Morbid Anatomy Presents has a few things cooked up to amuse you these cold winter nights. This evening, we will be hosting
JR Pepper who will be speaking on the Apocalypse in Japanese anime; Thursday Jan.
24,
Karen Bachmann will elucidate us on the history of memento mori and death's head imagery as it relates to Victorian hair art jewelry, while on Friday Feb. 1, we will be screening death-themed films in tandem with
Imagine Science. In the weeks that follow, we have two insect shadowbox classes, including one special
Valentine's Day edition (Feb. 2 and 10); a raccoon head taxidermy class
with rogue taxidermist Katie Innamorato (Feb. 9) a
resurrection-themed
art opening and fundraising party (Feb. 2); a workshop on research methods for artists and scholars with Rachel Herschman (February 3, 1:00 PM); a Santa Muerte book singing
and party complete with mariachi band, funeral flowers, mini-exhibit
and wedding cake (Feb. 3, 7:00 PM); a newly introduced class on the art of
Victorian hair jewelry (Feb. 5); Blake Schwarzenbach of the seminal punk
band Jawbreaker on "death as muse" (Feb. 7); An illustrated lecture on
the Victorian love affair with death doubling as a Morbid Anatomy going
away party with artisinal cocktails by
Friese Undine (Feb. 8th); an illustrated lecture on the cult of beautiful death in Vienna (February 12) and a valentine's day lecture and reading with Tattoo Scholars Anna Felicity Friedman and Matt Lodder (Feb. 14).
Full details follow on all events; hope very much to see you at one or more!
___________________________________________________
Bright Eyes at the Apocalypse: Exploring The End of the World in Japanese Animation
Illustrated lecture with
JR Pepper
Date: Monday, January 21
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Presented by
Morbid Anatomy
Having
been confronted with extreme devastation during WWII, the Japanese have
not been shy about illustrating the end of the world and
post-apocalyptic landscape in their films. This can perhaps be most
notably seen in their animation. Brilliant feats of Japanese animation
like,
Akira, Princess Mononoke, X/1999, and
Neon Genesis Evangelion
have painstakingly detailed worlds devastated by war, disease,
technology and the fall of civilization. Why has the world of Japanese
anime embraced such a macabre event? This lecture will examine the
phenomenon of the post-apocalyptic Earth in anime as well as explore the
current trends.
JR Pepper
is a photographer, archivist and full-time geek. Her photography had
been shown at events throughout New York and Paris and a myriad of
publications and websites. Presently she is devoting her time to
photographing New York's nightlife as well as a continuing documentation
of the eccentricities of Tulsa, Oklahoma, her adopted home. Her geek
writing can be found on Pink Ray Gun.com and she has given panels at
New York Comic Con, New York Anime Fest, Salon Con, Big Apple Anime Fest
and Tokyo in Tulsa.
___________________________________________________
The History of the Memento Mori and Death's Head Iconography: Part Two of "Hairy Secrets" Series
Illustrated lecture with Art Historian and Master Jeweler Karen Bachmann
Date: Thursday, January 24
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $10
Presented by
Morbid Anatomy
***Part 2 of a 3 part series "Hairy Secrets: Human Relic as Memory Object in Victorian Mourning Jewelry"
In tonight's lecture--the second in a
3-part series on human relics and Victorian mourning jewelry--master jeweler and art historian Karen Bachmann will explore the development of the
memento mori, objects whose very
raison d'être is to remind the beholder that they, too, will die. Bachman will trace the symbolism and iconography of the
memento mori
and death's head imagery in both Medieval and Renaissance art, focusing
on jewelry. She will also discuss the development of the "portable
relic" -- a wearable form of body part reliquary, will be the focus of
this lecture. The importance of hair in contemporaneous art of the
period will be addressed, as well as the development of bereavement
jewelry with hair.
Karen Bachmann is
a fine jeweler with over 25 years experience, including several years
on staff as a master jeweler at Tiffany & Co. She is a Professor in
the Jewelry Design Dept at Fashion Institute of Technology as well as
the School of Art & Design at Pratt Institute. She has recently
completed her MA in Art History at SUNY Purchase with a thesis entitled
"Hairy Secrets; Human Relic as Memory Object in Victorian Mourning Jewelry". In her downtime she enjoys collecting biological specimens, amateur taxidermy and punk rock.
