We interrupt your regularly scheduled arts and oddities for…AUTOTUNED CATS!
This Game of Thrones theme will stay in your head all day…maybe longer.
And now some Daft Punk. The squeaks around the 1 min mark MAKE this thing:
Got any others like this to share with this crazy cat lady?
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Denis Forkas Kostromitin creates paintings and charcoal pieces rich in symbolism, blending various esoteric traditions. His biography is quite interesting, so I’m going to place it below.
Denis Forkas Kostromitin was born in 1977 in the town of Kamyshin on the river Volga, Russia into a military officer’s family. The nature of his father’s profession implied extensive travelling to remote regions of the Soviet empire. Such nomadic existence stood in the way of receiving proper artistic education and Denis had to resort to self-study. What the wastelands lacked in creature comforts they made up for in epiphanies: long nights, extreme cold and isolation ensured numerous sensory deprivation experiences. The young artist’s attempts to capture narcoleptic visions through his draughtsman’s talent defined a pattern for all his future endeavours.
As the austere Soviet environment had little to offer in terms of esoteric literature Denis eagerly plunged into the world of Greek and Egyptian mythology and mysticism. Upon the iron curtain’s collapse in 1991 the great information deluge delivered translations of works by Levi and Crowley along with anonymous treatises on alchemy and ceremonial magic, which contained precious bits of insight into matters like energy management, will, balance and intent. The purgatory of Russian military service in the mid-nineties had Denis revise his approach to esotericism and brought him to the gates of Western philosophy.
In the wake of the new century’s economic boom Denis frequently visited China as a qualified interpreter, a journalist and a commercial representative. He was lucky to have met several native painting masters and was eventually granted a chance to study Eastern painting tradition first hand. Almost three years of heavy practice, which included mastering gongbi and xieyi techniques, helped Denis determine his true vocation and inspired him to take on the path of a professional artist. Before leaving China Forkas developed the principles of his Eglantine Breath philosophy. The approach – aimed at balancing the Apollonian and the Dionysian impulses and reviving the ancient spirit of harmony in a work of art – merged ceremonial magic, meditation and technical prowess in a single current.
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Oh, now these are just adorable. This custom toy set by Beast Brothers was made for the Tapei Toy Festival.
The characters are supposed to be Amanda Visell, Michelle Valigura and Nichole East. They are a group of Bandidas that ride their sugar skull sea horses across the 7 seas in search of hidden treasures and the magic red pearl which some folks say came from Zeus crown when he battled against a creature that came from the place we all know as the Bermuda triangle…
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A new book on my wishlist: Hidden Beauty
This collaborative project by a scientist and artist from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine asks the reader to consider the aesthetics of human disease, a dynamically powerful force of nature that acts without regard to race, religion, or culture. Here more than sixty medical science professionals present visually stunning patterns of different diseases affecting various areas of the human anatomy.
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People everywhere seem to be obsessed with Game of Thrones. When I watched, I had a vague impression that the costumes were well done, but looking closely there are whole worlds embroidered into the fabric these characters wear! It is the work of Michele Carragher.
The textures, fabrics, materials and techniques she uses are incredible. Look at the depth of this stitch work! Fit for royalty, indeed.
Do you guys watch Game of Thrones? What are your thoughts on the show?
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Some folks have been kind enough to write in asking about the status of my health. I suppose it’s time for an honest update. Part of me wants to keep this entirely to myself, but if I am given the chance to recover and complete my PhD, I will spend my life as an active advocate/helper for others who face similar challenges. So perhaps it is best that I speak up.
In addition to the emergency abdominal surgery that nearly “closed my peephole” (Kurt Vonnegut’s eloquent euphemism for death), and another serious abdominal surgery looming in the future, I’m stuck with an outrageously severe case of Central Pain Syndrome.
