ECTOPLASMOSIS!

In The Shadow Of A Colossal Kettle

Ross Rosenberg — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:04:42 +0000

The Summer Tea by Vladimir Golub

Vladimir GOLUB [Art Lithunia Database] : armchair aquarium

The Trials Of Shipwrecked Bees

Ross Rosenberg — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:22:00 +0000

As all ectomites know, bees are no stranger to the briny waters of the world’s oceans for, if that were the case, the unnatural tryst that spawned the noble Octobee would never have occurred. Still, not all bees are able to adjust to the aquatic milleu, as evidenced in this painting by Gail Potocki, entitled Shipwrecked.

In an interview in the excellent art mag Hi-Fructose she explains that much of her more recent work has centered on environmental themes, with works like Shipwrecked focusing on the mysterious disappearance of honeybees in the last few years.

In all honesty this is a painting I would have passed over if it wasn’t for the bee in the center midground. If asked to explain why I would be unable but, if pressed, I would say that I find something distinctly human in its posture; the way its head is turned from the approaching surf. Its struggle is palpable.

Gail Potocki [Artist’s Site] : notebook of a mermaid : Thanks, Jason!

Your Daily WTF: Zune Paint

Ross Rosenberg — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:13:33 +0000

Admittedly, I’ve come across many things on this vast internet — either on my own or through our tip line — since I started writing for Ectomo, but few things have presented any sort of internal conflict on whether or not to post. No, the line is usually clear as to whether something belongs on the front page and, in the rare instances that I have been unsure, my esteemed editors have been swift and most often times brutal in their duty, striking down the most heinous of content while simultaneously letting me know just how disgusting they find whatever piece of my buried subconscious I had decided to expose to the open air.

This particular video did, indeed, give me pause. Should this go up? I didn’t know. By its creators own admission it is nothing official; it does not represent some newly discovered mise en scène employed by Microsoft to market their Zune device, and yet there is effort here. It is not merely a collection of images with no inherent meaning, but instead spotlights one of the Zune’s social features that is, the ability to share or “squirt” music between Zunes. In that regard, this faux ad succeeds brilliantly, deftly highlighting that very ability with a splattering of colors. On the other hand, it does this with a rotund, hirsute gentleman who also happens to be nude. I will leave it to you to find out for yourself how the whole visual metaphor works out.

And with that I hit “Publish”. Believe me when I say that I am so, so sorry to have done this to you but, as we all know, misery loves company.

Also, NSFW.

Zune Paint by Sibling Rivalry [Vimeo] : Blame Frank!

Noise du Jour’s Tartarus Party Mix: “Bubblin’ in the Cut” by Boreta

Eliza Gauger — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:30:09 +0000

Post-Apocalyptic Laugh, originally uploaded by Andrey Off.

Bubblin in the Cut - Boreta

DJ Wheezypig dropped this track on my head a few nights ago, during one of our late-night, desperate-for-new-sounds Nicecast sessions. The heaving chunk, grinding glitch, and choppy vox appease all the monster centers of my brain at once. And after you pick yourself up off the floor and Q-tip the congealed blood and cerebellar fluid from your ears, I’m sure you’ll agree.

A reminder: the Ectomo writers are constantly hungry for new music. We have impeccable taste, as demonstrated, except for Qais, who persists in an unreasonable attachment to european pop acts and hobo jug bands. Please tip us new tracks just as you would pictures of YET MORE OCTOPI (seriously, droogs, go easy on the cephalotips). Imeem.com is an excellent place to find new stuff, and if you’re brave enough to do serious clicking in MySpace, that, too, can yield results.

Philip K. Dick: A Day In The Afterlife

Ross Rosenberg — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:59:54 +0000

I am a self-professed “Dickhead”, dedicating two full shelves of bookcase space to the work of Philip K. Dick, one of science fiction’s most prolific and insane authors. The ebb and flow of his popularity has been an interesting phenomenon to watch; his status remains that of a cult figure and yet, every few years, an article will pop up in, say, the New York Times expounding on his genius or someone will make a film based on one of his stories and then he will again sink underground, so to speak.

