Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Image found here.

From the Sacred Heart to the Profane: "Collector of Hearts," Morbid Anatomy Guest Post on The Newly Launched Wellcome Library Website

The kind of research that I am drawn to tends to focus on things that reside at tricky intersections, or have fallen though the historical cracks. The incredibly broad and multi-disciplinary collection of the Wellcome Library — one that gives equal primacy to the highbrow contemporary academia, forgotten ephemera, art, artifacts, outdated science, and outsider scholarship — makes this the perfect library for the sort of research I do, and allows for all manner of idiosyncratic research that would simply be impossible to conceive of at more conventional libraries.
--"Collector of Hearts" Guest Post, The The Wellcome Library Website

Today, that spectacular and unrivaled resource The Wellcome Library launched a brand new, image-intensive website; as part of the relaunch, I was asked to write a guest post about my "user experiences" in the library over a series of visits on my recent trip to London.

In the post--excerpted above, full post here--I use as a point of departure the randomly stumbled upon and utterly amazing book From Holy Pictures to the Healing Saints: Faith and the Heart. In it, author, doctor and collector N. Boyadjian’s showcases and muses on his wonderful and vast assortment of ‘holy pictures,’ also known as ‘prayer cards,’ or small popular pictures used in “individual intimate devotion” (see top 5 images). Using that book and its chapter on "The Sacred Heart" as a departure point, I then delved into all aspects of the Wellcome Library and Image Collection--digital and print, rare and every day--to ferret out the variety of ways in which the human heart has been approached from the sacred and secular, the symbolic to the medical.

In this fashion, I discovered a dizzying array of curiosities showcasing the depth a breadth of The  Wellcome Library and Collection; just a very few of my favorites: an illustration of "A most true and certaine relation of a strange monster or serpent found in the left ventricle of the heart of John Pennant, gentleman, of the age of 21 yeares" (7th down);  a Carmelite scapular; a theatrical-framed illustration of the "Heart, illustrated as a pumping machine" from 1733; "The vivisector asked to choose between head and heart" from 1886; a dried and preserved human tattoo depicting a sacred heart (9th down); a print of of an anatomist examining the heart of suspiciously beautiful female cadaver ("She Had a Heart," 1890) (6th down); and, perhaps my favorite, a painting of souls in purgatory looking at the wounds of christ (8th down).

You can read the post in its entirety--and see all the amazing images I located, a few of which are even zoom-able in the post!--by clicking here.

Images Captions:

1. From the book From Holy Pictures…to the Healing Saints: Faith and the Heart,
   N. Boyadjian, 1986
2. From the book From Holy Pictures…to the Healing Saints: Faith and the Heart,
   N. Boyadjian, 1986
3. From the book From Holy Pictures…to the Healing Saints: Faith and the Heart,
   N. Boyadjian, 1986
4. From the book From Holy Pictures…to the Healing Saints: Faith and the Heart,
   N. Boyadjian, 1986
5. From the book From Holy Pictures…to the Healing Saints: Faith and the Heart,
   N. Boyadjian, 1986
6. From Wellcome Images: a print of of an anatomist examining the heart of suspiciously beautiful female cadaver ("She Had a Heart," 1890)
7. From Wellcome Images: "A most true and certaine relation of a strange monster or serpent found in the left ventricle of the heart of John Pennant, gentleman, of the age of 21 yeares"
8. From Wellcome Images: a painting of souls in purgatory looking at the wounds of Christ
9. From Wellcome Images :a dried and preserved human tattoo depicting a sacred heart

"The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking," Oliver Burkeman, 2012

"... it pointed to an alternative approach, a 'negative path' to happiness, which entailed taking a radically different stance towards those things that most of us spend our lives trying hard to avoid. It involved learning to enjoy uncertainty, embracing insecurity, stopping trying to think positively, becoming familiar with failure, even learning to value death, In short, all these people seemed to agree that in order to be truly happy we might actually need to be willing to experience more negative emotions--or, at the every least, to learn to stop running quite so hard from them. Which is a bewildering thought, and one that calls into question not just our methods for achieving happiness, but also our assumptions about what 'happiness' really means."
--The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking, Oliver Burkeman