___________________________________________________
"All My Tomorrows," Directed by Sonia Herman Dolz: Film Screening with Imagine Science Films
Screening with Imagine Science Films
Date: Friday, February 1
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Presented by
Morbid Anatomy and
Imagine Science Films
Tonight, join
Imagine Science Films
and Morbid Anatomy for an exclusive U.S. premiere screening of "All My
Tomorrows" directed by Sonia Herman Dolz. Imagine Science Films aims to
transform the way science and scientists are portrayed in mainstream
media, while emphasizing the importance of storytelling, narrative
structure, and visual communication.
About the film:
"One must never forget that one dies not from disease, but from life,"
wrote the philosopher Michel de Montaigne. Five centuries later, cancer
surgeon Casper van Eijck arrives at the same conclusion: "You get cancer
because you're alive." This film follows Van Eijck as he goes about his
daily tasks at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam. We also meet a
cell biologist, a night nurse, a pediatric oncologist and a pathologist.
Examining a culture of rapidly multiplying cancer cells, the
biologist sighs, "That you can reveal so much, but know so little about
what's going on." We owe progress in medical science exclusively to
unremitting human curiosity and attentiveness; the fundamentals have
changed little since Hippocrates. Then as now, doctors relied on human
techniques of looking, feeling and cutting. We also see patients and
parents of sick children respond bravely to the devastating news doctors
so often have to give. Perhaps mice will provide the answer to the
question of why cells divide uncontrollably, because this animal shares
80% of its genes with humans.
Imagine Science Films
is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in existence since 2008
committed to promoting a high-level dialogue between scientists and
filmmakers. ISF encourages a greater collaboration between scientists
who dedicate their lives to studying the world we live in and filmmakers
who have the power to interpret and expose this knowledge, ultimately
making science accessible and stimulating to a broader audience.
Imagine
Science Films is committed to drawing attention to the sciences,
whether it is through art or our community outreach efforts.
___________________________________________________
Anthropomorphic Insect Shadowbox Workshop with Former AMNH Senior Insect Preparator Daisy Tainton
With Daisy Tainton, Former Senior Insect Preparator at the American Museum of Natural History
Date: Sunday, February 2
Time: 1 - 4 PM
Admission: $65
***Must RSVP to
morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com to be added to class list (please specify date)
This class is part of
The Morbid Anatomy Art Academy
Today,
join former AMNH Senior Insect Preparator Daisy Tainton for a special
Valentine's Day-themed edition of Observatory's popular Anthropomorphic
Insect Shadowbox Workshop. In this class, students will work with
Rhinoceros beetles: nature's tiny giants. Each student will learn to
make--and leave with their own!--shadowbox dioramas featuring carefully
positioned beetles doing nearly anything you can imagine. Beetles and
shadowboxes are provided, and an assortment of miniature furniture,
foods, and other props will be available to decorate your habitat.
Students need bring nothing, though are encouraged to bring along
dollhouse props if they have a particular vision for their final piece;
1:12 scale work best.
Daisy Tainton was
formerly Senior Insect Preparator at the American Museum of Natural
History, and has been working with insects professionally for several
years. Eventually her fascination with insects and love of Japanese
miniature food items naturally came together, resulting in cute and
ridiculous museum-inspired yet utterly unrealistic dioramas. Beetles at
the dentist? Beetles eating pie and knitting sweaters? Even beetles on
the toilet? Why not?
___________________________________________________
RESURRECTION 3rd Annual Observatory Fundraiser and Costume Party
Please come support us at our RESURRECTION-themed annual fundraiser costume party and
group art show opening!
Date: Saturday, February 2nd
Time: 8pm
Admission: $20
Observatory has had quite a year, full of fires, floods,
threats
of floods, and much more besides. On Saturday, February 2nd, we
cordially invite you to join us in celebrating our against-the-odds
survival in the face of it all with our 4th anniversary back-from-the-dead-themed fundraiser.
This party will also serve as the inauguration for our
"Resurrection" group show, which will open to the public this evening.
The party will feature:
* Costume contest with Celebrity Judge Evan Michelson of TV's Oddities. Best "resurrection" costume wins!
* Screening of brand new episodes from Ronni Thomas' Midnight Archive series
* Charm & handsomeship by MC Lord Whimsy
* Music by DJ Mangoose
* Kikkerland giveaways
* Glorious raffle prizes including a gift certificate from Palo Santo restaurant; books and CDs from green witch Robin Rose Bennett; Books and merch from Morbid Anatomy; Tarot readings by Shannon Taggart; Abraxas Esoteric Journal; Audiobooks from Hachette, and more!
