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.
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