Incorruptable Saints! Holiday Fair! Krampus Costume Party! The Devil! Romantic Hummingbird Collectors: This Week and Beyond at Morbid Anatomy Presents

This week is a very exciting week at Morbid Anatomy, with no less than 5 exciting events.

Tonight (December 9th) at 8PM, All the Saints You Should Know's Elizabeth Harper's will take us on a virtual tour of the preserved human bodies found in the churches of Paris, such as the incorruptible body of St Vincent de Paul, seen in the second image down. The very next evening, Tuesday December 10th, art historian Maura Coughlin will discuss the relationship between ossuaries and bodies lost at sea in her illustrated lecture "Danse Macabre: Death and Material Ecologies in Brittany."

Later that week, on the evening of Friday the 13th (!), we hope you can join us for Morbid Anatomy's birthday party, in which we "explore history’s most elusive and alluring character - The Christian Devil" via an illustrated lecture by The Midnight Archive's Ronni Thomas; a demonic artifact show and tell; live music by Bird Radio; DJed tunes and cocktails by Friese Undine; and sweets by Rachel Ridout. 

On Saturday December 14th from 12-6, you won't want to miss our fourth (!) annual Morbid Anatomy holiday fair, the perfect place to find unique, niche, and off-the-beaten-path gifts for those hard-to-please folks on your shopping list. This year's iteration will feature oodles of taxidermy, artful bones, unusual antiques, odd edibles, Krampus cards, Morbid Anatomy swag, obscure books, abject housewares and assorted curiosities by vendors including Ryan Matthew Cohn of TV's Oddities; Morbid Anatomy Taxidermists in Residence Divya Anantharaman and Katie Innamorato; and artists Nicholas Kahn, Sarah Falkner, Rebeca Olguin, Elizabeth New, Daisy Tainton and Mark Splatter. There will also be music and beer provided by our kind sponsor Brooklyn Brewery.

Come for the fair, but do stick around for our annual party (8PM) devoted to Krampus, St. Nicholas' cloven-hooved, chain-swinging, lolling-toungued, child-punishing Eastern-European sidekick. Come in your best Krampus costume to win prizes!

The following week, on Tuesday December 17th, we hope you can join us for our newly announced illustrated lecture "Anatomy of a Doomed Desire: Hummingbird Collectors in the Romantic Period," by Judith Pascoe, author of The Hummingbird Cabinet: A Rare and Curious History of Romantic Collectors. And, finally, for those eager to learn the craft of taxidermy, Morbid Anatomy Taxidermist in Residence Divya Anantharaman will be leading her popular Anthropomorphic/Naturalistic Squirrel Taxidermy Class on Sunday, January 12.

Full details follow on all events!

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The Bones of the Saints: Unlocking the Secret History of Paris
An illustrated lecture by All the Saints You Should Know's Elizabeth Harper
Date: Monday, December 9
Time: 8:00
Admission: $8
Location: Observatory, 543 Union Street at Nevins, enter via Proteus Gowanus Gallery
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

Though frequently overlooked by tourists and locals alike, the holy dead of Paris continue to haunt the city to this day. The bodies of the saints are inextricably woven into the city and unlock some of the most fascinating chapters in the history of Paris.

In this highly illustrated talk, All the Saints You Should Know's Elizabeth Harper will introduce you to such curiosities as cephalophores, or decapitated saints like St. Denis, the patron saint of Paris; incorruptible corpses and their corruptible counterparts sculpted in wax that reside on the same street; the relics of Roman Empress St. Helena, the first relic hunter, now hidden away in a small parish crypt; the bones of 11,000 virgins that never existed; and finally the relics of the patroness of Paris and her connection the murder of an Archbishop by an occultist in the 19th century.

Elizabeth Harper writes All the Saints You Should Know, a blog on Catholic relics and lore as well as pieces on saints and sacred destinations for Atlas Obscura. She is the creator of the "Relics in Rome" map, which pinpoints hundreds of publicly viewable saints' relics in Rome's 900+ churches. She was also an organizer and presenter at Death Salon 2013. By day she is a lighting designer for theatre and opera. She's is currently collaborating with Teller from Penn and Teller on "Play Dead" in Los Angeles.
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Danse Macabre: Death and Material Ecologies in Brittany
Illustrated lecture by Art Historian Maura Coughlin
Date: Tuesday, December 10
Time: 8:00
Admission: $8
Admission: $8
Location: Observatory, 543 Union Street at Nevins, enter via Proteus Gowanus Gallery
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

Ossuaries, skull boxes, widows weeds and material substitutions for bodies missing at sea figure in many travel narratives, popular images and paintings of Breton coastal culture. Many representations depict the seemingly anachronistic practice of reburial of the body, several years after its interment; the ritual function of the ossuary in the churchyard; the display of individual skull boxes in the church and ossuary; and the hybrid Celtic-Christian culture of death lore, Toussaint and the Ankou (grim reaper) in Brittany. A range of artistic topographies have been written onto the Breton landscape, mapping out an ecology of place, obsessed with the pervasive nature of death. Maura Coughlin will explore topics of death, mourning, waste and ecology in coastal Brittany from about 1850 to 1940.

Maura Coughlin, after receiving a PhD in Art History from New York University in 2001, taught at Brown University, RISD and in the art history departments of several New England Universities. She is now Associate Professor of Visual Studies at Bryant University. In late fall of 2013, she has essays related to her talk at Morbid Anatomy being published in two new collections: Death Tourism: Disaster Sites as Recreational Landscape. Edited by Brigitte Sion (Seagull Books - Enactments, December 2013 ) and Women and the Material Culture of Death (Edited by Maureen Daly Goggin and Beth Fowkes Tobin (Ashgate) November 2013). She also runs the blog materialbrittany.blogspot.com—a stew of thoughts on visual and material culture related to Brittany, where mourning, skulls, fish, seaweed, death and compost all collide—and is working on a film, Danse Macabre, which uses layers of imagery and sound work to mimic some of the associations conjured by the fin de siècle fascination with the cult of death in Brittany.