I am absolutely loving friend, Observatory presenter, and resident genius/Guardian writer Oliver Burkeman's new book The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking. A kind of 200 page confutation of the accepted wisdom of "positive thinking" and other truisms of the self-help movement, it is also a terrific and witty introduction to a multitude of exceptionally wise philosophies whose tenants run counter to those ideas, from The Stoics to Buddhism to Mexican Day of the Dead. The result is a book which provides a persuasive argument for reviving the notion of the memento mori--objects or artworks whose function is to urge the beholder to contemplate the fact that they, too, will die--and which takes the unpopular stand that to be truly happy, to live a good and full life, we need to embrace, or at least learn to tolerate, negativity, uncertainty, and death. Ideas that, obviously, I strongly share.

I highly recommend checking this book out for yourself; you can find out more--and order a copy--by clicking here.

Memento-mori themed painting found here.

RESCHEDULED AND RELOCATED: From the Akashic Jukebox: Magic and Music in Britain, 1888-1978: Illustrated Lecture and Rare British Occult Recordings with Mark Pilkington of Strange Attractor Press

Sadly, Hurricane Sandy continues to ravage Morbid Anatomy and Observatory in the form of No Electricity. Thus, tonight's scheduled event--"From the Akashic Jukebox: Magic and Music in Britain, 1888-1978: Illustrated Lecture and Rare British Occult Recordings with Mark Pilkington of Strange Attractor Press"--has been rescheduled and relocated; it will now take place tomorrow night--Tuesday November 20-at Acme Studio, 63 N. 3rd St. Brooklyn.

Full details follow. Hope very much to see you there.

From the Akashic Jukebox: Magic and Music in Britain, 1888-1978: Illustrated Lecture and Rare British Occult Recordings with Mark Pilkington of Strange Attractor Press
Illustrated Lecture and Rare British Occult Recordings with Mark Pilkington of Strange Attractor Press
Date: Tuesday, November 20
Time: 8:00
Admission: $5
*** Now being held at Acme Studio, 63 N. 3rd St. Brooklyn, as the electricity is still out at Observatory

Magic and music are as old as humanity, but organised witchcraft--a British cultural export whose influence has been felt all over the world--is younger than jazz. In tonight's talk, illustrated with images, music and rare recordings, Strange Attractor's Mark Pilkington explores British occultism’s origins in the bohemian groves of late 19th century London, and charts its impact on popular music and some of its players, from the rock ‘n’ roll years through to the paradigm shift of punk. The emerging stories glow with transcendence, ripple with mystery, honk with absurdity and are all too often shadowed by tragedy.

Mark Pilkington is the author of two books - Mirage Men: An Adventure into Disinformation, Paranoia and UFOs and Far Out: 101 Strange Tales from Science's Outer Edge and has written for Fortean Times, the Guardian, Sight & Sound, The Wire, Frieze, The Anomalist and a host of other magazines and journals. Mark also runs Strange Attractor Press, editing and publishing its occasional Journal, and organising events and exhibitions.

"'Morbid Anatomy Anthology': Brooklyn Art Group Seeks Funding For Curious New Book," The Huffington Post

From today's Huffington Post:

Morbid Anatomy Anthology': Brooklyn Art Group Seeks Funding For Curious New Book

Mummified remains, taxidermied animals, jarred body parts. These are the images that greet you when you visit the Kickstarter page for Morbid Anatomy.

The curiously named organization, housed in the Proteus Gowanus Gallery space in Brooklyn, is an arts-meets-science, subcultural playhouse that hosts lectures, performances and art exhibits all in the name of, well, oddities. Officially described as a survey of "the interstices of art and medicine, death and culture," Morbid Anatomy is really just a creative laboratory where curious scientists, artists, writers and weirdos get together to explore the underworld of scholarship that no one else gives a second glance. From anthropodermic bibliopegy (books bound in human skin) to extreme taxidermy to death-themed cabaret in 19th century Paris, the group covers just about any macabre topic you could imagine.