* Artwork by Grace Baxter, Ben Blatt, Jesse Bransford, Ryan Matthew Cohn, Joanna Ebenstein, Barbara Ensor, Ethan Gould, Pam Grossman, Megan Hays, Katie Innamorato, Sue Jeiven, Megan Murtha, Rebeca Olguin, Katy Pierce, Sigrid Sarda, Dana Sherwood, Mark Splatter, Daisy Tainton, & Shannon Taggart
* Lots of booze & treats! YES!
Looking forward to seeing you there!
___________________________________________________
Research Methods for Artists and Scholars: A Workshop with Rachel Herschman
Date: Sunday, February 3
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Admission: $20
Presented by
Morbid Anatomy
For
curious exploration or focused research--this course will provide
participants with strategies for investigating a topic and tricks for
discovering the unexpected. From card catalogs to digital search tools,
learn about a range of resources and how to use them with savvy. Find
out how to gain borrowing privileges at university libraries and access
to private collections.
We will also discuss how to critically
evaluate both primary and secondary sources. A range of materials will
be used to demonstrate how to get the most out of what you unearth in
libraries and archives.
Participants are encouraged (but not required) to come with their own research topic.
Rachel Herschman
is a PhD Candidate in Germanics at the University of Washington. She is
currently writing her dissertation on the history of puppets and
puppetry in 20th century Germany. Rachel is an educator at the Lower
East Side Tenement Museum and lives in New York.
Image: Old “Main Building” of the Public Library of Cincinnatti, 1874.
The building seen below closed in 1955.
Source
___________________________________________________
“Viva la Muerte: The Mushrooming Cult of Saint Death” : Lecture, Book Signing and Party
Illustrated lecture by
Professor R. Andrew Chesnut, author of
Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint; Q and A moderated by
The Revealer's David Metcalfe; Music and cocktails by
Friese Undine; Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde wedding cake and Funeral floral arrangements compliments of
Tonya Hurley and
Tracy Hurley Martin;
Mini-exhibit of newly-donated Santa Muerte materials from the Morbid Anatomy Library; Live music by
Mariachi Tapatio de Alvaro Paulino
Date: Sunday, February 3
Time: 7:00 (Doors at 6:00)
Admission: $12
Produced by
Morbid Anatomy and
Borderline Projects
*** Copies of
Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint will be available for sale and signing
On Sunday, February 3rd, please join us to celebrate
the Morbid Anatomy Library's new acquisition of
a large and spectacular lot of materials relating to Santa Muerte,
a Mexican-based “cult” or possibly even a “new religion” which takes as
its central figure a sanctified Lady Death. Literally translating to
“Holy Death” or “Saint Death,” the worship of Santa Muerte--like Day of
the Dead--is a popular form of religious expression rooted in a rich
syncretism of the beliefs of the native Latin Americans and the
colonizing Spanish Catholics.
Tonight's celebration will begin with a highly-illustrated lecture on the roots, history and worship of Santa Muerte by
Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut, Chair in Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of
Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint. Following,
attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions during a Q and A
which with the lecturer and death in Mexico scholar
Salvador Olguín moderated by
David Metcalfe of The Revealer.
Come
early (doors open at 6) and stay late to enjoy special artisanal
cocktails utilizing the favorite spirits of "The Boney Lady" herself,
compliments of
Friese Undine.
You can also admire--and indulge in!--a special Santa Muerte and Jesus
Malverde Wedding Cake compliments of our generous Santa Muerte artifact
donors
Tonya Hurley and
Tracy Hurley Martin, and take in
a temporary mini-exhibit of the amazing donations themselves. There will also be live mariachi music by
Mariachi Tapatio de Alvaro Paulino, gorgeous funeral floral arrangements by
Emily Thompson Flowers, and
Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut will be happy to sign copies of his new book
Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint which will be available for sale.
___________________________________________________
Class: The Victorian Art of Hair Jewelry with Art Historian and Master Jeweler Karen Bachmann
With Art Historian and Master Jeweler Karen Bachmann
Date: Tuesday, February 5
Time: 7-11 PM
Admission: $75
***Must RSVP to
morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com to be added to class list; 15 person limit
This class is part of
The Morbid Anatomy Art Academy
Hair
jewelry was an enormously popular form of commemorative art that began
in the late 17th century and reached its zenith during the Victorian
Era. Hair, either of someone living or deceased, was encased in metal
lockers or woven to enshrine the human relic of a loved one. This class
will explore a modern take on the genre.