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THE DEVIL - A Celebration and Morbid Anatomy Birthday Party
Illustrated lecture by The Midnight Archive's Ronni Thomas; Artifact Show and Tell; Live Music by Bird Radio; DJed tunes and cocktails by Friese Undine; Sweets by Rachel Ridout; and Morbid Anatomy Birthday Party
Date: Friday, December 13
Time: 8:00
Admission: $12
Location: Observatory, 543 Union Street at Nevins, enter via Proteus Gowanus Gallery
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

This Friday the 13th of December, join us for a night of demonic fun as we explore history’s most elusive and alluring character - The Christian Devil. Morbid Anatomy filmmaker in Residence Ronni Thomas (themidnightarchive.com) has a freely admitted obsession with the Devil; tonight he will discuss his origin, his life, his evolution, and his importance in “three acts”; early Christianity, middle ages, and romantic-modern era’. We will also take a look at the Devil’s fascinatingly designed Hell as perceived by Dante, Tundale, Bosch and many others. How did the Devil go from being a genuine and terrifying threat to becoming a champion for the passionate and rebellious? Where did the devil get his horns? What did 666 represent?

The event will be interactive through dialogue, art and physical artifacts provided from Thomas’ own collection and that of Oddities' Evan Michelson’s private collection. And most importantly the event will bring our own little devil Joanna Ebenstein (founder of Morbid Anatomy) to her 25th year of age ;) We will also be celebrating the birthday of special guest Chiara Ambrosio. Cocktails by Friese Undine and demonic themed music throughout as well as decorated ambiance and festivities. There will also be live music by London's Bird Radio and sweets by Rachel Ridout. Not to miss-ssssssss…

Ronni Thomas is the Morbid Anatomy Museum Filmmaker in Residence. He is creator of The Midnight Archive web series is an avid drinker who appreciates both the history of antique spirits and the effects they have on his self esteem. He is currently working on a film about Victorian anthropomorphic taxidermist Walter Potter; more on that here.

Image: The Hours of Catherine of Cleves, 1440; sourced at Metal on Metal

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The Ghoul a Go Go and Morbid Anatomy Krampus A Go-Go Costume Party!
Date: Saturday, December 14
Time: 8:00
Admission: $13
Location: Observatory, 543 Union Street at Nevins, enter via Proteus Gowanus Gallery
Presented by Morbid Anatomy and Ghoul a Go Go

Join Ghoul A Go-Go and Morbid Anatomy at Observatory for their 200th annual party devoted to Krampus, St. Nicholas' cloven-hooved, chain-swinging, lolling-toungued, child-punishing Eastern-European sidekick! We've emptied a bag full of children to make room for all the fun!

A mystery episode of Ghoul A Go-Go will be shown in a darkened room. Cardone the Ultimate Vaudeville Magician will be there to astound you with his ultimate Vaudeville magic. Dust off that old Krampus outfit, because there will be a Krampus Kostume Kontest with a prize for the best! Instead of a movie, this year Creighton will be showing clips from his secret stash of bizarre holiday films.

You'll believe a reindeer can fly!

You will also have some beer, wine, and an Old Country favorite shot to warm you up! There will even be a Krampus Kake for those who are into that sort of thing. It wouldn't be the Observatory if you didn't learn yerself nuthin'. So, Vlad and Creighton will teach you their style of taxidermy. Creighton will demonstrate the process right before your eyes. You will then be given the opportunity to make your own critter (while supplies last) and a prize awarded for best monstrosity!

* Ghoul A Go-Go “MYSTERY EPISODE” with Vlad & Creighton appearing LIVE!
* CARDONE performing magic!
* Creighton screens his secret stash of bizarre holiday films!
* Taxidermy lesson as taught by Creighton: Everybody will a chance to create their own taxidermied critter!
* Krampus Kostume Kontest with prize awarded to best!
* Brew and spirits from The Old Country! Krampus Kake! More fun than you can beat with a stick!
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Holiday fair with multiple vendors serving your alternative holiday needs including taxidermy galore, artful bones, Krampus cards, unusual antiques, odd edibles, obscure books, abject housewares and assorted curiosities
Date: Saturday, December 14
Time: Noon - 6:00 PM
Admission: Free
Location: Observatory, 543 Union Street at Nevins, enter via Proteus Gowanus Gallery
Beer courtesy of our sponsor Brooklyn Brewery

Please join us on Saturday December 14th for the Morbid Anatomy annual holiday fair, the perfect place to find unique, niche, and off-the-beaten-path gifts for those hard-to-please folks on your shopping list. This year's iteration will feature oodles of taxidermy, artful bones, unusual antiques, odd edibles, Krampus cards, Morbid Anatomy swag, obscure books, abject housewares and assorted curiosities by vendors including Ryan Matthew Cohn of TV's Oddities; Morbid Anatomy Taxidermists in Residence Divya Anantharaman and Katie Innamorato; and artists Nicholas Kahn, Sarah Falkner, Rebeca Olguin, Elizabeth New, Daisy Tainton and Mark Splatter. There will also be music and beer provided by our kind sponsor Brooklyn Brewery.

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Anatomy of a Doomed Desire: Hummingbird Collectors in the Romantic Period
Illustrated lecture by Judith Pascoe, author of The Hummingbird Cabinet: A Rare and Curious History of Romantic Collectors
Date: Tuesday, December 17
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Location: Observatory, 543 Union Street at Nevins, enter via Proteus Gowanus GalleryPresented by Morbid Anatomy

Among the most arresting artifacts of the early nineteenth century are hummingbird cabinets in which ardent collectors pinned taxidermied birds to branches or fixed them in flight. In tonight's illustrated lecture, Judith Pascoe, author of The Hummingbird Cabinet: A Rare and Curious History of Romantic Collectors, will discuss the romantic-era vogue for hummingbird collecting, the collectors who sought these bejeweled birds, and the fervor behind collecting pursuits.

