Phantasmaphile

Surrealism and Women Artists lecture with Prof. Susan Aberth at OBSERVATORY

Nusch Eluard  untitled photocollage 1936

Phantasmaphile presents at OBSERVATORY:

Surrealism and Women Artists with Prof. Susan Aberth

Date: Friday, August 13th
Time: 8pm
Admission: $5
Presented by Phantasmaphile

The Surrealist Movement, launched in 1924 by the poet André Breton in Paris, ascribed to woman a pivotal and revolutionary role and attracted a large number of active female participants. This talk will present a general survey of the women painters, photographers, and sculptors associated with Surrealism such as Dorothea Tanning, Remedios Varo, Lee Miller, Meret Openheim, Leonor Fini, Nusch Eluard, Dora Maar, Jacqueline Lamba, Valentine Hugo, Mimi Parent, Unica Zürn, Ithel Colquhoun, Eileen Agar, Maria Martins, Leonora Carrington, Kay Sage, Toyen, and Claude Cahun. In addition, common themes running through their work (sexuality, occultism, nature, and dream imagery) will be explored.

Susan L. Aberth is Associate Professor of Art History at Bard College and is the author of Leonora Carrington: Surrealism, Alchemy and Art.

~~~~~~~
DIRECTIONS TO OBSERVATORY:  ***PLEASE USE NEVINS ST./PROTEUS GOWANUS ENTRANCE***

OBSERVATORY is located at 543 Union Street at Nevins St., in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn.  The entrance is currently through Proteus Gowanus gallery, in the alley off Nevins St (see below for full details).

R  or M train to Union Street in Brooklyn:

Walk two long blocks on Union (towards the Gowanus Canal) to Nevins Street. 543 Union Street is the large red brick building on right. Go right on Nevins and left down alley through large black gates. Proteus Gowanus is the second door on the left.  

F or G train to Carroll Street:

Walk one block to Union. Turn right, walk two long blocks on Union towards the Gowanus Canal, cross the bridge, take left on Nevins, go down the alley to Proteus Gowanus, the second door on the left.

For more information, see observatoryroom.org

And please join our Facebook group if you are so inclined.

A Love Craft exhibition and more at OBSERVATORY!

My friend, fellow Observatory co-founder, Dylan Thuras, has curated an amazing art show for our space on the theme of H.P. Lovecraft.  You must come check it out, it looks incredible:

A LOVE CRAFT: Art Inspired by Monsters, Madness and Mythos
On View: June 11th - July 23rd, 2010

Gallery Hours: Thursdays and Fridays 3-6; Saturdays and Sundays 12-6

The “cosmic horror” of Howard Phillips Lovecraft, all written between 1917 and 1935, has become more popular and seemingly more contemporary with each year. OBSERVATORY and Dylan Thuras are excited to announce “A LOVE CRAFT: ” a group show of art inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, and the themes of monsters, madness and mythos. On view from June 11th through July 26th, prepare to look beyond space and time and into vistas of a new reality…

Men of broader intellect know that there is no sharp distinction betwixt the real and the unreal…
- H.P. Lovecraft

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

Aeron Alfrey, Esao Andrews, Matt Buck, Paul Carrick, John Coulthart, Melita Curphy, Mike Dubisch, Bob Eggleton, FuFu Frauenwahl, Cyril van der Haegen, Dan Harding, Stephen Hickman, Joshua Hoffine, Kurt Komoda, Meatspider, Dieter Van der Ougstraete, Greg Ruth, Johnny Ryan, Andrew Scott, Allison Sommers, and more!

ABOUT THE CURATOR:

Dylan Thuras is the co-founder of Atlas Obscura, “a compendium of this ages wonders, curiosities and esoterica,” and the co-creator of Curious Expeditions.  Dylan is a passionate Lovecraft fan, and a dedicated Call of Cthulhu player. His passions are forgotten scientists, cosmic horror, lost expeditions, obscure history, the geometry of evil, and travel.

ALSO:  don't forget that TONIGHT I'm hosting an event about natural perfumery at the space.  8pm, only $5 - it will be a feast for the senses:

Herbal Alchemy: Exploring Natural Perfumery with Julianne Zaleta

Date: Thursday, June 17th

Time: 8pm

Admission: $5

Location:  OBSERVATORY

Presented by Phantasmaphile

Tonight’s sensory presentation by Herbal Alchemy Apothecary’s Julianne Zaleta will examine the artisanal art of natural perfumery. Smell is the most neglected of our senses yet it has an instantaneous power to penetrate our consciousness invoking memories and emotion. Odors are ethereal and elusive yet can strongly attract or repel.

As a concerned consumer, you are choosing organic food, seeking out sustainable products and opting for eco-friendly packaging. But what about the fragrance you wear? That signature scent is likely composed of synthetic materials (as most commercial fragrances are), mass-produced, packaged and shipped around the world in the millions of units. Natural perfumery is a much different process that uses only essential oils and precious absolutes that are extracted from plants. Like fine wine, subtle differences can be found from the same plant from year to year depending on soil conditions and climate meaning that it is not an exact science but a creative alchemical process. Come spend an evening re-educating your nose and discovering the beautiful lost art of natural fragrance.

Bio: Growing up in her mother’s garden in the midwest, Julianne Zaleta was always gathering flowers, drying blossoms and conjuring scents. So it’s not surprising that she grew up to become a professional herbalist, aromatherapist, & perfumer. Sole proprieter of her own company, Herbal Alchemy Apothecary, for years she has handcrafted artisanal scents & potions from the purest elements of nature. Julianne trained with Michael Scholes & Jeanne Rose and is a certified aromatherapist as well as a licensed massage therapist and meditation teacher. Her products are handmade in her studio atelier in Brooklyn, NY.

You can get directions to OBSERVATORY by clicking here. You can find out more about OBSERVATORY here, join our mailing list by clicking here, and join us on Facebook by clicking here.

This Thursday at OBSERVATORY: Herbal Alchemy - Natural Perfumery lecture with Julianne Zaleta

Herbal Alchemy: Exploring Natural Perfumery with Julianne Zaleta

Date: Thursday, June 17th

Time: 8pm

Admission: $5

Location:  OBSERVATORY

Presented by Phantasmaphile

Tonight’s sensory presentation by Herbal Alchemy Apothecary’s Julianne Zaleta will examine the artisanal art of natural perfumery. Smell is the most neglected of our senses yet it has an instantaneous power to penetrate our consciousness invoking memories and emotion. Odors are ethereal and elusive yet can strongly attract or repel.

As a concerned consumer, you are choosing organic food, seeking out sustainable products and opting for eco-friendly packaging. But what about the fragrance you wear? That signature scent is likely composed of synthetic materials (as most commercial fragrances are), mass-produced, packaged and shipped around the world in the millions of units. Natural perfumery is a much different process that uses only essential oils and precious absolutes that are extracted from plants. Like fine wine, subtle differences can be found from the same plant from year to year depending on soil conditions and climate meaning that it is not an exact science but a creative alchemical process. Come spend an evening re-educating your nose and discovering the beautiful lost art of natural fragrance.

Bio: Growing up in her mother’s garden in the midwest, Julianne Zaleta was always gathering flowers, drying blossoms and conjuring scents. So it’s not surprising that she grew up to become a professional herbalist, aromatherapist, & perfumer. Sole proprieter of her own company, Herbal Alchemy Apothecary, for years she has handcrafted artisanal scents & potions from the purest elements of nature. Julianne trained with Michael Scholes & Jeanne Rose and is a certified aromatherapist as well as a licensed massage therapist and meditation teacher. Her products are handmade in her studio atelier in Brooklyn, NY.