Morbid Anatomy showcases its esoteric findings in two ways -- a library/pocket museum hat showcases the books, photographs and ephemera of its obscure researchers and a presentation and lecture series titled "Morbid Anatomy Presents." But now the "rogue morticians" are seeking to add a third platform, announcing on their Kickstarter plans for a "Morbid Anatomy Anthology." The illustrated book will feature the best of the Morbid Anatomy Presents series, like the work of Anthropomorphic Mouse Taxidermy Class teacher Sue Jeiven or "Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads" author Stephen Asma.

The Kickstarter launched today, already exceeding it's goal by over $15,000. Check out the video above to learn more about the project of Joanna Ebenstein and Colin Dickey. What do you think, readers? Does Morbid Anatomy lean in the direction of beauty or horror?

To read the entire article and see a slideshow on the work of the lovely Tessa Farmer, click here. To donate to the campaign and secure a copy of the book for your very own, click here.

"Diableries” (or “Devilment”) Stereo Views, 19th Century

Some of you might recall my recent desperate search for hi-resolution images of “Diableries” (or “Devilment”) 19th century 3D stereo views. Morbid Anatomy reader Corey Schjoth kindly obliged, sending me the photographs you see above, demonstrating both front- and back-lit views of a particularly wonderful card.

Corey is also a photographer of haunted places; you can find out more about he and his work by clicking here, and check out his Etsy shop by clicking here.

I highly recommend clicking on the image to see larger, finer versions. And if you want to know more about these enigmatic and fantastic Diableries, you could do worse than to watch the Midnight Archive featurette on the topic by clicking here. Also, stay tuned for a heavily-illustrated article about "Diableries” in the upcoming Morbid Anatomy Anthology! More on that here.

"Death: A Self Portrait," The Wellcome Collection, Through February 24, 2013

In some way death in our culture happens offstage in private, but this show looks at the ways in which people have explored death much more face on. --Kate Forde, Curator of "Death: A Self Portrait," The Wellcome Collection, BBC Magazine

My last night in London, I had the honor and delight to attend the preview of "Death: A Self Portrait," the Wellcome Collection's spectacularly amazing new exhibition which officially opens today.

Beautifully and thought-provokingly curated by Kate Forde (who also curated the Wellcome's 2009 Exquisite Bodies), the exhibition uses as its base and its muse the extensive, broad, and rather profound death-themed collection of Chicago-based Richard Harris. Harris' collection is comprised of all things death, ranging from valuable artistic masterworks to the lowest-brow of popular culture, bringing to mind the collection of none other than Henry Wellcome, the man behind the Wellcome Collection. To its merit, "Death: A Self Portrait" draws deftly from both extremes as well as all that is located in between; the result is an exhibition that is at a lovely, provocative, fascinating, witty, and thoughtful investigation into the human obsession with imagining and coming to terms with that greatest and most unknown of absolutes: DEATH.

"Death: A Self Portrait" is divided up into five sections: The first, "Contemplating Death," is a collection of memento mori themed work; The second, "The Dance of Death," gathers works responding to notions of the danse macabre or death as the great equalizer; "Violent Death" features a variety of artistic responses to war, including Goya's Disasters of War series; "Commemoration" concerns itself with burial, morning, and our responses the particular dead; My personal favorite, "Eros and Thanatos," is an unusual addition to a public discussion of death, and showcases "works expressing our strange fascination with 'things at the outer limits of life and death, sexuality and pain."

Above are just a very few images from this wonderful exhibition; there are many, many more excellent artworks, objects and artifacts to be seen; I simply cannot more highly recommend checking out this jaw-dropper before its closing date on February 24th!

You can find out more about the show on the Wellcome Collection website by clicking here; To hear the lovely illustrated interview with curator Kate Forde from which the above quote was drawn, click here.

Also, for the interested among you: both collector-of-death Richard Harris and curator Kate Forde will be contributors to the Morbid Anatomy Anthology, a new lavish book immortalizing in words and images the best of Morbid Anatomy Presents; you can secure your own copy--and find out more--by clicking here. For more on the Richard Harris collection, click here to learn about a recent exhibition using his collection as its base at The Chicago Cultural Center.