The technique of "palette
working" or arranging hair in artful swoops and curls will be explored
and a variety of ribbons, beads, wire and imagery of mourning
iconography will be supplied for potential inclusion. A living or
deceased person or pet may be commemorated in this manner.
Students
are requested to bring with them to class their own hair, fur, or
feathers; all other necessary materials will be supplied. Hair can be
self-cut, sourced from barber shops or hair salons (who are usually
happy to provide you with swept up hair), from beauty supply shops (hair
is sold as extensions), or from wig suppliers. Students will leave
class with their own piece of hair jewelry and the knowledge to create
future projects.
Karen Bachmann is
a fine jeweler with over 25 years experience, including several years
on staff as a master jeweler at Tiffany & Co. She is a Professor in
the Jewelry Design Dept at Fashion Institute of Technology as well as
the School of Art & Design at Pratt Institute. She has recently
completed her MA in Art History at SUNY Purchase with a thesis entitled
Hairy Secrets:... In her downtime she enjoys collecting biological
specimens, amateur taxidermy and punk rock.
___________________________________________________
Death As Muse: An Intimate Evening With Blake Schwarzenbach, Musician, Painter, Jawbreaker, Forgetter
Date: Thursday, February 7
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Presented by
Morbid Anatomy'
From Dante to
Donnie Darko
perhaps no other idea has inspired more creative pursuits than life’s
final act: death. Love, it could be argued, is a close second—and if
that’s the case, let us bow down yet again to Woody Allen’s film,
Love and Death.
Which
brings us to the man at the darkened heart of tonight’s event: Blake
Schwarzenbach, who has sampled a line from one of Mr. Allen’s films in a
song. Schwarzenbach, you see, also knows from love and death.
As the singer, songwriter, and guitarist for the
late, much-loved Bay Area punk trio Jawbreaker, Schwarzenbach
once sang:
“We met in rain, you asked me in, seemed like a good sign. Now I need a
guillotine to get you off my mind.”
With his newest group,
Forgetters, he's gone darker.
How dark?
Here’s
the cold data: Over 11 bloody tracks on the band’s eponymous–and
somewhat psychedelic–new record, released in late 2012, there are
roughly 27 lyrical variations on the word “death.” And there are
multiple instances within just one song title: “
O Deadly Death.”
That’s not to say Schwarzenbach doesn’t have a sense of humor. On an
earlier Forgetters EP, after all, he cleverly made a verb out of tennis great John McEnroe (to throw a McEnroe is to have a very public fit.)
It
is, in fact, the sui generis way Schwarzenbach balances light and dark,
wit and warts, romance and rancor—both musically and lyrically—that
makes his creative work so compelling. Or, as the writer Maccabee
Montandon
has put it:
Schwarzenbach’s songs are “bounding, literate, often hyper-local
anthems about pony-keg-powered house parties, girls he adored, girls he
did not adore and books. Kerouac and cop killing live in a single
lyrical line.”
On this evening, Schwarzenbach and Montandon will
discuss the music, muses, and more: Schwarzenbach has grown increasingly
interested in visual arts, painting and sculpting prolifically in his
Brooklyn apartment; some of his pieces will be on display tonight.
Following the conversation, Schwarzenbach will play solo acoustic
versions of a few of his songs and take questions from the crowd. His
own personal nine circles of hell revealed!
Image: "Impossible t-shirts" (a series). Blake Schwarzenbach. Pen, acrylic, graph paper. 2012.
___________________________________________________
The Victorian Love Affair with Death and the Art of Mourning Hair
Jewelry: Morbid Anatomy Going Away Party and Part Three of "Hairy
Secrets" Series
Illustrated
lecture with Art Historian and Master Jeweler Karen Bachmann and Morbid
Anatomy Going Away Party, with Cocktails and Music by
Friese Undine
Date: Friday, February 8 (
Formerly January 31; Please note date change)
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $10
Presented by
Morbid Anatomy
***Part 3 of a 3 part series "Hairy Secrets: Human Relic as Memory Object in Victorian Mourning Jewelry"
The
Victorians had a love affair with death which they expressed in a
variety of ways, both intensely sentimental and macabre. Tonight's
lecture--the last in a
3-part series on human relics and Victorian mourning jewelry--will
take as its focus the apex of the phenomenon of hair jewelry fashion in
the Victorian Era as an expression of this passion. Nineteenth century
mourning rituals will be discussed, with a particular focus on Victorian
hairwork jewelry, both palette worked and table worked. Also discussed
will be the historical roots of the Victorian fascination with death,
such as high mortality rates for both adults and children, the rise of
the park cemetery, and the death of Queen Victoria's beloved Prince
Albert and her subsequent fashion-influencing 40-year mourning period.
