Heavenly Bodies

Good news everyone! Paul Koudounaris, author of The Empire Of Death (aka The Bone Chapel Book I haven't actually finished because I get so distracted with the pictures that I forget to read the text; and which I may or may have not recommended to everyone from my mother to bloggers I've never met), has just released a new book, the awesomely - and ironically - titled... Heavenly Bodies.

Following on the success of his book The Empire of Death , which has attracted a global cult following, Paul Koudounaris brings the catacomb saints out of the darkness with this astonishing volume, which includes arresting images of more than seventy spectacular jeweled skeletons and the fascinating stories of dozens more, accompanied by rare archive material. This is the first time that some of these incredible relics both intriguing historical artifacts and masterpieces of artistic craftsmanship in their own right have appeared in a publication, with Koudounaris gaining unprecedented access to photograph in some of the most secretive religious establishments in Europe. This will be essential reading for goths, art historians and everyone in between.

Allow me a moment of mindless fun as I giggle at that last line. Goths! Art historians! Buy this book! Everybody else! Buy this book too! Buy one, get disbelieving stares from all your friends free! A swell addition to any coffee table! A sure conversation-starter!

But hey, in complete seriousness now, if you're the slightest bit interested in bone chapels and ossuaries and martyrs and the general prettiness you see in these images, I say give this man and his books a shot. So far I can only speak for The Empire Of Death, but honestly? In all its larger-than-A4 gold-embossed hardcover beauty? Best 23€ I've ever spent.

xx

EDIT: There is a small, but great interview with Paul Koudounaris right here. Yay for people who acknowledge that there is, in fact, quite a bit of misogyny in art history!



[images: Amazon]

Obligatory Fall Post

I don't remember Autumn being like this when I was younger. Back then, it was a crisp, cold season, and by the time September rolled around I was donning my pressed white shirts and jumping on maple leaves to make them crack under my shiny new back-to-school shoes.

Now it's different. Or maybe it's the fact that I don't walk down that particularly street anymore, maybe it's the fact that my contacts with nature have shifted from a handful of trees in a sidewalk to a property that shifts from yellow to green as soon as the rains start. I wear sleeveless tops and rainboots. The air is thick, humid, the mosquitoes form faint little clouds a few meters above the grass, and everything smells both a little dead and very much alive. A year ago I wouldn't have been able to identify the smell, but you can teach your nose a few tricks with a handful of macerating bones.

(and now that I'm thinking about it, decomposition smells the way it does EXACTLY because something a little dead is being devoured by thousands of very much alive... other somethings)

I guess, like everybody else on the internet, I really love Autumn. It's just that summer feels so... lifeless to me. So bland. Autumn revives everything back for a few weeks before we plunge straight into Winter. It's reassuring.

It's also the season for us to relax in dog-related matters - Bo's flybite wounds start to heal as soon as the temperatures drop. It was our second summer together and we tried everything to keep the flies away from his ears, to no avail. The vet sympathised and recommended a few more tricks, but it was the same old mess as last year. Good thing Bo is a complete doll and won't mind us cleaning his ears and applying all sorts of strange-smelling ointments on him.







And if it looks like I post too many pictures of Bo, that's because Crude's shots usually end up looking like this:



I try, guys. I try.
xx

The Evil League Of Evil Steam

Steampunk convention in Porto (and Barcelona, and Madrid, and Vienna, and so on... it's the Euro Steam Con after all) this past weekend. I had to ditch my fancy outfit at the last minute due to an unfortunate lack of time to finish it, but apart from that, I'd say it was a very successful event. Cupcakes happened, short films happened (Aurora, applause for effort and use of budget; Invention Of Love, DON'T TURN YOUR WOMEN INTO MACHINES GODDAMNIT; The Tale Of Mr Rêvus, evidence that a cute critter is the easiest way to get people to like your movie; and a few scenes from Airlords Of Aria), fun discussions happened, and we may or may not have planned to invade the Vatican.

Not a lot of pictures, because for better or worse I'm still battling my short story from last week - and due to the sheer effort, the visual side of my brain has shut down for the time being. I used to be such a good multitasker... I wonder what's happened.

Dont' say "the internet".
xx