Judith Pascoe is the M.F. Carpenter Professor of English at the University of Iowa. She has written about dead birds, over-achieving readers, and Napoleon’s penis. Her most recent book, The Sarah Siddons Audio Files, describes her attempt to hear a voice that thrilled listeners before the advent of recording technology. She is currently writing about Japanese versions of Wuthering Heights. For more information about her work please visit www.judithpascoe.com

Image: Detail from a Victorian display case filled with 100s of hummingbird, London Museum of Natural History.
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Anthropomorphic/Naturalistic Squirrel Taxidermy Class with Divya Anantharaman
A class with Morbid Anatomy Library Taxidermist in Residence Divya Anantharaman
Date: Sunday, January 12
Time: 12:00 PM
Admission: $250.00
*TICKETS MUST BE PRE-ORDERED AT http://squirrelytaxidermy.brownpapertickets.com/
***Offsite at The Fabricoscope (41 Willow Place, #2, 11201 Brooklyn) (MAP)
Subway: Court St, Borough Hall, Jay St. Metro Tech.

In this intimate, hands-on class (limited to only five students), we will study the nutty ways of the squirrel! Students will create a fully-finished classic squirrel mount in a natural sitting position. Students will learn everything involved in producing a finished mount - from initial preparation, hygiene and sanitary measures, to proper technique and dry preservation. The class will offer the option of creating a form through the age old technique of wrapping and carving a head, or using a pre-fabricated head and sculpting a body. There will also be a carcass casting demo, and explanation of how foam mannikins are made. The use of anatomical study, reference photos, and detailed observation will also be reviewed as important tools in recreating the natural poses and expressions that magically reanimate a specimen. A selection of naturalistic and anthropomorphic props will be provided, however, students are welcome to bring their own bases and accessories if something specific is desired. All other supplies will be provided for use in class.

Each student will leave class with a fully finished piece, and the knowledge to create their own pieces in the future.

Divya Anantharaman, one of the Morbid Anatomy Library's "taxidermists in residence," is a Brooklyn based artist whose taxidermy practice was sparked by a lifelong fascination with natural mythology and everyday oddities. After a journey filled with trial and error, numerous books, and an inspiring class (Sue Jeiven's popular Anthropomorphic Mouse Taxidermy Class at Observatory!), she has found her calling in creating sickly sweet and sparkly critters. Beginning with mice and sparrows, her menagerie grew to include domestic cats, woodchucks, and deer. Recently profiled on Vice Fringes, the New York Observer, and other publications, she will also be appearing in the upcoming season of Oddities-and is definitely up to no good shenanigans. You can find out more at www.d-i-v-y-a.com.

Also, some technical notes:

• We use NO harsh or dangerous chemicals.
• Everyone will be provided with gloves.
• All animals are disease free.
• Although there will not be a lot of blood or gore, a strong constitution is necessary; taxidermy is not for everyone
• All animals were already dead, nothing was killed for this class.
• Please do not bring any dead animals with you to the class.

Full list and more information on all events can be found here. More on the Morbid Anatomy Art Academy can be found here.

The Modern Anatomical Venus at Leiden's Museum Boerhaave: Guest Post by Bart Grob, The Boerhaave Museum

Just a few weeks ago, the new exhibition Amazing Models, on the Emotional, Medical and Cultural History of Anatomical Models opened at Leiden's Boerhaave Museum. To commemorate the opening of this incredible looking exhibition, here is a guest post by Bart Grob, conservator and curator at that museum, about the publicity image commissioned by the exhibition seen above (top image):

Is it fashion, is it a glamor, or is it anatomy?

In fact it's all three. This modern day anatomical Venus (top image), in style of the famous anatomical models from the Viennese Josephinum museum (bottom image) is portrait of Dutch actress Georgina Verbaan.

She was photographed by Koen Hauser who has a large interest in anatomy, and is well known for this anatomy series. He combined an image of an original wax model from the Museum Boerhave collections with a glamorous photo of the model, thus reconstructing an image of the time when female anatomical models where not only about the anatomy of the body. Skilled hands of Florentine waxmodellers delivered beautiful, sensual and elegant models of the female body.

Yesterday, the 20th of November, Amazing Models, a new exhibit on the emotional, medical and cultural history of anatomical models, opened to the public at the Museum Boerhaave. To address all these different themes this reconstruction of the anatomical Venus was chosen as image for the publicity campaign. The heyday of spectacular anatomy seem to be back again!

You can find out more about this exhibition, on view until June of 2014, by clicking here. And stay tuned for news of a Morbid Anatomy Museum pop-up event series taking place in partnership with the Boerhaave Museum, the Vrolik Museum and more Netherlands-based institutions, coming soon!

Top image: Fotocredits: Koen Hauser, photography Hair and Make up, Luise van Huisstede, Model Georgina Verbaan

Bottom image: "Anatomical Venuses," Wax Models with human hair in rosewood and Venetian glass cases,The Josephinum, Workshop of Clemente Susini of Florence circa 1780s, Vienna, Austria, from The Secret Museum, by Joanna Ebenstein

Support and Become Part of the Morbid Anatomy Museum on #GivingTuesday!

As many regular readers already know, as we are rapidly expanding beyond the limitations of our tiny room on the Gowanus (see above images; more here), we here at Morbid Anatomy are in the process of expanding our little project into a greater vision: The Morbid Anatomy Museum.

The Morbid Anatomy Museum will be full-fledged non-profit institutions dedicated to the arcane, the uncanny, and that which falls between the cracks of discussion and display. It will take as its inspiration 19th century anatomical museums, eccentric private collections, dime museums and the studies of gentleman collectors. The Morbid Anatomy Museum will provide New York with a museum which is both intelligent and delightful; one which, like Charle's Willson Peale's Philadelphia Museum and London's Wellcome Collection, gives equal primacy to the educational AND the spectacular.

