850 - Prince Adolphus, 1st Duke of Cambridge (b. 1774)
1859 - King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway (b. 1799)
1898 - Soapy Smith, American con artist (b. 1860)
1905 - Walter Kittredge, American musician (b. 1834)
1913 - Louis Hémon, French-born writer (b. 1880)
1917 - Tom Thomson, Canadian painter (b. 1877)
1933 - Anthony Hope, British author (b. 1863)
1943 - Jean Moulin, French Resistance leader (b. 1899))
1967 - Vivien Leigh, English actress (b. 1913)
1971 - Charlie Shavers, American jazz trumpet player (b. 1920)
1981 - Wild Bill Hallahan, American baseball player (b. 1902)
1990 - Howard Duff, American actor, uncle of Hillary Duff (b. 1913)
1994 - Christian-Jaque, French film director and screenwriter (b. 1904)
1999 - Pete Conrad, American astronaut, third man to walk on the moon (b. 1930)
2002 - Ward Kimball, American animator -created the Mad Hatter and Cheshire Cat for Disney among others (b. 1914)
2006 - June Allyson, American actress (b. 1917)

It is the Saints Day of Elizabeth , queen consort of Portugal. Coincidentally she had a daughter named Constance, a mother named Constantia, and a great-great grandmother also named Constance who appeared in Dante's Paradiso.

Mark Ryden

I'm sure many of you know about this artist by now as he recently held an exhibit at the Pasadena Museum of California Art (and the flyers were hung just about everywhere in L.A), however, i couldn't resist. His exhibit was called Wondertoonel and you can find many of his paintings there. The rest can be found at his website www.markryden.com.

Many of his paintings are reminiscent of Heironymous Bosch and Sir John Tenniel. As one critic put it "His works recall a parallel universe of 1950s Golden Books and the whimsy of Lewis Carroll".

I also found it interesting that as a wedding gift he even presented Jessicka and Christian Hejnal of Scarling with a miniature portrait of the couple that was a faithful adaptation of Jan Van Eyck's "Arnolfini Portrait" which was later reproduced on the invitations, and that his work appears in the Christina Ricci film Penelope.