All images ©  Wellcome Images, Courtesy The Richard Harris Collection; captions, top to bottom:

1. Metamorphic Postcard, c.1900 
2. Skeleton puppet. Wood and cotton
3. Bathel Bruyn the elder, 'A Skull in a Niche', c.1535-55 Oil on panel
4. When Shall we Meet Again?Gelatin silver print Size, c.1900
5. Louis Crusius, Antikamnia, 1900 Paper: calendar series of 6, 1900
6. Marcos Raya, Untitled (family portrait: woman in yellow dress), 2005 Collage: vintage photo with mixed media
7. Dana Salvo, From the series 'The Day, the Night and the Dead': 'Home altar atop table commemorating ancestors', 1990-2004 Photograph
8. Alfred Rethel, 'Death the Enemy', 1851 Wood engraving
9. Memento Mori, unknown artist, late 18th-century Engraving
10. Mors Ultima Linea Rerum (Death the Final Boundary of Things), c.1570 Engraving, 
11. Ivo Saliger 'Der Artz (The Doctor), c.1921 Colour etching on brown paper
12. Marcos Raya, Untitled (family portrait: grandma), 2005

"Morbid Fears and Compulsions," H.W. Frink, 1921, The Wellcome Library

Morbid fears and compulsions : their psychology and psychoanalytic treatment / by H.W. Frink ; with an introduction by James J. Putnam
London : Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1921 (Torquay : Devonshire Press.)
Open shelves     Medical Collection WM170 1921F91m
Physical description   
xxiii, 344 p., [4] leaves of plates : ill. ; 22 cm.
Note   
Includes index
Some of the material was previously published in various journals.-cf. Pref
"Reprinted (by arrangement with Messrs. Moffat, Yard & Co., of New York) from the American edition"
Bibliography: p. 337-341.

From the wonderful Wellcome Library.

"Held," Jane Fradgley, Guy’s Hospital, London, Through March 2013

“I was fascinated by the seemingly comforting strong dresses, and related this form of protective care to my own experiences in hospital and encounters with modern day psychiatric care. My aim was to create a representation of the pieces which lay somewhere between documentary and poetry, incorporating my love of abstraction yet offering a clear portrayal of the pieces for the viewer to interpret themselves." --Jane Fradgley, Held

Last week a friend brought me to see a wonderful exhibition of photography by artist Jane Fradgley; the body of work, entitled "Held," responds to a collection of "strong clothing"--i.e. restraint clothing used in 19th century asylums--kept in the stores of Bethlem Royal Hospital and Museum. The exhibition will be on view in Atrium 2 of Guy's Hospital through March 8, 2013. You can see a few of Fradgley's strikingly uncanny photographs above, but I highly recommend you visit them in person if you can to get a real sense of scale (they are printed life-sized) and emotive impact.

Full information follows:

Held                 
by Jane Fradgley
Funded by Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity
Atrium 2
Guy’s Hospital
7th November 2012 – 8th March 2013

This new photographic exhibition by artist Jane Fradgley is informed by the collection of strong clothing housed at the Bethlem Royal Hospital Archive & Museum, Beckenham, Kent. The history of this largely unexplored area of mental health care is both powerful and poignant. Through investigation, the artist’s intention is to open new dialogue and debate around protection and restraint in mental health practice. With a background as a fashion designer and a passionate interest in functional and tailored garments, Fradgley was inspired to delve into the archive after seeing Victorian portrait photographs of patients at Bethlem wearing unusual quilted dresses. 

“I was fascinated by the seemingly comforting strong dresses, and related this form of protective care to my own experiences in hospital and encounters with modern day psychiatric care. My aim was to create a representation of the pieces which lay somewhere between documentary and poetry, incorporating my love of abstraction yet offering a clear portrayal of the pieces for the viewer to interpret themselves. 
I enjoyed the intimacy when alone with the garments, and felt closer to them by zooming in on details. One by one the pieces were carefully brought to me like offerings for my lens. They appeared reverential and it seemed fitting to respect this when arranging them in a staged setting in the studio. As each session passed I grew very fond of the pieces, perhaps my own projection but I felt as though they had certain characters. I hoped to convey the essence of the people who wore each garment as I felt great energy from the textiles - possibly there were many wearers and many stories never to be told. I had never imagined that these old garments would hold so much emotive substance. For me the purpose of the strong clothing was not to invoke or exacerbate fear or anxiety in the patient, rather the attention to detail in creating such well constructed garments was to bring some dignity, serenity, peace and tranquility 
to the wearer as an antidote to their anguish. Wishing to engage with that sense of calm, I explored soft lighting techniques, however some of the garments responded best in the darkness of the shadows, 
a reminder of the inevitable blackness of mental illness”.