The Morbid Anatomy Museum will continue our long tradition of cultivating our unique community of collectors and the curious with lectures, symposia, spectacles and workshops; there will also be a café/gift shop, and a "Morbid Anatomy Residency" wherein we host artists and scholars from all over the world--such as ceroplast Eleanor Crook, medical artist Emily Evans, Wellcome Trust engagement fellow Richard Barnett, and Ryan Matthew Cohn of TV's Oddities--to teach classes, give talks and make new work using the collection. The museum will also feature a temporary exhibition space wherein we curate intelligent and aesthetic shows drawing on the amazing and underseen world of private collections, and the kinds or artifacts which fall between the cracks of disciplines and institutional display. If you would like to learn more about this project, click here to watch a short film narrated by Evan Michelson of TV's Oddities, who is also on our board of directors.

As you can see, this is a very ambitious project. In order to make this space the most amazing and perfect space it can be, we are asking, on this #GivingTuesday, for your help. This is your chance to be personally involved in--and commemorated for that involvement!--in the creation of a one-of-a-kind museum.

To that end, we are in the process of recruiting founding members--people who believe in our mission and want to help make the nascent Morbid Anatomy Museum the very best thing it can be. Founding members will be commemorated permanently within the space in the form of metal ex votos engraved with their names; they will also be given lots of special perks (see below), as well as, of course, our undying gratitude and devotion.

To that end, we have three levels available; breakdown for each follows. Our non-profit paperwork has not yet been approved by the state; in the meantime, we are being fiscally sponsor is Brooklyn Arts Council, so all donations are 100% tax deductible.

Founding Member Levels:

$1,000

All Morbid Anatomy Publications

Preview Nights for Morbid Anatomy Museum Exhibits

$5,000

The Above plus:

Bi-Annual Founding Donors Party in a Special Location

Special Private Events with Internationally Renowned Museum Curators, Authors, and Collectors

$10,000

The Above plus:

Host Your Own Private Event at the Museum

If you are interested in becoming a founding member--or making any other donation!--simply click here. Feel free to email us with any questions at morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com.

It's been a hundred years since anyone founded this kind of museum in New York and we're excited to announce our intention to make a mark on this city! It's really happening, and it's going to be a beautiful space with your help.

Stay tuned!!

Holiday Fair! Tarantism in Southern Italy! Krampus Costume Party! Incorruptable Saints! The Devil! Taxidermy Galore: Upcoming New York City Morbid Anatomy Events

Curing Tarantism by Dancing the Tarantella; sourced here.

For those in the New York City area: Hope to see you at one or more of our fantastic upcoming events.

On Saturday December 15th, we will be hosting our fourth annual Morbid Anatomy holiday fair, the perfect place to find unique, niche, and off-the-beaten-path gifts for those hard-to-please folks on your shopping list. This year's iteration will feature oodles of taxidermy, artful bones, unusual antiques, odd edibles, Krampus cards, Morbid Anatomy swag, obscure books, abject housewares and assorted curiosities by vendors including Ryan Matthew Cohn of TV's Oddities; Morbid Anatomy Taxidermists in Residence Divya Anantharaman and Katie Innamorato; and artists Nicholas Kahn, Sarah Falkner, Rebeca Olguin, Elizabeth New and Mark Splatter. There will also be music and beer provided by our kind sponsor Brooklyn Brewery.

If that does not interest:this Friday, December 7th, we are delighted to host London-based artist Chiara Ambrosio for a talk and screening devoted to the "dance mania" of tarantism in Southern Italy (see image). On the following Monday, December 9th, All the Saints You Should Know's Elizabeth Harper's will present a talk on the relics of Paris. The very next evening, art historian Maura Coughlin will delight us with "Danse Macabre: Death and Material Ecologies in Brittany."

Morbid Anatomy's December is also filled witj parties and spectacles. First up is our Friday the 13th (!) party, when we will celebrate Morbid Anatomy's birthday with "The Devil- A Celebration" featuring an Illustrated lecture by The Midnight Archive's Ronni Thomas; an artifact show and tell; live music by Bird Radio; DJed tunes and cocktails by Friese Undine; and sweets by Rachel Ridout. The very next night--Saturday December 14th--you won't want to miss our annual party devoted to Krampus, St. Nicholas' cloven-hooved, chain-swinging, lolling-toungued, child-punishing Eastern-European sidekick. Come in your best Krampus costume to win prizes!

And, finally, for those who want to learn the craft of taxidermy, Morbid Anatomy Taxidermist in Residence Divya Anantharaman has scores of offerings just for you, including Anthropomorphic/Naturalistic Chipmunk Taxidermy Class Krampus Special (December 7); Skull, Bone, Antler Decoration Workshop (December 8) and Anthropomorphic/Naturalistic Squirrel Taxidermy Class (January 12).

Full details follow on all events!

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Anthropomorphic/Naturalistic Chipmunk Taxidermy Class with Divya-Krampus Special!
A class with Morbid Anatomy Library Taxidermist in Residence Divya Anantharaman
Date: Saturday, December 7 (afternoon)
Time: 12:30PM
Admission: $120
*TICKETS MUST BE PRE-ORDERED AT http://chippytaxidermy.brownpapertickets.com/
***Offsite at The Fabricoscope (41 Willow Place, #2, 11201 Brooklyn) (MAP)
Subway: Court St, Borough Hall, Jay St. Metro Tech.

Perfect for beginners, this hands-on class will examine the nutty ways of the chipmunk! Students will create a fully-finished chipmunk mount in the naturalistic or anthropomorphic style of their choice. Students will learn everything involved in producing a finished mount - from initial preparation, hygiene and sanitary measures, to proper technique and dry preservation. The class will teach a few methods of creating a form to suit a small animal (sculpting, the age old technique of wrapping, and carving) and students will have the option of selecting which technique they would like to use for their piece. The use of anatomical study, reference photos, and detailed observation will also be reviewed as important tools in recreating the natural poses and expressions that magically reanimate a specimen. A selection of naturalistic and anthropomorphic props will be provided, however, students are welcome to bring their own bases and accessories if something specific is desired. All other supplies will be provided for use in class.