This is all very unsurprising seeing as how, from a purely literary perspective, Dick was not necessarily what one would call an accomplished writer. His characters are generally flat, the women always leeching shrews, the men are wimpy schlubs, usually somewhere in the vicinity of their life’s nadir. His dialogue is generally stilted and overwrought.

Yet despite these shortcomings, Dick embodies everything that I like about sci-fi, for while his characters and their interactions may be lacking, the worlds in which they dwell and the societies that run them are superbly realized. The conflicts which arise in these worlds are fantastic, oftentimes absurd, and yet they mesh flawlessly with the reality that he created. It was these aspects that defined the genre for Dick and, in turn, it was these aspects that he poured most of his efforts.

Which brings us, finally, to the documentary at hand. Philip K. Dick: A Day in the Afterlife was produced for the BBC and focuses on the man himself, in all his crazy, drug-addled, paranoid glory. The mind behind some of my favorite books is fascinated by the constant bombardment of advertising, the effects of giant media conglomerates, and the overwhelming feeling that the world in which we live exists only in the glowing vacuum tubes of countless television sets. It is an ode to one of the most creative minds in science fiction, and another step in the crusade for a wider recognition of his accomplishments.

Philip K. Dick: A Day in the Afterlife [YouTube] : Hugo Strikes Back

Pre-emptive Chthonic Revenge

Qais Fulton — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:06:23 +0000

Unbread Ed [Flickr]

Kris Kuksi: “Imminent Utopia”

Ross Rosenberg — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:40:22 +0000

Ectomo and ToM favorite Kris Kuksi will be opening Imminent Utopia at the Joshua Liner Gallery in New York on November 22. Kuksi’s bizarre, surreal sculptures feature a wealth of astounding detail, and I’m looking forward to seeing them in person. The show runs through December 20.

Imminent Utopia [Joshua Liner Gallery] : Juxtapoz

Time To Pay The Piper

Ross Rosenberg — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:37:04 +0000

N^-1 # 1 by Andrea Galvani

They’ve been on the internet. They’ve seen what you have done with their images. It is time to answer for those transgressions. Time to pay the piper.

Andrea Galvani [Artist’s Site] : VVORK

ectocache for 2008-11-13

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:59:59 +0000

Apologies for the large amounts of old post tweets. Attempting to consolidate our tags and it seems to broadcast them as if they were new. #

Cthulhu Cthursday: The Deep Ones

Ross Rosenberg — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:14:56 +0000

Artist M.S. Corley has a fantastic collection of illustrations under the title Horrors of Literature which, along with more famous examples like Frankenstein’s monster and Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde also includes cult favorites like the Swine Thing from William Hope Hodgson’s The House on the Borderland and, of course, a few Lovecraft mainstays like the Deep Ones. He has yet to do everyone’s favorite dreamer but had previously created a portrait of the great Cthulhu, found after the jump.

Horror’s of Literature [ConceptArt.org Forum] : Super Punch

Nun In Gasmask World

Ross Rosenberg — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:10:32 +0000

Cloistered from a haze of mustard gas.

Gasmask Nun [vintagephoto]

“As I See” Back In Print

Ross Rosenberg — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:11:28 +0000

I am thrilled by machinery’s force, precision and willingness to work at any task, no matter how arduous or monotonous it may be. I would rather watch a thousand ton dredge dig a canal than see it done by a thousand spent slaves lashed into submission. I like machines.

- Boris Artzybasheff

I’ve featured the work of the late Boris Artzybasheff several times in these pages so I was delighted when I found out that Titan Books was going to be reprinting his collect As I See. Having scrutinized every thick, glossy page I highly recommend it to anyone who has a taste for Artzybasheff’s particular brand of madness.

As I See: The Fantastic World of Boris Artzybasheff [Amazon]

Gummi-LEGO For Candy Castles

Ross Rosenberg — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:03:50 +0000

My love for LEGO has been documented in these pages before so I shall spare you a breathless ode to the plastic building blocks of the gods. Instead I will simply allow this marvelous guide speak for itself. It shows you how to make a mold in order to make your own Gummi-LEGO. Like Gummi Bears, but in the shape of LEGO blocks. I’ll let that sink in. I can easily imagine building a mighty, saccharine city in miniature which upon completion I can run riot through, a sugar-crazed Godzilla, leaving a sticky, half eaten trail of destruction in my wake.

