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Suzannah Murray "Damballah" 2007
Rejoice! Phantasmaphile fave Lark and Lotus has launched a gorgeous new set of jewelry. Called the "Gris Gris Collection," these pieces are designer Suzannah Murray's homage to the voodoo culture that surrounds her down in her New Orleans home. The collection includes protective amulets that invoke the gods, as well as luxe interpretations of magical spell ingredients, like spanish moss and cicada wings. Positively divine.
Amy Alice Thompson "Owl Girls"
Collagiste Amy Alice Thompson does a beautiful job of combining vintage clippings and found papers into enchanting ephemera hybrids.
Martin La Spina "Meninas detras del espejo"
I love Martin La Spina's work, particularly these jellyfish girls. Such an ingenius idea, and so gracefully executed.
Deyrolle Boutique, Paris
Many apologies for my extended absence. Blogging hereby commences once more!
My trip to London and Paris was simply glorious. While I did not get to everything on the list I made on the 5th, I had some additional very happy discoveries. Here are some Phantasmaphilic highlights:
Freud Museum: London. This is the house where Freud lived for the last year of his life, having fled from a Nazi-invaded Austria. My favorite part was seeing the amazing room where he received his patients, which was stuffed to the brim with ancient objects and artifacts from Egypt and the Far East. Gods, goddesses, animals, pottery, and hundreds of old books are to be found here. (For those who are curious, a few books about Freud's art collection have been written: The Sphinx on the Table: Sigmund Freud's Art Collection and the Development of Psychoanalysis
The Hunterian Museum: London. One of the most spectacular spaces I've ever visited. This is a collection of anatomical specimens which were originally studied to prepare for surgery, and to compare the physiology of various species. Thousands of jars of body parts from hundreds of animals are lined up in two stories worth of beautifully lit glass cases. There are also old medical objects and a revolving art exhibit.
The Tate Modern: London. I've been to this museum several times, but it merits a mention due to its innovation, architecture, and eclectic modern art collection. Sadly, I just missed the Gilbert and George show by a few days.
Catacombes: Paris. The astounding tunnels where there still are skulls and bones piled up for visitors to gaze upon.
Deyrolle: Paris. Stunning bi-level shop with a breathtaking collection of taxidermy and natural wonders.
Galerie Kugel: Paris. We got a private tour of this mansion, which houses priceless antiques and art to be sold to those who can afford it. While they took one look at my velcro shoes and must have known I was far from a potential buyer, they graciously led us through each room and patiently waited as I ogled marvel after marvel.
Claude Nature: Paris. Unfortunately, this shop was closed when we went to visit it, but I wanted to mention it anyway as, from the outside, it looked to be a charming and elegant place to purchase natural specimens. Kind of like a mini Deyrolle.
Cafe des Deux Moulins: Paris. This is the cafe where Amélie
Lastly, I must mention one of the most surprising and delightful parts of my trip. We were walking one afternoon in the Latin Quarter, when we spied a window on rue Saint Jacques. It had sea shells, taxidermy, and what looked to be a unicorn horn beautifully arranged in a studied clutter, with the words www.cabinetdecuriosites.com painted above it. However, there was no shop to be seen! It was just this mysterious, wonderful lone window. We decided to do some detective work, and entered the building behind it. The first door we came upon was a dentist's office, and we went in to see if they knew anything about the window. It turns out the window is maintained by none other than the dentist himself! Dr. Phillippe Dorr came out shortly thereafter to speak with us about his cabinets of curiosity passion, and asked us to make an appointment to come back and speak further, as he had a patient waiting for him to continue his dental work. We gladly came back two days later, and Dr. Dorr generously shared with us his collection of books, as well as bringing us on a tour of his collection of specimens he had in a separate room, right there in his office. He had cases filled with, among other things, shells, simian skulls, animal teeth, and a stuffed sloth. He explained that this was just a fraction of the collection he has in his house, and that he hopes to make his collection public some day. (He also maintains the above web site, though he says it is a work in progress). The entire experience was extremely surreal, strange, and fabulous. Thank you, Dr. Dorr!
Man Ray "Noire et blanche" 1926
I am off to London and Paris for the next two weeks, for business (London) and pleasure (Paris), returning on the 16th. I have been to both places several times and seen the expected sites and then some, however, I am always on the lookout for new Phantasmaphilic recommendations. If you have any suggestions of unusual things I should be sure not to miss, would you kindly leave them in the comments section?
Some places I am hoping to get to this time around:
The Museum of Magic and Curiosity
Posting may be sparse, until my return. In the meantime, please enjoy the archives!
Hope Kroll "Kabbalah"
It was near impossible choosing just one image to represent Hope Kroll's impressive body of work. Her collages are meticulous, surprising, and sublime.
Dana Gentile "Bird Boy on Boat"
I love Dana Gentile's curious photo collages. She has such a good eye for elements that will seamlessly work together to create interesting slices of stories.
This wonderfully hefty new book, Saudek: A Jan Saudek Retrospective,
Paul Laffoley "Pickman's Mephitic Models" 2004
Very exciting: Paul Laffoley has a new show up at the Kent Gallery, through Feb 17th. Can't wait to check it out.
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