In the spirit of the holidays, we will have some extra special Krampus themed props, accessories, and refreshments!

Each student will leave class with a fully finished piece, and the knowledge to create their own pieces in the future.

Divya Anantharaman, one of the Morbid Anatomy Library's "taxidermists in residence," is a Brooklyn based artist whose taxidermy practice was sparked by a lifelong fascination with natural mythology and everyday oddities. After a journey filled with trial and error, numerous books, and an inspiring class (Sue Jeiven's popular Anthropomorphic Mouse Taxidermy Class at Observatory!), she has found her calling in creating sickly sweet and sparkly critters. Beginning with mice and sparrows, her menagerie grew to include domestic cats, woodchucks, and deer. Recently profiled on Vice Fringes, the New York Observer, and other publications, she will also be appearing in the upcoming season of Oddities-and is definitely up to no good shenanigans. You can find out more at www.d-i-v-y-a.com

Also, some technical notes:

• We use NO harsh or dangerous chemicals.
• Everyone will be provided with gloves.
• All animals are disease free.
• Although there will not be a lot of blood or gore, a strong constitution is necessary; taxidermy is not for everyone
• All animals were already dead, nothing was killed for this class.
• Please do not bring any dead animals with you to the class.

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Tarantism: Dance, Possession and Exorcism in Southern Italy: Illustrated Lecture and Screening with Chiara Ambrosio
Illustrated Lecture and Screening with Filmmaker and Artist Chiara Ambrosio with Thematic DJed music and Special Cocktails by Friese Undine
Date: Saturday, December 7 (evening)
Time: 8:00
Admission: $10
Presented by Morbid Anatomy
** This talk originally premiered at the 2013 Congress of Curious Peoples, London

Tarantism is a form of dance mania that illustrates the complex struggle between Pagnism and Catholicism in the South of Italy.

Its journey and development- from Greek and Roman times, through the middle ages and renaissance, straight through to the modern day- traces a story that transcends the history of medicine and religion to embrace a vast and complicated conversation about the political and socio-economical identity of a land, and the continued fight for freedom and emancipation in an extremely volatile and difficult terrain, both physical and psychological.

This event will begin with a talk will exploring Tarantism as a ritualistic spectacle that, through dance and music, offers a form of resistance and continuation of specific local histories beliefs and identity. After the talk, Chiara will screen her film "Time To Go,"which was heavily inspired by the ideas behind the talk and dance as a form of exorcism. There will also be DJed music and special artisinal cocktails courtesy of artist Friese Undine. 

Chiara Ambrosio is a filmmaker working with animation, experimental film, documentary and sound to explore the ways in which we perceive, remember, articulate and preserve personal and collective histories and place through the filter of memory and the imagination. Her most recent works include “ A Walk Through Woods,” a film-cycle developed and filmed on location in North Cornwall, and “La Frequenza Fantasma (The Ghost Frequency)”, a feature-length documentary film-poem developed as part of a Fellowship in the Visual Anthropology department of Goldsmith University and filmed in a village in the South of Italy. Her first animation was produced and scored by British composer Michael Nyman, and her subsequent work has included collaborations with performance artists, musicians and writers, and has been shown in a number of venues including national and international film festivals, galleries and site-specific events. Chiara is also the founder and curator of The Light & Shadow Salon, a monthly film salon at The Horse Hospital in Bloomsbury. More information can be found at: www.acuriousroom.com.

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Skull, Bone, Antler Decoration Workshop with Divya Anantharaman
A class with Morbid Anatomy Library Taxidermist in Residence Divya Anantharaman
Date: Sunday, December 8
Time: 1:00 PM
Admission: $85.00
*TICKETS MUST BE PRE-ORDERED AT http://skulldecoration.brownpapertickets.com/
***Offsite at The Fabricoscope (41 Willow Place, #2, 11201 Brooklyn) (MAP)
Subway: Court St, Borough Hall, Jay St. Metro Tech.

For as long as humankind has been harvesting animals for food and clothing, we have also been using their bones to create tools, utensils, and art. A timeless tradition, from ancient to modern times, the possibilities are endless, and a great way to celebrate the holidays-with a decoration for your home, or creating a handmade gift for a loved one.

In this class, we will explore the many ways we can celebrate animals and our relationship to them by decorating their skulls, bones, and other parts using a number of materials and methods. Students will be guided in decorating a small skull, antler shed, or other part of their choice (from the selection provided). In addition to an assortment of skulls, bones, and shed antlers, decorative materials provided will include beads, crystals, expertly dried plants and flowers (Divya's signature specialty, used in her blooming skull and antler pieces), paints, finishes, and a number of other materials. Students are also welcome to bring their own design ideas or special items. There will also be inspirational images and books available for use.

This class will teach students everything involved in properly decorating bone in order to have a lasting piece, including initial cleaning, whitening and degreasing, any special preparation required based on the ornamentation of their choice, and a variety of attachment techniques. Tools and supplies will be provided for use in class.

Each student will leave class with a fully finished piece, and the knowledge to create their own pieces in the future.

Divya Anantharaman, one of the Morbid Anatomy Library's "taxidermists in residence," is a Brooklyn based artist whose taxidermy practice was sparked by a lifelong fascination with natural mythology and everyday oddities. After a journey filled with trial and error, numerous books, and an inspiring class (Sue Jeiven's popular Anthropomorphic Mouse Taxidermy Class at Observatory!), she has found her calling in creating sickly sweet and sparkly critters. Beginning with mice and sparrows, her menagerie grew to include domestic cats, woodchucks, and deer. Recently profiled on Vice Fringes, the New York Observer, and other publications, she will also be appearing in the upcoming season of Oddities-and is definitely up to no good shenanigans. You can find out more at www.d-i-v-y-a.com

Also, some technical notes:

• We use NO harsh or dangerous chemicals.
• Everyone will be provided with gloves.
• All animals are disease free.
• Although there will not be a lot of blood or gore, a strong constitution is necessary; taxidermy is not for everyone
• All animals were already dead, nothing was killed for this class.
• Please do not bring any dead animals with you to the class.