LeGummies brick shaped gummy candies [Instructables] : Thanks, Mable!

Alphapus

Ross Rosenberg — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:45:23 +0000

Since 2000, over 2000 scientists from 82 nations have been hard at work, going door to door, clipboard in hand conducting the first Census of Marine Life. Eight years into it, fascinating new discoveries have been made, one of which focuses on this little fellow, Megaleledone setebos, which lives in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica and can grow up to one meter in length.

This particular cephalopod is now thought to be the common ancestor of the first deep-sea octopuses. Dr Jan Strugnell, a biologist at Queen’s University Belfast recently headed a study which compared the genes of various octopuses and incorporated fossil records finally concluding that the first divergence from Megaleledone occurred roughly 30 million years ago.

The census continues even as I write this, and is scheduled to be completed by 2010, more than enough time to find R’lyeh.

Octopuses share ‘living ancestor’ [BBC News] : Thanks to Hans and Bibi!

Moustache Monday: Mannequins Need Moustaches Too

Ross Rosenberg — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:47:54 +0000

On the occasions that I have found myself in clothing stores, strolling through the aisles, glancing at attire I will never purchase, I have always been struck by the stark lack of facial hair on the mannequins. How, I wonder, can the merchant of today hope to catch the eye of the dapper, moustachioed man, if the ersatz humans presenting the various ensembles remain whiskerless? Will those hirsute dandies be tempted by yon sweater and slack combo, when it is draped over the frame of a model with hairless upper lip? I think not.

It is worth pointing out then, to all those who employ those slightly creepy, life sized dolls to display their wares, that this is easily remedied. The Netherlands’s HWW Mannequins provides any number of fine, mannequin moustaches from the handlebar to the Fu-Manchu, as well as beards and sideburns if you are into that sort of thing. I think that my favorite part of the site is the particular mannequin head they use to model these facial accessories, including three of the examples above. Its face is nearly perfect for modeling moustaches, its demeanor being stern, its mouth turned down at the corners in a slightly disapproving frown. This is the face that would do well selling a three piece suit, pocket watch, and bowler.

Moustaches & beards [HWW Mannequins] : hellofrancis : tweeted by Thomas Scott

The Seven Deadly Sins For Kids

Ross Rosenberg — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:49:01 +0000

This old, presumably Spanish, children’s book entitled Los Siete Vicios Capitales details the seven deadly sins, well known to Catholics — both current and former — and David Fincher enthusiasts. It was with a morbid curiosity that I immediately sought out the least child friendly sin of the septet, i.e. Lust. How does one illustrate such a concept for a young child?

Having stared at the above illustration for a time I remain confused as to what, exactly, has transpired here. If I were to hazard a guess I would suppose that the boy in this illustration, with the urging of Satan, has exposed himself to some awful Rule 34 type illustrations, probably featuring his favorite cartoon strip. This, in turn, has caused an angel to weep, because — as I am sure you are all aware — whenever you look at something that meets the requirements of Rule 34 an angel gets cancer.

Other interpretations are welcome in the comments section, as always.

Lust [Flickr] uploaded by Rev Guzman : Hugo Strikes Back!

Where The Wild Things Are

Qais Fulton — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:31:11 +0000

My dreams, of late, have been haunted by feral children. Half-mad orphans scratching out an existence alongside the bestial populace of moonlit forests far enough from the encroachment of urban development to afford them some small measure of savagery.

And here in lies the crux of my subconscious cogitation on the nightmarish lives of unwanted babes raised to regress to their natural instincts. What happens when our urban sprawl bumps up against the borders of their as yet unspoiled night-places? When wild-eyed tikes climb concrete barriers and collectively pad their away across vast expanses of asphalt in search of something to eat and somewhere to nest like so many beasts forced into the street before them.