Strong clothing was a rather euphemistic term used to describe certain forms of restraint used in late 19th century asylums. While chains, strait-jackets (known as strait-waistcoats) and similar garments were outlawed during the ‘non-restraint’ movement of the 1840s and ’50s, other methods of ‘mechanical restraint’ were permitted by the Commissioners in Lunacy (the government body who inspected and licensed asylums for much of the 19th century). The intention of strong clothing (including strong dresses and padded gloves) was to protect patients, both preventing self-inflicted injury and the destruction of their clothing.

“Strong dresses,” as described by Bethlem Superintendent George Savage in 1888, were “made of stout linen or woollen material, and lined throughout with flannel. The limbs are all free to move, but the hands are enclosed in the extremities of the dress, which are padded. …There are no strait-waistcoats, handcuffs, or what may be called true instruments of restraint in Bethlem”. Savage claimed that, by avoiding recourse to the use of sedatives or padded cells for violent or destructive patients, many “were thus really granted liberty by means of the slight restraint put upon them”.

The terms, descriptions and types of garment used were fraught with meaning for contemporaries, many of whom saw themselves as enlightened humanitarians. Others, however, did not agree, and the ‘principle of non-restraint’ remained an ongoing matter of debate. By the turn of the 20th century strait-jackets appeared to have returned 
to some institutions. Although the exact dates of the garments seen in these photographs are unknown, given the types of garments reported by the Commissioners in Lunacy as in use at this time, it is likely that they were adopted in the period 1880 –1920.

Through this historical perspective, held reminds us of the difficulty of placing a clear line between care, cure and control in a mental health context. Treatment providers invariably have to make extremely difficult decisions, indicating the importance of opening up debate around physical restraint and chemical intervention in mental health care today.

We are planning a symposium on the subject in 2013, if you would like to be informed about 
or participate in that symposium contact Sarah Chaney at s.chaney@ucl.ac.uk.

You can find out more about Jane Fradgley's work by clicking here.Thanks so much to Jane for the images and materials, and to Phil Loring for introducing me to her work.

A Trip to the 19th Century Popular Anatomical Museum: "La leçon d'hygiène," Félicien Rops, Late 19th Century

Whilst doing research in the wonderful and amazing Wellcome Library in London last week, I came upon a mention of the wonderful and underknown painting shown above, "la leçon d'hygiène" by Belgian decadent artist Félicien Rops. The painting is a rare fine-art depiction of a visit to a 19th century popular anatomical museum. I could find out precious little about it, but Wikimedia claims it is in a private collection and was painted between 1878 and 1881.

If anyone knows anything more about it, please email me at morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com. I also highly recommend that you click on the image to see larger, finer version.

Morbid Anatomy Tote Bag and Anthology

The Morbid Anatomy Anthology --a new lavish book immortalizing in words and images the best of the Morbid Anatomy Presents event series--just got honorable mention in the Kickstarter "Projects We Love Newsletter." Since this happened, many potential funders have been asking to see a photo of the Morbid Anatomy tote bag, which is one of the bonus awards received for a pledge of $50.

Above please find said bag, in all its glory. I can personally attest to the sturdiness of this lovely creature (I use mine every day!). Specs wise, it is 15 1/2" tall by 15" wide, and has 22" shoulder straps. The image is drawn from a circa 17th century guide to the private museum of "Artist of Death" Frederik Ruysch, one of the topics covered in the book; Click on image to see larger version.

And for the curious, here is what Kickstarter had to say about our project:

Marvelously macabre
The rogue scholars behind Morbid Anatomy Presents specialize in the creepier nooks of knowledge — extreme taxidermy and human tattoo collection, to name a few — but their work is all the more fascinating for its macabre sensibility. This lavishly illustrated anthology will immortalize a year's worth of their most engrossing presentations, like a recent lecture on bookbinding with human skin. (We just hope their tome comes clad in old-fashioned leather.)