_______________________________________________

The Bones of the Saints: Unlocking the Secret History of Paris
An illustrated lecture by All the Saints You Should Know's Elizabeth Harper
Date: Monday, December 9
Time: 8:00
Admission: $8
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

Though frequently overlooked by tourists and locals alike, the holy dead of Paris continue to haunt the city to this day. The bodies of the saints are inextricably woven into the city and unlock some of the most fascinating chapters in the history of Paris.

In this highly illustrated talk, All the Saints You Should Know's Elizabeth Harper will introduce you to such curiosities as cephalophores, or decapitated saints like St. Denis, the patron saint of Paris; incorruptible corpses and their corruptible counterparts sculpted in wax that reside on the same street; the relics of Roman Empress St. Helena, the first relic hunter, now hidden away in a small parish crypt; the bones of 11,000 virgins that never existed; and finally the relics of the patroness of Paris and her connection the murder of an Archbishop by an occultist in the 19th century.

Elizabeth Harper writes All the Saints You Should Know, a blog on Catholic relics and lore as well as pieces on saints and sacred destinations for Atlas Obscura. She is the creator of the "Relics in Rome" map, which pinpoints hundreds of publicly viewable saints' relics in Rome's 900+ churches. She was also an organizer and presenter at Death Salon 2013. By day she is a lighting designer for theatre and opera. She's is currently collaborating with Teller from Penn and Teller on "Play Dead" in Los Angeles.

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Anthropomorphic/Naturalistic Squirrel Taxidermy Class with Divya Anantharaman
A class with Morbid Anatomy Library Taxidermist in Residence Divya Anantharaman
Date: Sunday, January 12
Time: 12:00 PM
Admission: $250.00
*TICKETS MUST BE PRE-ORDERED AT http://squirrelytaxidermy.brownpapertickets.com/
***Offsite at The Fabricoscope (41 Willow Place, #2, 11201 Brooklyn) (MAP)
Subway: Court St, Borough Hall, Jay St. Metro Tech.

In this intimate, hands-on class (limited to only five students), we will study the nutty ways of the squirrel! Students will create a fully-finished classic squirrel mount in a natural sitting position. Students will learn everything involved in producing a finished mount - from initial preparation, hygiene and sanitary measures, to proper technique and dry preservation. The class will offer the option of creating a form through the age old technique of wrapping and carving a head, or using a pre-fabricated head and sculpting a body. There will also be a carcass casting demo, and explanation of how foam mannikins are made. The use of anatomical study, reference photos, and detailed observation will also be reviewed as important tools in recreating the natural poses and expressions that magically reanimate a specimen. A selection of naturalistic and anthropomorphic props will be provided, however, students are welcome to bring their own bases and accessories if something specific is desired. All other supplies will be provided for use in class.

Each student will leave class with a fully finished piece, and the knowledge to create their own pieces in the future.

Divya Anantharaman, one of the Morbid Anatomy Library's "taxidermists in residence," is a Brooklyn based artist whose taxidermy practice was sparked by a lifelong fascination with natural mythology and everyday oddities. After a journey filled with trial and error, numerous books, and an inspiring class (Sue Jeiven's popular Anthropomorphic Mouse Taxidermy Class at Observatory!), she has found her calling in creating sickly sweet and sparkly critters. Beginning with mice and sparrows, her menagerie grew to include domestic cats, woodchucks, and deer. Recently profiled on Vice Fringes, the New York Observer, and other publications, she will also be appearing in the upcoming season of Oddities-and is definitely up to no good shenanigans. You can find out more at www.d-i-v-y-a.com

Also, some technical notes:

• We use NO harsh or dangerous chemicals.
• Everyone will be provided with gloves.
• All animals are disease free.
• Although there will not be a lot of blood or gore, a strong constitution is necessary; taxidermy is not for everyone
• All animals were already dead, nothing was killed for this class.
• Please do not bring any dead animals with you to the class.

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Danse Macabre: Death and Material Ecologies in Brittany
Illustrated lecture by Art Historian Maura Coughlin
Date: Tuesday, December 10
Time: 8:00
Admission: $8
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

Ossuaries, skull boxes, widows weeds and material substitutions for bodies missing at sea figure in many travel narratives, popular images and paintings of Breton coastal culture. Many representations depict the seemingly anachronistic practice of reburial of the body, several years after its interment; the ritual function of the ossuary in the churchyard; the display of individual skull boxes in the church and ossuary; and the hybrid Celtic-Christian culture of death lore, Toussaint and the Ankou (grim reaper) in Brittany. A range of artistic topographies have been written onto the Breton landscape, mapping out an ecology of place, obsessed with the pervasive nature of death. Maura Coughlin will explore topics of death, mourning, waste and ecology in coastal Brittany from about 1850 to 1940.

Maura Coughlin, after receiving a PhD in Art History from New York University in 2001, taught at Brown University, RISD and in the art history departments of several New England Universities. She is now Associate Professor of Visual Studies at Bryant University. In late fall of 2013, she has essays related to her talk at Morbid Anatomy being published in two new collections: Death Tourism: Disaster Sites as Recreational Landscape. Edited by Brigitte Sion (Seagull Books - Enactments, December 2013 ) and Women and the Material Culture of Death (Edited by Maureen Daly Goggin and Beth Fowkes Tobin (Ashgate) November 2013). She also runs the blog materialbrittany.blogspot.com—a stew of thoughts on visual and material culture related to Brittany, where mourning, skulls, fish, seaweed, death and compost all collide—and is working on a film, Danse Macabre, which uses layers of imagery and sound work to mimic some of the associations conjured by the fin de siècle fascination with the cult of death in Brittany.
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THE DEVIL - A Celebration and Morbid Anatomy Birthday Party
Illustrated lecture by The Midnight Archive's Ronni Thomas; Artifact Show and Tell; Live Music by Bird Radio; DJed tunes and cocktails by Friese Undine; Sweets by Rachel Ridout; and Morbid Anatomy Birthday Party
Date: Friday, December 13
Time: 8:00
Admission: $12
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