Artist Sam Weber’s renderings of psychosis stricken youth seem to indicate a vague precognition of the tumultuous time to come, and I find myself to be appropriately terrified.

Sam Weber [Artist’s Site : Why Me?]

Dr. Octopus

Ross Rosenberg — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:46:36 +0000

You can bet your ass that bow tie isn’t a clip-on either.

Dr. Octopus by wormw00d [Livejournal] : NOTCOT : Thanks, Chris!

Crooked Critters

Ross Rosenberg — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:43:55 +0000

Ambergris Express and Barnacle Bill

Plush, cephalapodal creations by Lana Crook showing from November 1st through the 30th at A.Okay Official in Chicago.

Crooked Critters [A.Okay Official] : ToyCyte : Super Punch

Vote: Or Why Hast Thou Forsaken Us Ectomo?

Ross Rosenberg — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:31:10 +0000

I realize that our readership, both domestic and international, may in fact be entirely fed up with what has been this year’s political “season” and know that I empathize. However, having been put in a position — by people exercising questionable judgment I should add — in which my opinion is at the very least seen by a large group of people, I feel that it would be remiss of me if I did not urge those who are able to exercise your right to vote. Seriously, go out and do it.

For those who are too young to vote or for those who live outside the United States, and who can only sit by impotently while we go about our business, feel free to hold pretend voting in your homes. Or, perhaps, you could go to your local market and grab two delicious options for dinner, say a chicken and some pork chops, and wander through the store asking strangers their opinion. Whatever makes you feel better.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled weirdness.

The Soft Eclipse of an Encroaching Thumb

Eliza Gauger — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:38:07 +0000

This is perhaps the saddest moment in all of human history.

When the entire weight of all the world’s tragedy lit, for long enough to matter, on the shoulders of one small boy. A boy who, thanks to his mask, was safe to twist his face into the unfathomable rictus of ultimate suffering: an expression we can only imagine, and only by imagining it, can we understand its true poignancy. A literal photograph would fail us.

Prom

Eliza Gauger — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:53:31 +0000

Spooky Prom, originally uploaded by amoelbarroco.

Sunday Sketchdump: The Medium

Eliza Gauger — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:20:58 +0000

Amused instead of revolted by the vile ectoplasmid she’s conjured, the Medium weathers the cold caress of her pet. What will she command of it? Some unsavory deed, best left to the already-damned? Mere amusement for a colleague’s soiree? A personal pleasure, perhaps, developed over intimate years of truck with the dead? She is enigmatic and serene, with a demon on a leash.

The Medium will be featured in Unhallowed Necropolis, the follow-up book to Unhallowed Metropolis, “the gas-mask chic role-playing game of Neo-Victorian horror.”

Saturday Morning Cartoons XLVI: Monkey Dust: Season 1

Ross Rosenberg — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 14:25:06 +0000

Monkey Dust is a hard cartoon to describe without completely blowing the premise and turning people away from it insofar as it comes off as completely disturbed. Which it most certainly is. Nevertheless, I have been obsessed with it since I found out about it and, like most obsessions, it needs to be shared.

Monkey Dust is a nightmare vision of Britain, a dark, twisted other world full of giant advertising conglomerates like Labia, who takes the job of rebranding cancer as “Closure”, an attractive end-of-life option. Its citizens are no less bizarre. Take Mr. Ivan Dobsky, The Meat-Safe Murderer or so he was known until he was cleared 27 years later. He himself always said he “never done it. I only said I done it so they would take the electrodes of me nipples.” Then there’s Geoff, the first-time cottager, who despite his meek, introverted personality holds the lofty goal of fellating a complete stranger in a public place. There’s also Clive, who constantly comes home late only to tell his wife a lie based on the lyrics to The Eagles’s “Hotel California”, inept chat-room pedophiles, pretentious yuppies, and classically trained actors.

These series of interconnected vignettes and recurring characters make for a delightfully sick experience but it is no doubt one you will either love or hate. Some may be turned off by the humor on display here as it is unapologetically dark; but for those who enjoy their laughs more on the grim side of things you are in for quite a treat.