You can get directions to OBSERVATORY by clicking here. You can find out more about OBSERVATORY here, join our mailing list by clicking here, and join us on Facebook by clicking here.

TOMORROW at OBSERVATORY: Judith Schaechter's "The Beautiful Experience" presentation

Judith Schaechter  "Sin Eater" 2010

Come to OBSERVATORY tomorrow, Saturday, June 5th for Judith Schaechter's presentation, "The Beautiful Experience."  I am so super excited for this:   

“The Beautiful Experience” with Judith Schaechter 

Date: Saturday, June 5th
Time: 8pm
Admission: $5
Presented by Phantasmaphile

World-renowned stained glass artist, Judith Schaechter, will share her thoughts on Beauty through an image-rich presentation based upon her own research and ruminations.

Her talk is in response to the growing dialogue in the art world started by Dave Hickey 17 years ago, when he first published his book “The Invisible Dragon: Four Essays in Beauty.”

In Ms. Schaechter’s words: “As someone who’s always approached the fine arts from a sort of wonky angle — a female craftsperson from Philadelphia who is adamantly figurative and decorative — I have a personal stake in the notion that beauty is not ALWAYS in the eye of the beholder, but sometimes in the object beheld.”

Judith Schaechter has lived and worked in Philadelphia since graduating in 1983 with a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design Glass Program. She has exhibited widely, including in New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. She is the recipient of many grants, including the Guggenheim Fellowship, two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships in Crafts, The Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, The Joan Mitchell Award, two Pennsylvania Council on the Arts awards, The Pew Fellowship in the Arts and a Leeway Foundation grant. Her work is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Corning Museum of Glass, The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution and numerous other collections. Judith has taught at The Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle, The Penland School of Crafts, Toyama Institute of Glass (Toyama, Japan), Rhode Island School of Design, The Pennsylvania Academy, the New York Academy of Art and at The University of the Arts. Judith’s work was included in the 2002 Whitney Biennial and she is a 2008 USA Artists Rockefeller Fellow.

She currently has an exhibition at Claire Oliver Gallery, “Beauty and the Beef,” up until June 26.

www.judithschaechter.com
http://judithschaechterglass.blogspot.com/
gallery: http://www.claireoliver.com/

You can get directions to OBSERVATORY by clicking here. You can find out more about OBSERVATORY here, join our mailing list by clicking here, and join us on Facebook by clicking here.

OBSERVATORY in Time Out

Exciting news.  OBSERVATORY has been featured in Time Out!  Check out Melissa Stern's glowing article here.  (And all the more reason for you to come to the space this Saturday at 8pm for Judith Schaechter's awesome lecture on beauty).

Thank you, Melissa, and thank you, Time Out New York!

Judith Schaechter show + lecture!

Judith Schaechter  "Mad Meg"

I have two pieces of fantastic news related to stained glass sorceress and Phantasmaphile pal, Judith Schaechter.

First off, she has a glowing (literally) new show up at Claire Oliver gallery called "Beauty and the Beef."  This work is filed under the "must see in person" category.  It's difficult to describe her colored light boxes in a way that does it justice:  melted candy mazes; church windows on acid; crystallized fictions...  But whatever you decide to call it, be sure to see the show by June 26th.  Unmissable.

Secondly, I'll have the honor of hosting Ms. Schaechter at OBSERVATORY on Saturday, June 5th.  Please come!  It will be such a treat to hear her speak:   

“The Beautiful Experience” with Judith Schaechter 

Date: Saturday, June 5th
Time: 8pm
Admission: $5
Presented by Phantasmaphile

World-renowned stained glass artist, Judith Schaechter, will share her thoughts on Beauty through an image-rich presentation based upon her own research and ruminations.

Her talk is in response to the growing dialogue in the art world started by Dave Hickey 17 years ago, when he first published his book “The Invisible Dragon: Four Essays in Beauty.”

In Ms. Schaechter’s words: “As someone who’s always approached the fine arts from a sort of wonky angle — a female craftsperson from Philadelphia who is adamantly figurative and decorative — I have a personal stake in the notion that beauty is not ALWAYS in the eye of the beholder, but sometimes in the object beheld.”

Judith Schaechter has lived and worked in Philadelphia since graduating in 1983 with a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design Glass Program. She has exhibited widely, including in New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. She is the recipient of many grants, including the Guggenheim Fellowship, two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships in Crafts, The Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, The Joan Mitchell Award, two Pennsylvania Council on the Arts awards, The Pew Fellowship in the Arts and a Leeway Foundation grant. Her work is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Corning Museum of Glass, The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution and numerous other collections. Judith has taught at The Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle, The Penland School of Crafts, Toyama Institute of Glass (Toyama, Japan), Rhode Island School of Design, The Pennsylvania Academy, the New York Academy of Art and at The University of the Arts. Judith’s work was included in the 2002 Whitney Biennial and she is a 2008 USA Artists Rockefeller Fellow.

She currently has an exhibition at Claire Oliver Gallery, “Beauty and the Beef,” up until June 26.

www.judithschaechter.com
http://judithschaechterglass.blogspot.com/
gallery: http://www.claireoliver.com/

You can get directions to OBSERVATORY by clicking here. You can find out more about OBSERVATORY here, join our mailing list by clicking here, and join us on Facebook by clicking here.

TONIGHT at OBSERVATORY -- Come to Your Senses: An Evening with Physician and Curator Kóan Jeff Baysa, M.D.

Image by Daniel Margulies at Kunsthalle Exnergasse in Vienna, May 2009.

TONIGHT at OBSERVATORY:

Come to Your Senses: An Evening with Physician and Curator Kóan Jeff Baysa, M.D.

Date: TONIGHT - Friday, May 21st
Time: 8pm
Admission: $5

Phantasmaphile presents Come to Your Senses, an evening with physician and international curator extraordinaire, Kóan Jeff Baysa, M.D.

Come to Your Senses is an image-rich presentation that looks at a decade of curatorial practice, informed by Dr. Baysa’s medical background, that centers on the sensate human body as viewed systematically through its twelve cranial nerves, eight senses, and specific organ systems.

Kóan Jeff Baysa, M.D. is an international curatorial advisor who builds new audiences and markets through innovative contexts. He bridges art and science with credentials as a physician, fragrance researcher, medical suspense and nonfiction writer, Whitney Museum Independent Study Program - Helena Rubinstein Curatorial Fellow, and member of AICA, the association of international art critics. Dr. Baysa has curated shows for the London Biennale, LA International Biennial, Chinese Biennial, Whitney Museum, Canon Corporation, The United Nations, and has organised and participated in art events throughout the US and in Paris, Cork, London, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Beijing, Bandung, Hong Kong, Manila, Santiago, Singapore, Cologne, Seoul, St. Petersburg, Hanoi, Chennai, Mexico City, and Yokohama. He has organised art events in parallel with Art Basel Miami and the Frieze Art Fair.