This Friday the 13th of December, join us for a night of demonic fun as we explore history’s most elusive and alluring character - The Christian Devil. Morbid Anatomy filmmaker in Residence Ronni Thomas (themidnightarchive.com) has a freely admitted obsession with the Devil; tonight he will discuss his origin, his life, his evolution, and his importance in “three acts”; early Christianity, middle ages, and romantic-modern era’. We will also take a look at the Devil’s fascinatingly designed Hell as perceived by Dante, Tundale, Bosch and many others. How did the Devil go from being a genuine and terrifying threat to becoming a champion for the passionate and rebellious? Where did the devil get his horns? What did 666 represent?

The event will be interactive through dialogue, art and physical artifacts provided from Thomas’ own collection and that of Oddities' Evan Michelson’s private collection. And most importantly the event will bring our own little devil Joanna Ebenstein (founder of Morbid Anatomy) to her 25th year of age ;) We will also be celebrating the birthday of special guest Chiara Ambrosio. Cocktails by Friese Undine and demonic themed music throughout as well as decorated ambiance and festivities. There will also be live music by London's Bird Radio and sweets by Rachel Ridout. Not to miss-ssssssss…

Ronni Thomas is the Morbid Anatomy Museum Filmmaker in Residence. He is creator of The Midnight Archive web series is an avid drinker who appreciates both the history of antique spirits and the effects they have on his self esteem. He is currently working on a film about Victorian anthropomorphic taxidermist Walter Potter; more on that here.

Image: The Hours of Catherine of Cleves, 1440; sourced at Metal on Metal

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The Ghoul a Go Go and Morbid Anatomy Krampus A Go-Go Costume Party!
Date: Saturday, December 14
Time: 8:00
Admission: $13
Presented by Morbid Anatomy and Ghoul a Go Go

Join Ghoul A Go-Go and Morbid Anatomy at Observatory for their 200th annual party devoted to Krampus, St. Nicholas' cloven-hooved, chain-swinging, lolling-toungued, child-punishing Eastern-European sidekick! We've emptied a bag full of children to make room for all the fun!

A mystery episode of Ghoul A Go-Go will be shown in a darkened room. Cardone the Ultimate Vaudeville Magician will be there to astound you with his ultimate Vaudeville magic. Dust off that old Krampus outfit, because there will be a Krampus Kostume Kontest with a prize for the best! Instead of a movie, this year Creighton will be showing clips from his secret stash of bizarre holiday films.

You'll believe a reindeer can fly!

You will also have some beer, wine, and an Old Country favorite shot to warm you up! There will even be a Krampus Kake for those who are into that sort of thing. It wouldn't be the Observatory if you didn't learn yerself nuthin'. So, Vlad and Creighton will teach you their style of taxidermy. Creighton will demonstrate the process right before your eyes. You will then be given the opportunity to make your own critter (while supplies last) and a prize awarded for best monstrosity!

* Ghoul A Go-Go “MYSTERY EPISODE” with Vlad & Creighton appearing LIVE!
* CARDONE performing magic!
* Creighton screens his secret stash of bizarre holiday films!
* Taxidermy lesson as taught by Creighton: Everybody will a chance to create their own taxidermied critter!
* Krampus Kostume Kontest with prize awarded to best!
* Brew and spirits from The Old Country! Krampus Kake! More fun than you can beat with a stick!
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Holiday fair with multiple vendors serving your alternative holiday needs including taxidermy galore, artful bones, Krampus cards, unusual antiques, odd edibles, obscure books, abject housewares and assorted curiosities
Date: Saturday, December 14
Time: Noon - 6:00 PM
Admission: Free
Beer courtesy of our sponsor Brooklyn Brewery

Please join us on Saturday December 14th for the Morbid Anatomy annual holiday fair, the perfect place to find unique, niche, and off-the-beaten-path gifts for those hard-to-please folks on your shopping list. This year's iteration will feature oodles of taxidermy, artful bones, unusual antiques, odd edibles, Krampus cards, Morbid Anatomy swag, obscure books, abject housewares and assorted curiosities by vendors including Ryan Matthew Cohn of TV's Oddities; Morbid Anatomy Taxidermists in Residence Divya Anantharaman and Katie Innamorato; and artists Nicholas Kahn, Sarah Falkner, Rebeca Olguin, Elizabeth New and Mark Splatter. There will also be music and beer provided by our kind sponsor Brooklyn Brewery.

Full list and more information on all events can be found here. More on the Morbid Anatomy Art Academy can be found here. Image found here.

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

Hope you all have a great holiday!

Antique Thanksgiving cards sourced here (1) and here (2 and 3).

Morbid Anatomy Library Closed for the Thanksgiving Holidays

Greetings all.

Just an announcement that the Morbid Anatomy Library will not be open this Saturday, November 28, due to the Thanksgiving holidays.

Have a great holiday, and see you next week!

The Morbid Anatomy Holiday Fair Save the Date and Call for Vendors, December 14th and 15th, Brooklyn, New York!

Lacking original holiday ideas for your loved ones? Come to our annual Morbid Anatomy Holiday Fair for a merry weekend sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery, where you will find taxidermy, curiosities and other unique artifacts to thrill and delight. 

The Fair will take place in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th of December from noon to 6 PM. If you are interested in selling your creations or collections at the Morbid Anatomy Holiday Fair, please send an email to morbidanatomylibrary [at] gmail.com.

Image above from last year's Morbid Anatomy Holiday Fair, featuring regulars Daisy Tainton and Elizabeth New.

"Krampusfest": Guest Post for Morbid Anatomy by Al Ridenour of Art of Bleeding

Krampus Group in Munich. Photo: Al Ridenour.