To see more about the project--and to secure a copy of the book for yourself for a mere $25 pledge!--click here.

Burning Effigies, "No Popery," and Torch-Carrying Mobs: Guy Fawkes Day/Bonfire Night in Lewes, England, November 5

Last night at I participated in what believe is the most amazing spectacle I have ever experienced: Guy Fawkes Day/Bonfire Night in Lewes, England. It was about 7 hours or tramping through the cold damp, passing liquor bottles and following the flaming-torch wielding mob. Photos and video above; more photos can be seen here, and following is more about this curious celebration of barely controlled mayhem, care of Wikipedia:

Lewes Bonfire is a series of celebrations in the town of Lewes, East Sussex which form the UK's largest and most famous Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night festivities, [Guy Fawkes day celebrates the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605, where Guy Fawkes and a group of English Catholics attempted to blow up the British House of Lords]. [T]he event... also commemorates the memory of the seventeen Protestant martyrs from the town burnt at the stake for their faith during the Marian Persecutions...

... After several processions, including acts of Remembrance for the war dead, each society marches to its own fire site on the edge of the town, where there is a large bonfire, firework display and burning of effigies. The societies then return to their HQs for Bonfire Prayers. Whilst marching nearly all members carry torches, some ignite and drop bangers, locally called rookies (short for rook scarers), and some carry burning crosses, banners, musical instruments or burning letters spelling out the initials of the society. In recent years the police presence on the night has increased to deal with the large crowds attracted to the event.

Many of those processing wear smuggler uniforms (striped jumper, white trousers, black boots and optional red hat). All Societies have different coloured striped smugglers' jumpers. A number of large effigies are drawn though the streets including Guy Fawkes and Pope Paul V, who became head of the Roman Catholic Church in 1605. In addition, each of the five main local societies creates a topical "tableau", and the Cliffe and Southover societies display on pikes the heads (also in effigy) of its current "Enemies of Bonfire", who range from nationally reviled figures to local officials who have attempted to place restrictions on the event. Restrictions are generally ignored by the Societies. The local St. John's Ambulance team has posts around procession routes to care for anyone who has been injured.

As mentioned above, you can see a full set of photos by clicking here. And special thanks to friend and collaborator Mark Pilkington of Strange Attractor Press (as pictured in bottom photo) for organizing the excursion, and stressing its import. This truly is a spectacle not to be missed.

Morbidity Vindicated: A Review of 'Seize the Day' Event at the Wellcome Collection

 

Much of what Ebenstein shows us seems bursting at the seams with meaning, as if the objects have travelled through history like a ball of snow gathering mass as it rolls down a hill. Tableaux of foetal skeletons engaging in miniature funeral ceremonies take on very different meanings in modernity as opposed to when they were constructed...

... I agree with Ebenstein when she criticises those who would define her as unhealthily morbid. I think it's far more interesting to try and understand what our irresistible compulsion to explore this subject says about the psychology of humanity, and how we bear the burden of being the only animal with the foresight to see the Grim Reaper  somewhere up the road ahead of us, tapping his scythe impatiently.

--'Seize the Day' at the Wellcome Collection, 2nd November 2012, London City Nights

The above is drawn from a lovely and insightful review of last Friday night's amazing "Seize the Day" event at The Wellcome Collection from the "London City Nights" website; it includes a detailed and sensitive response to my own contribution to the night's festivities: A lecture entitled "Art and Death." You can read the entire article in its entirely by clicking here.

Images drawn from the post, and were all discussed at length in the lecture. Top to bottom:

1. 18th Century Anatomical Venus
2. Cabaret de Néant Postcard
3. 17th Century Fetal Skeleton Tableau from The Secret Museum exhibition

The "Scare Houses" of Lisa Kereszi, Time Magazine "Light Box"

Why do we like haunted houses?... On one level, this is easy to understand. It’s all about death—that undiscovered country our culture keeps off the thought-map. Death, death, death, coming at us in the form of ghosts, monsters, maggots, snakes, killer clowns, necromancers, headless horsemen, slime crawlers, banshees, and all manner of rotting flesh and decay, aiming to infect us with its fate. The haunted house takes us to death’s door: sewers, graveyards, mortuaries, abattoirs, bottomless pits and of course, hell itself, yawning wide to receive us. Abandon all hope and enter at your own risk!
--"Haunt Me: The Scare Houses of Lisa Kereszi," by Ginger Strand, Time Magazine's "Lightbox"

You can read the entire article--and view the entire collection of strangely sad photographs of Halloween "Scare Houses"by friend of Morbid Anatomy Lisa Kereszi, s sample of which you see above--by clicking here.