On the boards of the Vera List Center for Art and Politics at The New School University and the Art Omi International Artist Colony, he has presented lectures at NextMed in California, Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and MoMA in New York. He is on the special advisory board for the Chelsea Art Museum and is a creative advisor for 3 Legged dog, a media and theater group, both in New York, and is an associate of The Daily Brand, a multi-disciplinary communications agency based in Los Angeles.

He has written for Flavorpill and Art Asia Pacific, is the Pacific editor for d’Art International (Toronto), and is a contributing writer and art editor for the contemporary culture periodical aRUde (New York), contributing writer for THE magazine (Los Angeles), guest curator for the online publication Ctrl+P Journal of Contemporary Art (Asia) and critic-reviewer for the online art journal ArtSlant (International). He has recently lectured at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC and the Anthenaeum in La Jolla, California, and has been invited to lecture at the Carnegie Institute in Washington DC, and universities in Hanoi, Vietnam, Bodrum, Turkey, and Poznan, Poland.

The critic-in residence for the 2006 Art Omi International Artist Colony in Ghent, New York, in 2007 he received a Ford Foundation grant to lecture on contemporary curatorial practice at the Hanoi University of Culture in Vietnam and conducted a survey of contemporary art in south and north Vietnam. In March 2009, he presented lectures and conducted workshops on the curatorial process from his unique perspective as a physician-curator, at Zayed University campuses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Born and raised in Hawaii and completing his medical training at UCSF with a fellowship in allergy and clinical immunology, Dr. Baysa divides his time between New York and Los Angeles. While practicing medicine in Hawaii he was an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at the John A. Burns School of Medicine. With a special interest in the role of the sense of smell in health and aesthetics, he is a member of the Fragrance Advisory Board. Still an active physician, Dr. Baysa has shifted from a clinical practice to focus on independent clinical research investigating olfactory stimuli and their potential beneficial effects on memory disorders in diseases such as Alzheimer’s and PTSD.

You can find out more about this presentation here.  You can get directions to OBSERVATORY by clicking here. You can find out more about OBSERVATORY here, join our mailing list by clicking here, and join us on Facebook by clicking here.

TONIGHT: Kenneth Anger / Anthology Film Archives Benefit Party

Oh MAN I wish I could go to this.  TONIGHT, at Hiro Ballroom in NYC:

Special Live Event –“Return to the Pleasure Dome”, a benefit concert event for Anthology Film Archives with a Life Achievement Honor for Kenneth Anger. Featuring  Technicolor Skull (Kenneth Anger and Brian Butler), Lou Reed, Sonic Youth, The Virgins, Moby & other special guests, Wednesday, May 19 at the Hiro Ballroom, NYC
Benefit Ticket Options:

$99 – Mezzanine tickets  available through Ticketweb!!!

Floor seating available through PayPal:

Tables at $500 / person (4 people per table):
Booths at $5000 (priority seating for up to 6 people)

If you go, I will be rabidly jealous! 

OBSERVATORY event -- Come to Your Senses: An Evening with Physician and Curator Kóan Jeff Baysa, M.D.

Image by Daniel Margulies at Kunsthalle Exnergasse in Vienna, May 2009.

COMING SOON to OBSERVATORY:

Come to Your Senses: An Evening with Physician and Curator Kóan Jeff Baysa, M.D.

Date: Friday, May 21st
Time: 8pm
Admission: $5

Phantasmaphile presents Come to Your Senses, an evening with physician and international curator extraordinaire, Kóan Jeff Baysa, M.D.

Come to Your Senses is an image-rich presentation that looks at a decade of curatorial practice, informed by Dr. Baysa’s medical background, that centers on the sensate human body as viewed systematically through its twelve cranial nerves, eight senses, and specific organ systems.

Kóan Jeff Baysa, M.D. is an international curatorial advisor who builds new audiences and markets through innovative contexts. He bridges art and science with credentials as a physician, fragrance researcher, medical suspense and nonfiction writer, Whitney Museum Independent Study Program - Helena Rubinstein Curatorial Fellow, and member of AICA, the association of international art critics. Dr. Baysa has curated shows for the London Biennale, LA International Biennial, Chinese Biennial, Whitney Museum, Canon Corporation, The United Nations, and has organised and participated in art events throughout the US and in Paris, Cork, London, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Beijing, Bandung, Hong Kong, Manila, Santiago, Singapore, Cologne, Seoul, St. Petersburg, Hanoi, Chennai, Mexico City, and Yokohama. He has organised art events in parallel with Art Basel Miami and the Frieze Art Fair.

On the boards of the Vera List Center for Art and Politics at The New School University and the Art Omi International Artist Colony, he has presented lectures at NextMed in California, Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and MoMA in New York. He is on the special advisory board for the Chelsea Art Museum and is a creative advisor for 3 Legged dog, a media and theater group, both in New York, and is an associate of The Daily Brand, a multi-disciplinary communications agency based in Los Angeles.

He has written for Flavorpill and Art Asia Pacific, is the Pacific editor for d’Art International (Toronto), and is a contributing writer and art editor for the contemporary culture periodical aRUde (New York), contributing writer for THE magazine (Los Angeles), guest curator for the online publication Ctrl+P Journal of Contemporary Art (Asia) and critic-reviewer for the online art journal ArtSlant (International). He has recently lectured at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC and the Anthenaeum in La Jolla, California, and has been invited to lecture at the Carnegie Institute in Washington DC, and universities in Hanoi, Vietnam, Bodrum, Turkey, and Poznan, Poland.

The critic-in residence for the 2006 Art Omi International Artist Colony in Ghent, New York, in 2007 he received a Ford Foundation grant to lecture on contemporary curatorial practice at the Hanoi University of Culture in Vietnam and conducted a survey of contemporary art in south and north Vietnam. In March 2009, he presented lectures and conducted workshops on the curatorial process from his unique perspective as a physician-curator, at Zayed University campuses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Born and raised in Hawaii and completing his medical training at UCSF with a fellowship in allergy and clinical immunology, Dr. Baysa divides his time between New York and Los Angeles. While practicing medicine in Hawaii he was an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at the John A. Burns School of Medicine. With a special interest in the role of the sense of smell in health and aesthetics, he is a member of the Fragrance Advisory Board. Still an active physician, Dr. Baysa has shifted from a clinical practice to focus on independent clinical research investigating olfactory stimuli and their potential beneficial effects on memory disorders in diseases such as Alzheimer’s and PTSD.

You can find out more about this presentation here.  You can get directions to OBSERVATORY by clicking here. You can find out more about OBSERVATORY here, join our mailing list by clicking here, and join us on Facebook by clicking here.

Wedding

Johfra  "The Vision of Hermes Trismegistos"  1985

Exciting news:  my feller and I have become engaged, as of this Saturday, May 1st in Vermont.  Huzzah!  Hooray!  O frabjous day!  Callooh!  Callay!

(And Johfra's chemical wedding painting above was introduced to me by Lady Lavona's glorious tumblr).

This week: Congress for Curious People at Coney Island - starting tonight!