Krampus Los Angeles Troupe. Photo: Phil Glau.

Postcard from Monte Beauchamp’s collection.

Following is a guest post about about friend of Morbid Anatomy Al Ridenour's attempts to revive the art of "Krampusfest" in his hometown of Sunny Los Angeles. Al is part of a group of medical art-themed provocateurs called Art of Bleeding; more on them here. Maybe we can persuade Al to stage Krampus fest here in NYC next year?

For more on Krampus and his history, click here; to find out about the Morbid Anatomy Krampus costume party (!) on December 14th, click here. To order Krampus holiday cards of your very own, click here.

As the Morbid Anatomy’s annual Krampus celebration approaches, I’ve been invited to share a bit about how we here in the relentlessly sunny city of Los Angeles are now also falling under the shadow of an ancient Alpine devil.

About a year ago, several friends and I resolved to create Krampus suits and stage California’s first Krampuslauf, (“Krampus run” though “shamble” might be more accurate). This  plan expanded into a frighteningly ambitious series of activities dubbed “Krampusfest.”

While perhaps the most overweening, we are not the first American Krampus troupe.  That credit goes to Philadelphia Krampuslauf, now in its third year. Groups in Portland, OR, Detroit, Athens, GA, Bloomington, IN, and New Orleans are also now part of this burgeoning movement.

Much of this began in 2004 when collector Monte Beauchamp began baiting us with his lovely series of books documenting the popular Krampus cards that circulated in earlier centuries. What pushed me over the edge, however, was the discovery of European videos that presented the Krampus not as a antiquated ephemera, but a tradition still very much alive and ready to chase you down the street. Pouring over online footage, I concluded that the scenes shot in the Gasteiner Valley near Salzburg seemed the most unrestrained and boisterous, so that is where I convinced my wife we needed to go.

Returning to my hotel giddy from my first night of live Krampus tussling, and with snow still wet in my hair, I opened the fateful email message announcing the creation of an LA Krampuslauf.  It came from Al Guerrero, a fellow organizer and co-conspirator of the Los Angeles lodge of The Cacophony Society, a national group dedicated to eccentric mischief which flustered journalists of the 1990s came to define as “culture jamming” and “flash mobs.”  We’d never sported horns or wielded switches, but had honed some guerilla theater fly-by-the-seat-of your pants spectacle-making skills.  Krampus didn’t seem like a big jump.

Each of our suits did end up consuming sizable investments of time and money.  Many of the costumes were sewn weft-by-weft, and the masks sculpted from scratch and topped by real animal horns. Right now there are about 15 of us, and we’re looking forward to meeting more recruits at our public Krampus run.

The troupe will also storm in on some less traditional indoor events, including our Krampus Ball and Krampus Rumpus, themed shows juxtaposing performances of traditional Schuhplattler dances and alpenhorn solos by a local Bavarian cultural group with acts like Santa Claus Nomi (the band Timur and The Dime Museum working with former Nomi composer Kristian Hoffman) as well as horned and pelt-wearing parody bands including The Kramps, Krampwerk, and Krammpstein.

And there is a group exhibition at Santa Monica’s Copro Gallery displaying Krampus-inspired artwork by a horde of artists including Chet Zar, Bob Dob, Luke Cheu, Travis Louie, and even Tim Burton. For this event, Krampus LA will contribute a performance and outdoor “Krampus Habitat” installation omplete with cages, screaming children and hellish photo-ops a-plenty.

One of our purposes in creating this crazy patchwork of events was to offer an unfamiliar public different ways to dip their toes into a new tradition. Not everyone can dedicate the resources to creating traditional costumes, but we’re hoping that some uncostumed attendees at this year’s events will be inspired to return to us next fall for workshops geared toward making traditional costumes.

Maintaining the core traditions under the camouflage of Californian kookery is important to us. Toward that end, we’re also reaching out to European groups, and have befriended a couple participants from different communities around Salzburg. Having previously planned trips to California, we met with each of them for informal Q and As. They were both surprised and initially perhaps a bit baffled at our enthusiasm and efforts toward creating costumes imitating their homegrown traditions. Usually things run differently.  For many Europeans the obliteration of local holiday customs by the ever-expanding presences of the American Santa Claus, (“Weihnachtsmann,” i.e., “Christmas Man” in German) is a hot-button issue, so amid all our chaotic street devilry, we hope our group and other American Krampus enthusiasts might be tipping the scales a bit toward a happier equilibrium.

The Morbid Anatomy Anthology Update

Since 2008, Morbid Anatomy has been hosting some of the best scholars, artists, and writers working along the intersections of the history of anatomy and medicine, death and the macabre, religion and spectacle. As many Morbid Anatomy readers already know, we are in the midst of producing a brand new, hard cover, lavishly illustrated, full color, 500 page (!) book to celebrate this legacy: The Morbid Anatomy Anthology.

Included are essays by Evan Michelson (star of Science Channel’s hit show Oddities) on the catacombs of Palermo, Simon Chaplin, (head of the Wellcome Library) on public displays of corpses in Georgian England, mortician Order of the Good Death's Caitlin Doughty on demonic children, and Paul Koudounaris, author/photographer of Empire of Death on a truck stop populated with human skulls. In addition are pieces on books bound in human skin, fin de siècle death-themed Parisian cafes, post-mortem photography, eroticized anatomical wax models, taxidermied humans and other animals, Santa Muerte, “artist of death” Frederik Ruysch, and much more. 

The book is now at the printer and should be in the hands of those who pre-ordered or supported the book on Kickstarter sometime in February. Above is a snapshot of the cover proofs we just got messengered over to us yesterday.

If you are interested in pre-ordering a copy and have not yet done so, you can still do so on the new Morbid Anatomy Museum Gift Shop by clicking here. You will also find full specs and table of contents there. If you have already supported this project, we cannot thank you enough for helping make this gorgeous and very special thing a reality. THANK YOU and we cannot WAIT to see what you think; we hope you love it as much as we do!