Saturday Morning Cartoons XLVI: Monkey Dust: Season 1 [YouTube]

Otto The Octopus Is A Bastard

Ross Rosenberg — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:12:29 +0000

Electricians at the Sea Star Aquarium in Coburg, Germany were confounded by a series of mysterious blackouts affecting the aquarium of one Otto, an octopus. After staking it out one night they discovered that the cause was Otto himself who, seemingly annoyed by the 2000 watt spotlight above his tank, had figured out he could extinguish the offending light source by climbing onto the rim of his tank and squirting a jet of water in its direction.

This is not the first time the aquarium has had a problem with Otto, says Director Elfriede Kummer:

“Once we saw him juggling the hermit crabs in his tank, another time he threw stones against the glass damaging it. And from time to time he completely re-arranges his tank to make it suit his own taste better - much to the distress of his fellow tank inhabitants.”

Kummer supposes that the octopus is merely bored or perhaps attention starved although, considering his behavior, I’m inclined to theorize that Otto might have a little problem with the drink.

Otto the octopus wreaks havoc [Telegraph] : Thanks, Rich!

Anders Petersen

Ross Rosenberg — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:19:35 +0000

I hold certain, strange, Luddite beliefs, some of which I have written about here previously. Among them is the belief that mostly, photos are at their best when taken in black and white. The work of Anders Petersen just reinforces that belief.

Anders Petersen [Artist’s Site] : lensculture

Noise du Jour: “Windowlicker” By Aphex Twin

Ross Rosenberg — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:22:52 +0000

Today, as most are no doubt aware, is Halloween — or Hallowe’en if you are a fan of unnecessary, European punctuation — a yearly occurrence when children roam the streets hoping to gorge themselves on obscene amounts of high fructose corn syrup, their stomachs roiling in protest, and women are encouraged to dress like hookers.

So, in commemoration, Ectomo presents the original, extended, profanity-laden version of “Windowlicker” by Aphex Twin, directed by Chris Cunningham; because few things are as terrifying as Richard David James’s face. Seriously, they should just make a mask out of it already and be done with it.

Aphex Twin Windowlicker Chris Cunningham High-rez [YouTube]

Revolution Deformation

Ross Rosenberg — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:19:26 +0000

Dutch artist Fons Schiedon, has a show opening on November 6th and running through December 21st at Concrete Hermit in London called Revolution Deformation. The series of paintings features a character named Jesus — Not the Son of God — who had previously been known under the moniker of “Badboy Lensflare – The Albino in a Wheelchair”, operating as a cipher through which Schiedon explores “the subjects of transition, transformation and broken memory.” It makes for a series of haunting, nightmarish cartoons.

From the desk of Fons Schiedon [Artist’s Site] : Drawn!

ectocache for 2008-10-29

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:59:59 +0000

Now is an excellent time to acquire prints from ectofriend-artists, Bethalynne (Bajema) & Myke: http://tinyurl.com/5n4ufw #

Frigid Jr. and Embalming the Babies

Eliza Gauger — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:41:38 +0000

The very idea that a baby body requires different fluids than a full-grown corpse somehow arouses my fancy. The concepts of death and infancy are heavy on my mind these days, as my generation comes into power, as my father shakes his massive head and warns that gas and food prices will never go down again, that this is what he was warning us about since the fifties.

I think he prays that this isn’t the End of History. At some point, he says (or I remember him saying, admittedly different things), innovation and notable incidents will cease to occur or we will become inured to them, and history will stop. There will no longer be anything worth recording. Humanity will subside into limbo.

Right This Way Mr. Jarrett

Ross Rosenberg — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:00:35 +0000

J. Peress’s 1 atmosphere diving suit — referred to as Tritonia or “Jim 1″, after Peress’s chief diver Jim Jarrett — preparing to explore the wreck of the RMS Lusitania in 1935.

Tritonia, Lusitania. 1935 [vintagephoto]

Moustache Monday: The Demon ‘Stache Squid Roasts

John Brownlee — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:04:16 +0000