Click on image or here to download full-sized broadside as seen above. Prints up to 11 X 17.

The "Congress for Curious People"--as detailed in this recent post on the Morbid Anatomy blog--will launch tonight with Evan Michelson's illustrated meditation on "The Saddest Object in the World" and continue through the week with nightly lectures on topics ranging from taxidermy to automata to the first American museum. On the following Saturday and Sunday, we will be hosting an epic 2-day symposium examining the collecting of curiosities, the history of ethnographic display and the interface of spectacle and education in 19th and 20th Century amusements, and the politics of bodily display in the amusement parks, museums, and fairs of the Western world. Full details for all events follow.

Important Note: All events will be co-presented by OBSERVATORY and Morbid Anatomy but will take place at The Coney Island Museum rather than OBSERVATORY. Half-price drinks till 7 will help make it worth-your-while for a little extra commute, as will the amazing lectures and symposium, not to mention the ambiance of the museum as lecture space.

LECTURE WEEK AT THE CONGRESS FOR CURIOUS PEOPLE



The Saddest Object in the World
An Illustrated Meditation by Evan Michelson, Obscura Antiques and Oddities and Morbid Anatomy Library scholar in residence
Date: Monday, April 12th
Time: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: The Coney Island Museum
“The Saddest Object in the World” is a meditation on one particular artifact; an exercise in Proustian involuntary memory, aesthetic critique, and philosophical bargaining.

Sometimes objects have consequences.

Evan Michelson is an antiques dealer, lecturer, accumulator and aesthete; she tirelessly indulges a lifelong pursuit of all things obscure and melancholy. She currently lives in another place and time.



A Rogue's Approach to Stuffing It: Taxidermy in Contemporary Pop, Art and Sub-Cultures
Robert Marbury of the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists
Date: Tuesday, April 13th
Time: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: The Coney Island Museum
ave you seen a rise in taxidermy in the world around you? What could be causing this resurgence? A Rogue’s Approach to Taxidermy will identify prominent practitioners of natural history art; discuss popular trends in preservation, presentation and representation; and delve into the sub-culture of artistic taxidermy. Robert will also discuss the highs and lows of running a taxidermy art group, and offer suggestions on which emails to return and who to not let into your house.

Robert Marbury received his BA in Anthropology from Connecticut College and a post-Bac from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. He is the co-founder of the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists. Robert is currently curating a Rogue Taxidermy show which will run from May 7th to May 30th at La Luz de Jesus in Los Angeles. He lives and works in Brooklyn.




A Brief History of Automata
An Illustrated Lecture and Demonstration by Mike Zohn, Obscura Antiques and Oddities
Date: Wednesday, April 14th
Time: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: The Coney Island Museum
In this illustrated lecture, Obscura Antique and Oddities‘ Mike Zohn will demonstrate his 19th Century taxidermy automata, as featured in last year’s Carnivorous Nights Taxidermy Contest. He will explain its curious mechanisms, and, in an illustrated lecture, will introduce us to the history of these fascinating uncanny machines, tracing their trajectory from tools of religious coercion to prince’s plaything to Disney’s imagineering experiments.
Mike Zohn is co-proprietor of Obscura Antique and Oddities. He fixes automata in his spare time.



A History of Taxidermy: Art, Science and Bad Taste
An Illustrated Presentation By Dr. Pat Morris, Royal Holloway, University of London
Date: Thursday, April 15th
Time: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: The Coney Island Museum
Should taxidermy be viewed as art, science, or bad taste? And why is it so interesting? Dr. Pat Morris’ illustrated lecture “A History of Taxidermy: Art, Science and Bad Taste” will explore these topics and more. His talk will range over the history of stuffed animals, considering how a small-time taxidermist business operated in the 19th century and exploring the many diverse and amusing uses of taxidermy and the taxidermist’s products ranging from major museum exhibits to stuffed pets, hunting trophies, animal furniture, kitten weddings (see above, Walter Potter, circa 1890s), frogs eating spaghetti and squirrels playing cards. He will discuss in detail the work of anthropomorphic taxidermist Walter Potter and his eponymous “Museum of Curiosities,” as detailed in his own lavishly illustrated book on that topic, which will be available for sale at the lecture.

Dr. Pat Morris is a retired staff member of Royal Holloway College (University of London), where he taught biology undergraduates and supervised research on mammal ecology. In that capacity he has published many books and scientific papers and featured regularly in radio and TV broadcasts. The history of taxidermy has been a lifelong hobby interest and he has published academic papers and several books on the subject. With his wife Mary he has travelled widely, including most of Europe and the USA, seeking interesting taxidermy specimens and stories. They live in England where their house is home to the largest collection and archive of historical taxidermy in Britain.


















Charles Wilson Peale and the Birth of the American Museum
An Illustrated Presentation by Samuel Strong Dunlap, PhD, Descendant of Charles Wilson Peale
Date: Friday, April 16th
Time: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: The Coney Island Museum
Long time historian and editor of the Peale Family Papers Dr. Lillian B. Miller (now deceased) described Charles Willson Peale as a true renaissance man. Peale is perhaps best remembered today as the founder of America’s first cabinet-of-curiosity like museum–the Philadelphia Museum (later the Peale Museum)–which housed a diverse collection of botanical, biological, and archaeological specimens and can be viewed in the image above. Famously, Peale’s museum also pioneered the habitat group–or natural history diorama–an art form memorably perfected by such museums as the American Museum of Natural History and Chicago’s Field Museum in the early 20th Century.

In this illustrated lecture, we will learn about Peale the museologist, and examine how his museological work continuously overlap with his inventive, artistic, scientific, literary and exploratory interests. Peale was a friend or acquaintance with most of the military, scientific, diplomatic and foreign individuals who played significant roles in our revolutionary war and the early growth of our democracy.

CONGRESS FOR CURIOUS PEOPLE 2-DAY SYMPOSIUM

Date: Saturday April 17th and Sunday April 18th
Location: Coney Island Museum, 1208 Surf Ave. Brooklyn ADMISSION: $25 for full weekend admission
Presented by Morbid Anatomy and OBSERVATORY with Coney Island USA
The Congress for Curious People is a 2-day symposium exploring education and spectacle, collectors of curiosities, historical fairground displays and more, in conjunction with The Coney Island Museum. The symposium will feature panels of humanities scholars discussing with the audience the intricacies of collecting, the history of ethnographic display, the interface of spectacle and education, and the politics of bodily display in the amusement parks, museums, and fairs of the Western world. Also on view in the museum will be "The Collector's Cabinet," an installation of astounding artifacts held in private collections. In conjunction with the events at the Coney Island Museum, Observatory's Gallery space will host "The Secret Museum," an exhibition exploring the poetics of hidden, untouched and curious collections from around the world.