"Death and What it Can Teach us About Improving Life," BBC Radio "Today," November 2

I just got back from the BBC studios, where I engaged in a (very brief) live discussion about death and "what it can teach us about improving life" with Ben Haggarty of the Crick Crack Club as part of the promotion for tonight's "Seize the Day" event at The Wellcome Collection. If you are interested in giving it a listen, click here; the piece begins at about two Hours and fifty five minutes in.

Segment description, from the BBC website:

The Wellcome Trust in London is going to hold an evening of talks about death and what it can teach us about improving life. Joanna Ebenstein, who runs a blog called Morbid Anatomy, and Ben Haggarty, who runs the Crick Crack Club which is a story telling workshop, ask why we find it hard in modern western society to talk about death.

Hope to see you at the event tonight!

Happy Day of the Dead with The Lennon Sisters Rousing Rendition of "Dry Bones"

Happy Day of the Dead Part II with The Lennon Sisters and "Dry Bones."

And yes, I know I've posted this one before, but its too good not to post again!

Tonight: Morbid Anatomy Speaking at "Seize the Day," A Special Day of the Dead Inspired Program at The Wellcome Collection, London

Tonight! Hope to see you at "Seize the Day," a special Day of the Dead inspired program taking place at my all-time favorite institution, The Wellcome Collection. I will be giving an illustrated talk as part of the wonderful-looking evenings line-up that will also include drinking, dancing, and general death-related merriment.

Full details follow; hope very much to raise a glass with you there!

Seize the Day
02 November 2012, 19.00 - 23.00
The Wellcome Collection
183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE

Experience a brush with death at our special Friday-night late, and explore what death has to tell us about life. If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you choose to do today? How would you like to be remembered after you die? And what would you like to achieve before you go? Ponder these questions while enjoying stimulating talks, enchanting stories from around the world and activities throughout the galleries. Enjoy a drink while listening to a Dixieland jazz band. Decorate a coffin, pick up some dance steps in our special ‘Last Dance’ class and design your ideal fantasy funeral. Join us to embrace the inevitability of death and celebrate while we still can!

Featuring:

•  Joanna Ebenstein, founder of the Morbid Anatomy blog and library, on facing up to death through art

•  David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk, University of Cambridge, on the statistics of death

•  Frank Swain, author of ‘Zombology: The new science of zombies, reanimation and mind control’ on science’s investigations into the final frontier

•  Activities in the galleries from The Natural Death Centre

•  New Orleans jazz funeral tunes from the Silk Street Jazz band

•  Stories of God, the Devil and Death from the Crick Crack Club

•  Tea dance classes from former dancer and teacher Glen Snowden

•  ‘Immortal Dream’ from Contemporary Vintage.

This event is free, so drop in any time. Talks are ticketed and tickets will be available on the night. 

You can find out more about this event here.

Image: Memento Mori, Andrea Previtali, 1502; Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan ; sourced here.

Events Cancelled and Morbid Anatomy Library Closed Due to "Superstorm Sandy"

We at The Morbid Anatomy Library and Observatory were very, very lucky indeed during this recent "Superstorm Sandy." Our prayers to Saint Florian--the patron saint invoked against flooding and drowning--and our maniacal preparations (see above photo) were not in vain, and, miraculously, despite the floodwaters of the toxic Gowanus which rose to lap the very walls of our building, no water got into the gallery. It did, however, fill the basement of our buidling, knocking out the electricity. To this end, we are forced to cancel our next two weeks of Observatory programming and to close the Morbid Anatomy Library until the electricity is restored.

