Kira Shaimanova is a 3D artist who constructs subjects and scenes out of clay, then photographs them to make the final product.
I love her sweet and creepy little displays. A fair amount of the undead grace her work…
I first saw her work here.
Category: candy coated nightmares
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Running an errand at Target yesterday, I passed this gem amidst the aisles of homogenized, CGI graphic infested toys:
Isn’t that great? What a colorful, nightmarish device…reminiscent of a carnival funhouse entrance.
This toy inspired me to explore some actual funhouse entrances in an image odyssey. Here are a few…
I’m sure there are plenty of great carnival images out there. If anyone has great ones to share, please send them my way.
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It’s been quite sometime since I first began to adore Charlie Immer’s sweet, de-fleshed creations.
They float somewhere between the horror of a messy crime scene and a child’s toy box. Like Saturday morning cartoons…with some bones and exposed viscera thrown in for good measure.
Precious, no?
See more rainbow madness here
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I have never wanted to hop a plane to Wisconsin so badly in my life. I absolutely must visit the House on the Rock.
I’m going to be honest. I can’t write detailed descriptions of all the rooms in this place, because I WILL impulsively buy a plane ticket I can’t afford…and we don’t want that, now do we?
However, I will direct you to this fantastic post that describes the house in more detail.
Antiques, oddities, puppets, monsters, instruments, specimens, props, masks, machines, weapons, books, carnival and sideshow relics…enough to make one’s head explode in the most delightful way.
A wise friend recently pointed out a common thread in my preferences: a penchant for intensely created little worlds full of unique vision. I think this place is a perfect example. I like to be sensually overwhelmed, immersed in creativity, history, the carefully crafted extremes of madness and entertainment. Places that collect the bizarre fringes of human invention never fail to fascinate me.
Each bit of ephemera tells a story…stories run through my head with every picture I see…
Time to count the change in my jar and save up for that ticket…
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I’m about to say something that might make me very unpopular: I’ve never done a thing for St. Patrick’s Day. I appreciate the idea of a cultural celebration, but perhaps I associate this day too heavily with those who use it as an excuse to get rip roaring drunk and puke on their own shoes…or someone else’s shoes.
But, since people seem to get very into this holiday, here are some goodies I dug up for the occasion.
Let’s bring on the crafts!
For a nice relaxing sleep after drunken festivities…
Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you…
I wonder if these were mass produced, and there are a bunch of people walking around brandishing one of the most irritating grammatical mistakes in the English language:
(If [your] not able to make a grammatically correct button, fake it!)I wish I had come up with the idea to slap a label on five green jelly beans and market it as a holiday novelty (at 800% profit per package).
Mmmm…tastes like psychosis.
Have fun…be safe…
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I’m a big fan of Christopher Uminga’s adorable art. Let’s start with this series of creatures on sepia toned paper…
And there are countless monstrously sweet pieces in the rest of his portfolio.
Look at this romantic little robot…
I could look at his galleries all day! Must…stop…
See more on the artist’s site and Deviant Art gallery.
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I have basically no chance of catching this performance, but it looks amazing. Chicago’s Redmoon Theater has brought back The Cabinet.
The Cabinet sets the story of the murderous Dr. Caligari and his somnambulist slave Cesare in an off-kilter world of puppetry and intricate machinery. Inspired by the 1919 German Expressionist silent film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The Cabinet creates a wild, abstracted “cabinet of curiosities” in which five puppeteers manipulate and maneuver the characters and objects much as Caligari controls Cesare’s plight.
From the Coilhouse review:
The characters are played by exquisite glass-eyed puppets, manipulated by intricately costumed puppeteers…There’s a sense of charged symbiosis, with the performers moving in measured, clockwork rhythms, like antique automatons. They watch their puppets raptly, sometimes standing alongside them, sometimes hanging upside down, sometimes nearly out of sight. Gloved hands appear from around the edges of the stage; when a weapon appears, it is held out to the puppet with a long-handled silver hemostat. When there is a death, they unspool red ribbons of blood.
A short clip:
Anyone know of a way I could make an appeal for this production to come to NYC?
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Canadian artist Julia Hepburn created this wonderful diorama: Can You Remember My Dream.
A single bed, nestled in tangles of twigs. Hanging above it are lanterns, glowing with intricately surreal captured moments in time.
I think she accomplishes her goal beautifully:
“The imagery in the piece is intended to walk the line between the light-hearted and uncomfortable, and as a result can be interpreted any number of ways according to the participants wishes,” says Hepburn. “The goal of the work is to create an environment where viewers feel they have entered into a stolen moment, and they are encouraged to become voyeurs of the most intimate kind.”
I wish I could construct a custom version of this for a girl who is very dear to me (yes you, S.!)
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As I get my bearings after a busy few days, please enjoy a short video.
I credit Rifftrax for unearthing this vintage gem.
What could excite a child more than an anatomically awkward, lethargic animatronic dog with a questionable name, lumbering along in slow motion at the tug of a leash?
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Buff Monster clearly shares my love of the pink and black color combo (and my love of all things sweet and sinister).
Step into his world for bunches of bubbling, oozing, sticky sweet creatures…sometimes with fangs and/or shooting beams of destruction.
More here.
SheWalksSoftly 