The Congress for Curious People will serve as an academic counterpoint to Coney Island's Congress of Curious Peoples, which Coney Island USA has convened since 2007 at Sideshows by the Seashore. In the past, the Congress has included performances by artists like Joe Coleman and Harley Newman, feats of strength, and world-record breaking attempts, among others. You can find out more about the Congress of Curious Peoples at www.coneyisland.com/congress.shtml.

Saturday, April 17th 11 AM-12:30 PM – Education and Spectacle in 19th and 20th Century Amusements, Lectures and Panel Discussion
Eva Åhrén, author of Death, Modernity, and the Body : Sweden 1870-1940
Andrea Stulman Dennett, author of Weird and Wonderful: The Dime Museum in America
Amy Herzog, author of Dreams of Difference, Songs of the Same: The Musical Moment in Film
Kathy Maher, Executive Director of the Barnum Museum
Moderated by Betsy Bradley, New York Public Library

LUNCH 2-3:30 PM– Cabinets of Curiosity: Collecting Curiosities in the 21st Century, Lectures and Panel Discussion
Joe Coleman, collector and artist
Johnny Fox, collector, performer, founder of The Freakatorium
Evan Michelson, Antique and Oddity Dealer, Obscura Antiques and Oddities and Morbid Anatomy Library scholar in residence
Melissa Milgrom, author of Still Life: Adventures in Taxidermy
Mike Zohn, Antique and Oddity Dealer, Obscura Antiques and Oddities
Moderated by Aaron Beebe, Director of the Coney Island Museum

4-5:30 PM – Freaks and Monsters: The Politics of Bodily Display, Lectures and Panel Discussion
Mike Chemers, author of Staging Stigma: A Critical History of the American Freak Show
Nadja Durbach, author of Spectacle of Deformity: Freak Shows and Modern British Culture
Michael Sappol, Historian of the National Library of Medicine and author of A Traffic of Dead Bodies: Anatomy and Embodied Social Identity in Nineteenth-Century America
Moderated by Jennifer Miller, Bearded Lady and founder of Circus Amok

6-8 PM Drinks and light fare

Sunday, April 18th 12-2 PM – A History of Cultural Display in World’s Fairs and Sideshows, Lectures and Panel Discussion
Lucian Gomoll, University of California at Santa Cruz
Alison Griffiths, author of Wondrous Difference: Cinema, Anthropology, and Turn of the Century Visual Culture
Barbara Mathé, Archivist, American Museum of Natural History
Moderated by Aaron Glass, author of The Totem Pole: An Intercultural Biography and In Search of the Hamat’sa: A Tale of Headhunting

2 PM – Closing remarks



RELATED EXHIBITIONS

The Secret Museum
An exhibition exploring the poetics of hidden, untouched and curious collections from around the world in photographs and artifacts, by Joanna Ebenstein, co-founder of OBSERVATORY and creator of Morbid Anatomy.
Location: OBSERVATORY
On view from April 10th-May 16th, 3-6 Thursday and Friday, 12-6 Saturday and Sunday
Admission: Free

The Collectors Cabinet
An exhibition which will showcase astounding objects held in private collections, including artifacts featured in Joanna Ebenstein's Private Cabinet photo series of 2009. Featured cabinetists include Curious Expeditions and OBSERVATORY's Michelle Enemark and Dylan Thuras, Obscura Antiques and Oddities, and Morbid Anatomy and OBSERVATORY's Joanna Ebenstein.
LOCATION: * Coney Island Museum, Brooklyn

Image: "Femme à Barbe, Musée Orfila.Courtesy of Paris Descartes University.

To find out more about this event and the larger Congress of Curious Peoples--including nightly performances and the epic opening night party--click here. For more about the Congress for Curious People, click here. Click on image or click here to download a hi-res copy of the above broadside. For information about the Coney Island Museum--including address and directions--click here.

TOMORROW: A Geometric Exploration at OBSERVATORY

Tomorrow at OBSERVATORY:

Chasing the Syncretic Tradition: Pulling Back the Curtain on the Visible World

Date:  Friday, April 2nd
Time:  8pm
Admission:  $5

Phantasmaphile presents this illustrated exploration of geometry with Martin Bland

In his words:

“The beauty of Geometry often defines the framework of the physical world about us.  Objects we handle everyday are comprised of the same repeated ratios and their reciprocals. For example, the apple shown here, when cut in half horizontally, exhibits the Golden Section not only in its pentagonal structure but is also approximated (and even I was surprised to find this) in its growth ratio.

This talk will cover Number and its significance in the ancient world to the present day; Form, wedded to number through the first eleven polygons and their interrelationships; and further, Application, how one may use this information to comprehend and construct space and the objects contained within.

All simplified in an easy to understand form (no higher math is required), this talk is a general introduction into geometry using ancient methods and forms. Marshalling the power of these forms is possible for anyone, one must simply know where and how to go about looking. Although geometric constructions will be shown, the audience will not be “asked to approach the blackboard,” but rather to enjoy some of the author’s curious discoveries along his path towards creating his recent publication.

Though Post-Modernism seems to have failed us, the syncretic tradition is alive and well, as it always has been. The need to focus on what we find in common across various cultural traditions is more important today than ever. Geometry is the closest thing to a universal language that exists and its study as part of a syncretic tradition can be most useful in understanding the world of symbology that we find ourselves immersed in each day.”

About Martin Bland

Martin Bland is an artist who lives and works in New York. In April of 2009 he traveled to the Alhambra in Granada Spain to study geometry with Keith Critchlow. He recently published Useful: a step by step guide to the understanding of generative number in form (Pataphysical Longing Productions 2009) in which a series of polygons unfold, step-by-step, in a single diagram without the hindrance of text as is customary with such works. It is the only book of its kind in publication making it a valuable resource for any library.  www.martinbland.com

You can get directions to OBSERVATORY--which is next door to the Morbid Anatomy Library--by clicking here. You can find out more about OBSERVATORY here, join our mailing list by clicking here, and join us on Facebook by clicking here.

TOMORROW: OBSERVATORY's 1st Bday Party + Music Lecture

Tomorrow, Thursday, April 1st (April Fools Day! Yes, we know, and no, this is not a trick!) we at OBSERVATORY will be celebrating our 1st birthday with a party and a lecture. Come early--the evening will begin at 7:00pm--to enjoy DJ Davin Kuntze spinning 78s on his Victrola and your first glass(es) of wine. At 8, we will file into OBSERVATORY for David Suisman's lecture "The Birth of the Music Industry: Phonographs, Song Factories, and the Selling of Sound" (see below for details). Stick around for the free after-party, and enjoy DJ Platterhead (aka music journalist John Swenson) spinning from his incredible collection of 45s. And, of course, there will be drinks. Many of them.

Hope to see you there!

The Birth of the Music Industry: Phonographs, Song Factories, and the Selling of Sound
A reading and illustrated lecture by David Suisman, followed by Observatory's 1st birthday party celebration!
Date: Thursday, April 1 (April Fools Day. Yes, we know!)
Time: 8:00 PM (Music and drinks begin at 7:00 PM)
Admission: $5