To that end, please note the following events--including, sadly, our annual Day of the Dead Party--have been cancelled. Apologies for any inconvenience, and stay tuned for more. And expect a shrine to Saint Florian in the newly reopened Morbid Anatomy Library.

Hope you all fared as well in the storm, and look forward to seeing you all soon.

***** CANCELLED DUE TO HURRICANE SANDY
Annual Observatory Day of the Dead and Halloween Costume Party
Music, Performance, Costumes, Tequila, Traditional Altar, Sugar Skulls, Death Piñata, and tacos provided by our favorite local taqueria Oaxaca!
Date: Saturday, November 3
Time: Doors at 8:00 PM, Performance at 9
Admission: $15

Presented by Morbid Anatomy and Borderline Projects

Please join us on Saturday, November 3 for the annual Observatory Halloween/Day of the Dead costume party! This year we will welcome back the ghosts of the dead in the tradition of our favorite holiday--the Mexican Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead--with Aztec dances and chants, traditional foods and drink, tacos catered by local favorite taqueria Oaxaca, episodes of The Midnight Archive, tequila, music, sugar skulls, our beloved La Catrina, a Day of the Dead Altar honoring the late Chavela Vargas and Neil Armstrong and, as always, an opportunity to strike a mortal blow to our beautiful piñata of Lady Death herself! There will also be, as always, the opportunity to don--and admire other!--amazing Day of the Dead-themed costumes.

The year's iteration will include:

ENTERTAINMENT!

• Cetiliztli Nauhcampa: Aztec dances and chants
• Borderline Projects's Salvador Olguín with a brief lecture on the origins and significance of Day of the Dead celebrations
• The Midnight Archive: Screenings of The Midnight Archive, Ronni Thomas' web series based on Observatory
• Music: Halloween music for the all night dance party

FOOD AND DRINK!

• Event will be catered by local favorite taqueria Oaxaca!

TRADITIONAL DAY OF THE DEAD ATTRACTIONS!

• Day of the Dead Altar honoring the late Chavela Vargas and Neil Armstrong.
• Special appearance by our very own La Catrina
• Pan de Muerto: Indulge in this traditional dessert called Bread of Death
• Piñata: Dash death to smithereens with our annual death piñata!
• Sugar skulls: Decorate and eat or bring home your own Day of the Dead sugar skull
• Offerings to the Departed: In some places in Mexico, people leave small, coffin-like figures out for the souls of the departed. Guests are invited to leave their own offering; they will be available at the installation.

For photos from last years' party, click here. Hope very much to see you there.
Image: Rebeca Olguín

***** CANCELLED DUE TO HURRICANE SANDYThe Abuses of Enchantment: Illustrated Lecture and Book Signing with Mark Pilkington, Author of "Mirage Men: An Adventure into Disinformation, Paranoia and UFOs"
Illustrated Lecture and book signing with Mark Pilkington, author of Mirage Men: An Adventure into Disinformation, Paranoia and UFOs
Date: Tuesday, November 13
Time: 8:00
Admission: $10
Produced by Morbid Anatomy

In his book Mirage Men: An Adventure into Disinformation, Paranoia and UFOs, author Mark Pilkington details his experiences in the UFO community, and his discoveries of the ways in which military and intelligence operators have shaped and exploited beliefs in UFOs, ghosts, monsters, vampires, and elements from folklore and conspiracy theory to create an armory of supernatural weapons of mass deception, capable of manipulating consciousness on a grand scale. He traces the inspiration for these toys, tools and techniques to a range of sources which include fiction, cinema, stage magic, advertising and occultism, and uncovers the ways in which they have--for many of its intended and unintended targets--altered their very perception and understanding of the world around us.

Copies of his book Mirage Men: An Adventure into Disinformation, Paranoia and UFOs will be available for sale and signing.
Mark Pilkington is the author of two books - Mirage Men: An Adventure into Disinformation, Paranoia and UFOs and Far Out: 101 Strange Tales from Science's Outer Edge and has written for Fortean Times, the Guardian, Sight & Sound, The Wire, Frieze, The Anomalist and a host of other magazines and journals. Mark also runs Strange Attractor Press, editing and publishing its occasional Journal, and organising events and exhibitions.