Central Pain Syndrome (CPS) is a neurological disorder consisting of agonizing pain signals of many differing types at once: burning, freezing, shocking, aching, crushing, spasticity. It has been characterized as the worst pain known to man. It is caused by damage to or injury of the Central Nervous System (CNS), which includes the brain, brainstem and spinal cord. (Source)
There is often severe, unremitting nausea causing constant vomiting. The pain can bring on hyperventilation. Blood pressure can rise due to the pain…Pain is typically constant, may be moderate to severe in intensity, and is often made worse by touch, movement, emotions, and temperature changes. (Source)
Some people with CPS only have certain limbs affected. Mine is all encompassing, and extends throughout my entire body. Consequently, my hands hurt too much to type (or be of any use, really…even to hold books, which is the worst!), my jaw hurts too much to speak or chew, my tailbone hurts too much to sit, etc., etc., and I spend my days writhing around on heating pads and ice packs looking for some less agonizing position, failing to find one. I have tried well over 100 medications, supplements and nearly every complementary therapy out there.
The pain is comparable to the final stages of metastatic cancer…yet as a condition is far less understood, acknowledged and respected. I cannot blame physicians for being intimidated by a beast of such magnitude! Our search for treatment continues…
If things go as planned I will finally get to check into a hospital for inpatient pain treatment in the near future. Please keep your fingers crossed for that. In the meantime, I will have to keep my commentary at a minimum.
I truly appreciate all of the people who have stuck with this blog, made comments, or sent messages. I am NOT giving up on taming my central nervous system and rejoining the human race. There are truly wondrous stories trapped in my head, waiting for expression! I have immense love and support, for which no words adequately convey my gratitude…and I have incalculable love left to give. I’ve tried very hard to keep this blog alive as it is one of my few tethers to the outside world, and I will do my best to continue.
If you would like to guest blog, please contact me and let me know.
All the best,
Dana
Proxy/Guest Blogger Liesje Kraai here! Dana has granted me the opportunity to bring you some weirdness while she is on medical hiatus. Hope you enjoy!
While stumbling along through the interwebs, I’ve come across some of the strangest things – things that defy explanation and honestly, at times, don’t want any.
Steming from my combined love of sushi and cats, I present to you NEKOZUSHI!!!
Nekozushi, translated “Cat Sushi”, makes me wish I had a better grasp of kanji. Thankfully, the explanation is translated:
Neko-Sushi is an extremely unusual life-form consisting of a cat on top of a portion of sushi rice.
Although several references have come down to us through history from various researchers and witnesses, their existence is still shrouded in mystery and actual sightings remain rare.
There are several academics who have devoted their lives to the study of these creatures. According to a number of these, Neko-Sushi make use of gaps in space to come to us from an alternate dimension. Beyond these “gaps” lies the world of the Neko-Sushi in which, it is recently understood, lies the true identity of the cats that dwell with us here in the human dimension.
Yep. Makes perfect sense.
And if you’re still confused, there’s a helpful documentary:
But most perplexing of all is the sushi snow globes, hidden in the “Online Shop”.
With no English translation, these bizarre microcosms of herding maguro bombard my brain with endless streams of “Wha-??” That being said, I wish my Japanese language abilities permitted me to purchase one of these amazing little enigmas. Fortunately, my artistic abilities may permit me to one day make my own…
Despite my tendency to hoard information and media like a madwoman, I’m generally ignorant of pop culture. I do, however, know that Adele had a huge hit with Rolling in the Deep.
The following video gives Adele a little healthy competition with some rewritten lyrics. This brilliant parody is also an advertisement for Keith’s ceramic company.
Love it. Go Keith.
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Adrien Broom takes my breath away with her photography. I’d like to focus on one specific project here (though her whole site is worth a look).
From the Source:
The Color Project, an eight-part exploration of the world of color as seen through the eyes of a little girl. Part photography, film, and installation art, it’s a multimedia story that follows a young girl as she wakes up to a world in which all color has vanished.
After exploring The World of White, she finds a door that leads her to her first discovery, The World of Red. As the story unfolds, we find the girl traveling from one color-immersed room to another, rediscovering all the colors that create the world we live in. At the end, the girl will arrive at the end of the rainbow where all the colors meet.
Each one is shot in her New Haven, Connecticut studio. The whole project will take place over the course of 8 months with each room taking over a month to create and shoot. Of course, Broom isn’t working on this project alone, she has assembled a team of artists including bakers, florists, sculptors and other craftspeople to help her create each unique, whimsical world.
I’m so eager to see the rest of this project. These scenes are positively stunning. What a lucky little girl who gets to star in these miniature worlds!
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As a long-time fan of Benjamin Lacombe, I found myself transfixed by the promotional video for his new book.
Take a moment to get lost…
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SheWalksSoftly 