***Happy First Birthday, OBSERVATORY! To celebrate, come early (7:00 PM) and enjoy antique melodies played at 78 rpm on DJ Davin Kuntze's old Victrola, accompanied by drinks. Following the lecture, please join us for a party featuring drinks, snacks, and the sound stylings of DJ Platterhead (aka music journalist John Swenson), spinning vintage 45s from his own collection. Admission to party is free. Please Note: This is NOT an April Fools prank. There will really, truly be a party! And a lecture. Hope to see you there.

We are immersed in music. We hear it virtually everywhere, from cars to restaurants to airports, not to mention the mobile sounds that reach our ears via iPods and ringtones. This is not a “natural” state of affairs, a simple by-product of people’s love for melody. Rather, this musical culture was created a century ago, David Suisman will show, when the modern music industry took shape. From Tin Pan Alley to grand opera, player-pianos to phonographs, the rise of the music business lay the foundations of today’s aural world and produced many of the ideas and assumptions we hold about music today.

In his acclaimed new book Selling Sounds: The Commercial Revolution in American Music, Suisman explores the formation in the early twentieth century of a radically new musical culture, driven by new products, technologies, and commercial strategies to incorporate music into the daily rhythm of modern life. Popular songs filled the air with a new kind of musical pleasure, phonographs brought opera into the parlor, and celebrity performers like Enrico Caruso captivated the imagination of consumers nationwide. In tonight’s lecture and reading, Suisman will uncover the origins of this new kind of culture industry and chronicle how music ignited an auditory explosion that still reverberates today.

***

David Suisman’s first book Selling Sounds: The Commercial Revolution in American Music was published in 2009 by Harvard University Press. It appeared on numerous year-end Top Ten lists and was named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title of 2009. He is also co-editor (with Susan Strasser) of Sound in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009). His articles have appeared in The Believer, Social Text, the Journal of American History and other publications. He is also an occasional disc jockey at WFMU and an assistant professor of history at the University of Delaware. He lives in Philadelphia.

You can get directions to OBSERVATORY--which is next door to the Morbid Anatomy Library--by clicking here. You can find out more about OBSERVATORY here, join our mailing list by clicking here, and join us on Facebook by clicking here.

REMINDER: Women in Freemasonry lecture at OBSERVATORY - TOMORROW

Just a friendly tomorrow that Professor Susan L. Aberth's illustrated lecture on the history of women in Freemasonry is tomorrow evening at OBSERVATORY at 8pm.  Hope to see you there.

Phantasmaphile presents at OBSERVATORY:

Women in Freemasonry: An illustrated lecture by Professor Susan L. Aberth

Date: Friday, March 26th
Time: 8pm
Admission: $5

Although Masonic iconography is full of female representations, membership is forbidden to women. Established in 1850,The Order of the Eastern Star is a Masonic offshoot open to both men and women, although female members must have some familial affiliation to Freemasons and members do not have the same rites and privileges as Freemasonry itself. Why is it that women are forbidden entry to Freemasonry? What exactly is The Order of the Eastern Star? What role do women play in the Independent Order of Oddfellows? How does French Masonry differ in regards to women? What is Co-Freemasonry and why is it growing in popularity? Utilizing rich visual material, this presentation will outline the history of women within the various fraternal orders and will also trace their occult affiliations with Theosophy, Rosicrucianism, The Order of the Golden Dawn and other secret societies.

Susan L. Aberth is Associate Professor of Art History at Bard College and is the author of Leonora Carrington: Surrealism, Alchemy And Art.

You can get directions by clicking here. You can find out more about OBSERVATORY here, join our mailing list by clicking here, and join us on Facebook by clicking here.

Friday, March 26th: Women in Freemasonry lecture at OBSERVATORY

Phantasmaphile presents at OBSERVATORY:

Women in Freemasonry: An illustrated lecture by Professor Susan L. Aberth

Date: Friday, March 26th
Time: 8pm
Admission: $5

Although Masonic iconography is full of female representations, membership is forbidden to women. Established in 1850,The Order of the Eastern Star is a Masonic offshoot open to both men and women, although female members must have some familial affiliation to Freemasons and members do not have the same rites and privileges as Freemasonry itself. Why is it that women are forbidden entry to Freemasonry? What exactly is The Order of the Eastern Star? What role do women play in the Independent Order of Oddfellows? How does French Masonry differ in regards to women? What is Co-Freemasonry and why is it growing in popularity? Utilizing rich visual material, this presentation will outline the history of women within the various fraternal orders and will also trace their occult affiliations with Theosophy, Rosicrucianism, The Order of the Golden Dawn and other secret societies.

Susan L. Aberth is Associate Professor of Art History at Bard College and is the author of Leonora Carrington: Surrealism, Alchemy And Art.

You can get directions by clicking here. You can find out more about OBSERVATORY here, join our mailing list by clicking here, and join us on Facebook by clicking here.

RESCHEDULED! Shamanic Ritual at OBSERVATORY

The Shamanic Ritual evening at OBSERVATORY has been rescheduled for next Wednesday, Feb 17th at 7:30pm. 

Shamanic Ritual with Itzhak Beery
Where:  OBSERVATORY, 543 Union St, Brooklyn (enter through Proteus Gowanus gallery gates on Nevins St)
Date: Wednesday, February 17th
Time: 7:30pm
Admission: $8

Phantasmaphile is honored to present an evening ritual with Shaman Itzhak Beery, co-founder of the NY Shamanic Circle.

This ceremony will focus on Meeting Power Animal Spirits: The Journey to Non-Ordinary Realities

Participants will be introduced to the principles of the shamanic belief system. The workshop teaches the techniques of shamanic journeying which is used by shamans to enter non-ordinary realities. Participants will learn to travel to the other worlds to obtain personal Power animal spirits, to connect with these spirits, and to retrieve specific knowledge. This knowledge can be used in our world to heal, to settle disputes, to communicate between the living and the dead, to create abundance, and to pray for the well-being of the environment, for others and ourselves.

Accompanied by drumbeat, participants learn to journey to the animal energies and shape-shift into them, allowing each person to merge with their animal nature—a reflection of our innermost self that represent those qualities we need most in this world, but which are often hidden, or repressed. 

***Please bring a pillow, towel, or cushion to sit on. 

Bio

Israeli born Itzhak, was initiated into the family tradition of a powerful Quechuan Yachak from Ecuador.  He also studied with Ipupiara a Brazilian elder and Cleicha, a Peruvian curandera (healer).

Additionally, since 1994, Itzhak has studied the shamanic path and healing ways with indigenous shamans from Hawaii, Ecuador, Peru, Greenland, Native American and the United States.

He is a founding member of the NY Shamanic Circle, and the NY Annual Shamanic Gathering in Central Park.  He is a member of the Dream Change and the Society for Shamanic Practitioners.  He is the founder and publisher of the leading shamanic global resource web site www.shamanportal.org.

Itzhak has a private shamanic ceremonial healing practice in New York City (For adults, children, animals, & house cleansing) and conducts workshops for adolescents, adults, and senior citizens in Europe, Israel, Hawaii, and the US.

Itzhak also developed and facilitates a special program geared to high school students, called The Bridge.

This evening is offered in conjunction with OBSERVATORY's current exhibition, VISION QUEST, a group show of neo-shamanic art, up through February 21st.