Historical samples of hair art and jewelry from the lecturer's personal
collection will also be shown.
Karen Bachmann is
a fine jeweler with over 25 years experience, including several years
on staff as a master jeweler at Tiffany & Co. She is a Professor in
the Jewelry Design Dept at Fashion Institute of Technology as well as
the School of Art & Design at Pratt Institute. She has recently
completed her MA in Art History at SUNY Purchase with a thesis entitled
"Hairy Secrets; Human Relic as Memory Object in Victorian Mourning Jewelry". In her downtime she enjoys collecting biological specimens, amateur taxidermy and punk rock.
___________________________________________________
Raccoon Head Taxidermy Class with Rogue Taxidermist Katie InnamoratoDate: Saturday, February 9
Time: 11 – 5 PM
Admission: $350
***SOLD OUT; Email
morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com to be added to wait list
This class is part of
The Morbid Anatomy Art Academy
This
course will introduce students to basic and fundamental taxidermy
techniques and procedures. Students will be working with donated raccoon
skins and will be going through the steps to do a head mount. The class
is only available to 5 students, allowing for more one on one
interaction and assistance. Students will be working with tanned and
lightly prepped skin; there will be no skinning of the animals in class.
This is a great opportunity to learn the basic steps to small and large
mammal taxidermy. All materials will be supplied by the instructor, and
you will leave class with your own raccoon head mount.
Rogue taxidermist
Katie Innamorato
has a BFA in sculpture from SUNY New Paltz, has been featured on the
hit TV show "Oddities," and has had her work featured at La Luz de Jesus
gallery in Los Angeles, California. She is self and professionally
taught, and has won multiple first place ribbons and awards at the
Garden State Taxidermy Association Competition. Her work is focussed on
displaying the cyclical connection between life and death and growth and
decomposition. Katie is a member of the Minnesota Association of Rogue
Taxidermists, and with all M.A.R.T. members she adheres to strict
ethical guidelines when acquiring specimens and uses roadkill, scrap,
and donated skins to create mounts.
Her website and blogs-
www.afterlifeanatomy.com
www.afterlifeanatomy.tumblr.com
www.facebook.com/afterlifeanatomy
www.etsy.com/shop/afterlifeanatomy
___________________________________________________
Anthropomorphic Insect Shadowbox Workshop: Special Valentine's Day
Edition, with Former AMNH Senior Insect Preparator Daisy Tainton
With Daisy Tainton, Former Senior Insect Preparator at the American Museum of Natural History
Date: Sunday, February 10 (Special Valentine's Day Edition!)
Time: 1 - 4 PM
Admission: $65
***Must RSVP to
morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com to be added to class list
This class is part of
The Morbid Anatomy Art Academy
Today,
join former AMNH Senior Insect Preparator Daisy Tainton for a special
Valentine's Day-themed edition of Observatory's popular Anthropomorphic
Insect Shadowbox Workshop. In this class, students will work with
Rhinoceros beetles: nature's tiny giants. Each student will learn to
make--and leave with their own!--shadowbox dioramas featuring carefully
positioned beetles doing nearly anything you can imagine. Beetles and
shadowboxes are provided, and an assortment of miniature furniture,
foods, and other props will be available to decorate your habitat.
Students need bring nothing, though are encouraged to bring along
dollhouse props if they have a particular vision for their final piece;
1:12 scale work best.
Daisy Tainton was
formerly Senior Insect Preparator at the American Museum of Natural
History, and has been working with insects professionally for several
years. Eventually her fascination with insects and love of Japanese
miniature food items naturally came together, resulting in cute and
ridiculous museum-inspired yet utterly unrealistic dioramas. Beetles at
the dentist? Beetles eating pie and knitting sweaters? Even beetles on
the toilet? Why not?
___________________________________________________
"Schöne Leiche," or "The Beautiful Corpse": The Cult of Beautiful Death in Vienna
Illustrated lecture by Mark 'Splatter' Batelli; thematic drinks and music by
Friese Undine
Date: Tuesday, February 12
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $10
Presented by
Morbid Anatomy
Tonight's highly illustrated lecture will explore the special Viennese relationship to death as exemplified by their notion of
Schöne Leiche,
or the "Beautiful Corpse." Batelli will trace the history of this
distinctive approach to mortality and discuss funerary customs, mourning
culture, black humor, idiom, art, music, suicide and psychology,
providing examples and exploring its origins and development in the
former imperial capital. Before and after the lecture, enjoy special
thematic "Death in Vienna" artisinal cocktails and music complements of
artist
Friese Undine.