~~~~~~~~~~
DIRECTIONS TO OBSERVATORY:  ***PLEASE USE NEVINS ST./PROTEUS GOWANUS ENTRANCE***

Observatory is located at 543 Union Street at Nevins St., in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn.  The entrance is currently through Proteus Gowanus gallery, in the alley off Nevins St (see below for full details).

R  or M train to Union Street in Brooklyn:

Walk two long blocks on Union (towards the Gowanus Canal) to Nevins Street. 543 Union Street is the large red brick building on right. Go right on Nevins and left down alley through large black gates. Proteus Gowanus is the second door on the left.  

F or G train to Carroll Street:

Walk one block to Union. Turn right, walk two long blocks on Union towards the Gowanus Canal, cross the bridge, take left on Nevins, go down the alley to Proteus Gowanus, the second door on the left.

For more information, see observatoryroom.org

POSTPONED - Shamanic Ritual Event at OBSERVATORY

NYC folks:  So sorry, but we decided to postpone the Shamanic Ritual event at OBSERVATORY which was planned for tonight (Wed, Feb 10th).  We're not usually one to balk at the weather, but this snowstorm sounds like it might be particularly rough.  Will let you know as soon as the event is rescheduled.  Thanks and keep warm, Pam

Shamanic Ritual at OBSERVATORY

Shamanic Ritual with Itzhak Beery
Where:  OBSERVATORY, 543 Union St, Brooklyn (enter through Proteus Gowanus gallery gates on Nevins St)
Date: Wednesday, February 10th
Time: 7:30pm
Admission: $8

Phantasmaphile is honored to present an evening ritual with Shaman Itzhak Beery, co-founder of the NY Shamanic Circle.

This ceremony will focus on Meeting Power Animal Spirits: The Journey to Non-Ordinary Realities

Participants will be introduced to the principles of the shamanic belief system. The workshop teaches the techniques of shamanic journeying which is used by shamans to enter non-ordinary realities. Participants will learn to travel to the other worlds to obtain personal Power animal spirits, to connect with these spirits, and to retrieve specific knowledge. This knowledge can be used in our world to heal, to settle disputes, to communicate between the living and the dead, to create abundance, and to pray for the well-being of the environment, for others and ourselves.

Accompanied by drumbeat, participants learn to journey to the animal energies and shape-shift into them, allowing each person to merge with their animal nature—a reflection of our innermost self that represent those qualities we need most in this world, but which are often hidden, or repressed. 

***Please bring a pillow, towel, or cushion to sit on. 

Bio

Israeli born Itzhak, was initiated into the family tradition of a powerful Quechuan Yachak from Ecuador.  He also studied with Ipupiara a Brazilian elder and Cleicha, a Peruvian curandera (healer).

Additionally, since 1994, Itzhak has studied the shamanic path and healing ways with indigenous shamans from Hawaii, Ecuador, Peru, Greenland, Native American and the United States.

He is a founding member of the NY Shamanic Circle, and the NY Annual Shamanic Gathering in Central Park.  He is a member of the Dream Change and the Society for Shamanic Practitioners.  He is the founder and publisher of the leading shamanic global resource web site www.shamanportal.org.

Itzhak has a private shamanic ceremonial healing practice in New York City (For adults, children, animals, & house cleansing) and conducts workshops for adolescents, adults, and senior citizens in Europe, Israel, Hawaii, and the US.

Itzhak also developed and facilitates a special program geared to high school students, called The Bridge.

This evening is offered in conjunction with OBSERVATORY's current exhibition, VISION QUEST, a group show of neo-shamanic art, up through February 21st.

~~~~~~~~~~
DIRECTIONS TO OBSERVATORY:  ***PLEASE USE NEVINS ST./PROTEUS GOWANUS ENTRANCE***

Observatory is located at 543 Union Street at Nevins St., in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn.  The entrance is currently through Proteus Gowanus gallery, in the alley off Nevins St (see below for full details).

R  or M train to Union Street in Brooklyn:

Walk two long blocks on Union (towards the Gowanus Canal) to Nevins Street. 543 Union Street is the large red brick building on right. Go right on Nevins and left down alley through large black gates. Proteus Gowanus is the second door on the left.  

F or G train to Carroll Street:

Walk one block to Union. Turn right, walk two long blocks on Union towards the Gowanus Canal, cross the bridge, take left on Nevins, go down the alley to Proteus Gowanus, the second door on the left.

For more information, see observatoryroom.org

TONIGHT @ OBSERVATORY: Coincident Monsters w/ Daniel A. Rabuzzi & Deborah Mills

Coincident Monsters - A Conversation About Creating the Novel The Choir Boats with Daniel A. Rabuzzi and Deborah Mills

Date: Friday, December 11th
Time: 8pm
Admission: $5

Carkodrillos, knife-tailed owls, knuckledogs, sea monsters and other oddities…. Join author Daniel A. Rabuzzi and illustrator Deborah Mills as they read from Daniel’s new fantasy novel The Choir Boats and display the art Deborah created to illustrate the book.  Discuss with them how they collaborate (even as they remain happily married!).

The Choir Boats is a fantasy novel.  If Jane Austen and J.R.R. Tolkien had hooked up, this might be their bastard offspring.  In any event, The Choir Boats explores issues of race, gender, sin, and salvation, and includes a mysterious letter, knuckledogs, carkodrillos, smilax root, goat stew, and one very fierce golden cat.  Deborah & Daniel will read from the novel, display artwork that inspired the illustrations, and describe how they worked together to create the overall piece– and their process as they co-create the sequel.  Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing.  Brought to you by Phantasmaphile.

Yes, tonight's event at Observatory will be a special one indeed.  Daniel and Deborah are as wonderful as two people can be: smart, creative, warm, and interesting.  I am so looking forward to hearing them speak about The Choir Boats and talk about their collaboration.  Daniel's writing is exquisite, and this story is a truly rich, imaginative adventure that's both exciting and moving.  Though I finished the book months ago, I still find myself thinking fondly about the characters within, such as Barnabas, the merchant with an exotic vest collection and a heartaching past; and Sally, the precocious bookworm with an amazing head for numbers.  Deborah is a gifted woodcarver and illustrator, and she'll be talking as well about her process for creating images for the novel (hint: there will be lots of pictures of maps and sea monsters!) 

You won't want to miss this one.  See you tonight at 8pm!

TONIGHT: Occult America talk with Mitch Horowitz at OBSERVATORY

Date: Friday, December 4th
Time: 8:00pm
Admission: $5.00

Phantasmaphile Presents at OBSERVATORY:

Occult America: a talk by Mitch Horowitz

From its earliest days, America has been a laboratory for new or unusual religious ideas – particularly of an occult or esoteric bent. From the spirit medium who became the nation’s first female religious leader in 1776 and the placement of the mysterious eye-and-pyramid on the back of our dollar bill, to the growth of the African-American magical system of hoodoo and the uses of mind-power mysticism among political reformers (including back-nationalist hero Marcus Garvey), the United States has been one nation under many gods. Mitch Horowitz, the author of Occult America: The Secret History of How Mysticism Shaped Our Nation, will explore the people, ideas, and episodes that gave America its unusual religious character and show how magical and esoteric religious ideas have shaped so many aspects of our culture, politics, and lives.

Mitch Horowitz is the editor-in-chief of Tarcher/Penguin and the author of Occult America: The Secret History of How Mysticism Shaped Our Nation (Bantam). He has recently written for U.S. News and World Report, Parabola, and BoingBoing, and has appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, The History Channel, The Montel Williams Show, All Things Considered, and Air America Radio.  You can visit him online at: www.MitchHorowitz.com.

See you there!

REMINDER: Come to TONIGHT'S lecture on Wonder at Observatory!

Phantasmaphile presents an evening with Jeff Hoke, creator of The Museum of Lost Wonder and Clint Marsh, author of The Mentalist's Handbook at OBSERVATORY

Through the mediums of self-published pamphlets and the books they inspired, these artistic collaborators have devoted themselves to navigating the border between personal wonder and historical fact.

A writer and publisher of “practical esoterica,” Marsh will tell how childhood exposure to a private library of occult tomes sent him on a lifelong journey walking the line between skepticism and belief. The events leading to the creation of The Mentalist’s Handbook—and the letters Marsh receives from its readers—form the basis of an ongoing study of the crossroads of imagination and reality.  http://wonderella.org/ 

Hoke will discuss the alchemical structure of The Museum of Lost Wonder—an activity book whose projects bridge art, science, and personal enlightenment. These themes are explored further in Hoke’s latest work, Tomb of Illumination. Here, the final resting place of Christian Rosenkreutz is used as a metaphor for the historical separation of art and science, holding hopes for the reunification of fact with faith and consciousness with the worlds beyond.  http://www.lostwonder.org/ 

The Museum of Lost Wonder and The Mentalist’s Handbook (both published by Weiser Books) and Hoke’s Tomb of Illumination folio will be available for purchase.

Date:  Thursday, October 29th

Time:  8pm

Admission:  $5

DIRECTIONS TO OBSERVATORY:  ***PLEASE USE NEVINS ST./PROTEUS GOWANUS ENTRANCE***
 
Observatory is located at 543 Union Street at Nevins St., in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn.  The entrance is currently through Proteus Gowanus gallery, in the alley off Nevins St (see below for full details).

R  or M train to Union Street in Brooklyn:

Walk two long blocks on Union (towards the Gowanus Canal) to Nevins Street. 543 Union Street is the large red brick building on right. Go right on Nevins and left down alley through large black gates. Proteus Gowanus is the second door on the left.  

F or G train to Carroll Street:

Walk one block to Union. Turn right, walk two long blocks on Union towards the Gowanus Canal, cross the bridge, take left on Nevins, go down the alley to Proteus Gowanus, the second door on the left.

See you there!

This Thursday - Phantasmaphile presents BORDERS AND BRIDGES: GUIDED TOURS OF HUMAN WONDER with Jeff Hoke & Clint Marsh

Phantasmaphile presents an evening with Jeff Hoke, creator of The Museum of Lost Wonder and Clint Marsh, author of The Mentalist's Handbook at OBSERVATORY

Through the mediums of self-published pamphlets and the books they inspired, these artistic collaborators have devoted themselves to navigating the border between personal wonder and historical fact.

A writer and publisher of “practical esoterica,” Marsh will tell how childhood exposure to a private library of occult tomes sent him on a lifelong journey walking the line between skepticism and belief. The events leading to the creation of The Mentalist’s Handbook—and the letters Marsh receives from its readers—form the basis of an ongoing study of the crossroads of imagination and reality.  http://wonderella.org/ 

Hoke will discuss the alchemical structure of The Museum of Lost Wonder—an activity book whose projects bridge art, science, and personal enlightenment. These themes are explored further in Hoke’s latest work, Tomb of Illumination. Here, the final resting place of Christian Rosenkreutz is used as a metaphor for the historical separation of art and science, holding hopes for the reunification of fact with faith and consciousness with the worlds beyond.  http://www.lostwonder.org/ 

The Museum of Lost Wonder and The Mentalist’s Handbook (both published by Weiser Books) and Hoke’s Tomb of Illumination folio will be available for purchase.

Date:  Thursday, October 29th

Time:  8pm

Admission:  $5

DIRECTIONS TO OBSERVATORY:  ***PLEASE USE NEVINS ST./PROTEUS GOWANUS ENTRANCE***
 
Observatory is located at 543 Union Street at Nevins St., in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn.  The entrance is currently through Proteus Gowanus gallery, in the alley off Nevins St (see below for full details).

R  or M train to Union Street in Brooklyn:

Walk two long blocks on Union (towards the Gowanus Canal) to Nevins Street. 543 Union Street is the large red brick building on right. Go right on Nevins and left down alley through large black gates. Proteus Gowanus is the second door on the left.  

F or G train to Carroll Street:

Walk one block to Union. Turn right, walk two long blocks on Union towards the Gowanus Canal, cross the bridge, take left on Nevins, go down the alley to Proteus Gowanus, the second door on the left.

See you there!

REMINDER: Come to TONIGHT'S lecture on Alchemy, Art, and the Imagination at Observatory!

TONIGHT at Observatory:

Phantasmaphile presents a visual talk by Brian Cotnoir which will examine actual alchemical theory and practice and its use of image and symbol in creation and the creative process.  We will discuss the alchemical concept of the Imaginary and explore its application in the arts through concrete examples from the earliest alchemical imagery through to the surrealists.  There will also be a screening of an excerpt of a film in progress that plays with some of the ideas touched upon in the talk.  

Bio:  Brian Cotnoir is an independent researcher and author in the field of alchemy for over 35 years. He has given talks on alchemy and most recently he has presented papers on Arabic Alchemy at a conference in Granada, Spain and on Byzantine Alchemy in Istanbul, Turkey.  He is author of  Alchemy (The Weiser Concise Guide Series), an introduction to its theory and practice, and is currently working on his next book, Alchemy: The Poetry of Matter. He is also an award winning filmmaker and editor.

TONIGHT, Friday, October 23rd

8pm

Admission: $5

DIRECTIONS TO OBSERVATORY:  ***PLEASE USE NEVINS ST./PROTEUS GOWANUS ENTRANCE***
 
Observatory is located at 543 Union Street at Nevins St., in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn.  The entrance is currently through Proteus Gowanus gallery, in the alley off Nevins St (see below for full details).
 
R  or M train to Union Street in Brooklyn:

Walk two long blocks on Union (towards the Gowanus Canal) to Nevins Street. 543 Union Street is the large red brick building on right. Go right on Nevins and left down alley through large black gates. Proteus Gowanus is the second door on the left.  

F or G train to Carroll Street:

Walk one block to Union. Turn right, walk two long blocks on Union towards the Gowanus Canal, cross the bridge, take left on Nevins, go down the alley to Proteus Gowanus, the second door on the left.

For more information, see observatoryroom.org