Mark 'Splatter' Batelli
is an artist based in Brooklyn, New York. He lived 5 years In Berlin
and traveled extensively travels through Europe, spending much time in
Vienna.
___________________________________________________
Tragic Tattoo Tales: A Valentine’s Day Lecture and Reading with Tattoo Scholars Anna Felicity Friedman and Matt Lodder
Illustrated lecture and reading with tattoo scholars Anna Felicity Friedman and Matt Lodder
Date: Thursday, February 14 (Yes, Valentine's Day!)
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Presented by
Morbid Anatomy
Love,
loss… and disfigurement, murder, and flayed skin (with a bit of
cannibalism and sadism thrown in for good measure). What better way to
spend your Valentine’s Day evening than to join us for a glass of red
wine, a bite of delicious chocolate, and a lecture on the history of
tattooing combined with a reading of a series of historical
tattoo-centered short stories by authors such as Roald Dahl (1958), Saki
(1911), Junichiro Tanazaki (1910) and John Rickman (1781)?
Tonight,
please join us for an evening with tattoo scholars Anna Felicity
Friedman and Matt Lodder (both heavily tattooed themselves) who will
lecture about and read tales that interweave tattoo history with romance
and the macabre. Through illustrated slide lectures, Drs. Friedman and
Lodder will present comparative historical material to provide context
and deeper understanding and to separate fact from fiction. Learn about
wide ranging tattoo topics in both Western and non-Western cultures and
have questions answered that the stories raise. Did people really
preserve tattooed skin? What were people reading about tattoos in the
early twentieth century? Were Maori really tattooed head to foot? What
were the connections between Ukiyo-e and Japanese tattooing in the Edo
period?
And the stories… Come hear the account of a young Maori
woman and an English sailor who had himself completely tattooed to gain
her favor, only to be forcibly returned to his ship (in John Rickman’s
1781 travel narrative from Captain James Cook’s third voyage). Cringe at
the tale of a businessman tattooed in Italy with an elaborate scene,
but who was prohibited from ever showing it to anyone, swimming, or
leaving the country (in Saki’s 1911 “The Background”). Shudder at the
story of a Japanese woman lured into a tattooer’s studio, drugged, and
forcibly tattooed (in Junichiro Tanazaki’s 1910 “Shisei (The
Tattooer)”. Enjoy the fantasy of a young and not-yet famous Chaim
Soutine who, during a bacchanalian evening, rendered a dorsal portrait
of a tattoo artist’s wife that later mysteriously turns up as a “canvas”
in an art gallery (in Roald Dahl’s 1952 “Skin”). Additional images
related to the stories will be screened during the readings.
Chocolate and red wine will make things festive.
Anna Felicity Friedman
has been researching the history of tattooing for over 20 years. Her
recently completed PhD, from the University of Chicago, focuses on
tattooed transculturites—Europeans and Americans who acquired
non-Western tattoos as part of a process of cultural identity
transformation. Her photoblog,
Tattoo History Daily,
offers glimpses into myriad aspects of tattoo history. An
interdisciplinary scholar, she has taught, written, and lectured about
body art, maps, rare books, and other sundry topics, works as a
freelance curator, and currently teaches hybrid literature/film/art
courses at the University of Chicago.
Matt Lodder
is a London-based art historian. His work is primarily concerned with
the history of Western tattooing and the artistic status of body art and
body modification practices including tattooing, body piercing and
cosmetic surgery. He writes regularly for
Total Tattoo
magazine, gives public lectures on tattoo history and related topics,
works as a freelance writer and broadcaster for both radio and
television, and teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in
contemporary art and theory at the University of Reading and the
University of Birmingham. He is currently writing a book called 'Tattoo:
An Art History' for IB Tauris, due for publication in 2014.
___________________________________________________
You can find out more about all of these events
here, or sign up for them on Facebook by clicking
here.
Image: From
this recent post; Caption reads (to the best of my deciphering, and sic on the spelling throughout):
Beautys Lot
Adorn'd with Tates, I well could Boast, Of Tons and Macaronys Toast;
I once was Fair, Young, Frisky, Gay, Could Please with songs and Dance the Hay
Dear Belle's reflect Ye Morals see, As I now am, so You shall be.
Pub as the act directs Feb. 1, 1778...
