In the weird story game, Europe has to be up there in the top 5, which is probably what made it so easy for the Brothers Grimm to collect so many creepy and totally dark tales of people being either completely manic or mistreated. This is not to say that other cultures don't have such... Continue Reading →
Snow White
I find it amusing how simple and compliant the heroines in stories can be sometimes. Some of them have been through horrible things, but don't appear to have trust issues of any sort. They appear to walk blindly into traps, and hope by the grace of God that there is a man around to help... Continue Reading →
Days Out – Sedlec Ossuary – The Bone Church.
Did you know that there is such as thing as Dark Tourism? This is people who go to visit places that have connections with death and/or suffering. I would say that I verge into Dark Tourism quite often; but it is rarely just to say that I have been to that place, it is more... Continue Reading →
Gone – Kara Walker
I have done quite a few articles recently about how humanity and nature intertwine, potentially making me seem a bit "mother earthish". I am definitely not that, sure I like to think that the world could be a harmonious place, where nature and humans skip along hand in hand, nobody hunts endangered animals, and we... Continue Reading →
The Meditation – Francesco Hayez
I write about a lot of art, but I always prefer writing about something I have seen in person, rather than looking at a photo that has been taken of it, and on the most part I have been lucky enough to see a good percentage of them. It allows me to see the true... Continue Reading →
Vlad The Impaler – Artist Unknown
Do you remember 'Ghostbusters 2'? You know the one where a picture tries to get a museum worker to steal a baby so that it can put its spirit in it. Under the streets of New York there is a river of reactive slime and the statue of liberty is brought to life? Do you... Continue Reading →
St. Valentine…
Today is the day when hallmark are rubbing their hands together as people everywhere exchange cards, declaring that today they love each other more than any other day of the year, but actually the really St. Valentine is a far stretch from the patron saint of love that you might believe that he is. I... Continue Reading →
Poppies – Wave and Weeping Window – Cummins and Piper
As we approach the 11th November, a time for remembrance and to show a mark of respect, we wear poppies as a symbol of the lives lost as these were the flowers which grew on the battlefields once the bloodshed had ceased. In 2014, a wave of ceramic poppies adorned the Tower of London, tumbling... Continue Reading →
Tulpa Series – Mars-1
I’ve recently been watching Twin peaks the return. Now if the original series wasn’t bizarre enough, this revamp is seriously far out if you’re not on David Lynch’s wave length. Interestingly, it all seems to revolve around the theory of a Tulpa which is a mystical theory where manifestations can be created by thought forms... Continue Reading →
Arachne’s Punishment – Gustave Doré
Leviticus and Deuteronomy, they are funny old books aren’t they, full of things that will get you a one way ticket to eternal punishment. Some things are so inconsequential in today’s views too....like don’t eat shellfish, or don’t wear mixed textiles. Which is surprising for a book where the theme is to love thy neighbour,... Continue Reading →
Natural History Museum (Rotterdam)
Next door to the Kunsthall, is a smaller building which looks a little like a school. It has paper cut outs of bones in the widow, and from the road side, could easily be mistake for a child play centre. I only knew it wasn't, because I had read that there was a small natural... Continue Reading →
Atomic Leda – Salvador Dali
Zeus...he was a bit of a boy wasn't he? When he wasn't ruling the rest of the gods, or bringing the thunder, he was off seducing women in animal form. When I say seducing...I'm not convinced they had a lot of choice in the matter. In fairness to Zeus, he probably had a few psychological... Continue Reading →
The Hermitage – Russia
Back in May, I travelled through the Baltic, taking in the amazing sights that this trail offers. I'm going to start with St. Petersburg and then sneak a few blogs in here and there about the things I saw during this great holiday.The Hermitage... this is made up of 5 buildings, the main one being... Continue Reading →
The Cutty Sark
Nestled in the middle of Greenwich is the magnificent clipper ship the Cutty Sark. World renowned for being the fastest clipper to sail the seas, it is now a museum for the public to view just what it was like to be aboard this stunning vessel.Starting on the bottom deck of the boat, you can... Continue Reading →
The Imperial War Museum – London
The Imperial war museum (IWM) is not far from the Elephant and Castle. Set back from the road there is a beautiful park surrounding it, with the Tibetan peace garden off to one side. As you walk in, it's hard not to notice the two ship cannons that dominate the lead up to the entrance.As... Continue Reading →
Dunkirk
I will readily admit I waited until I had heard some feedback before I went to see this film. This was for a couple of reasons...firstly I really hate war films which incorporate a farcical love story which has been orchestrated just to tug at your heart strings a little bit more, it's generally unneeded,... Continue Reading →
Osiris and Isis
Tonight, we take a detour to Egypt. Back to a time when it was ok to be in love with your sister...so knowing that this is an incestuous love story, it's still one that shows absolute devotion, which is what I like about it.There are many versions of this story, all of which have a... Continue Reading →
Andromeda – Paul Gustave Doré
As I said yesterday, my visit to the London planetarium inspired me to chat about the story behind some of the constellations that you can currently see in the nights sky. As we all know, I love a bit of Greek mythology and this nestles beautifully between the world of science and myth.Right now, in... Continue Reading →
Man proposes, God disposes – Edwin Landseer
This weekend, I headed over to Greenwich, with thoughts of going to the planetarium, and possibly relaying the story of Andromeda to you (which will still happen, but probably tomorrow when I find some fitting art work...). What I hadn't realised before I went was how close the maritime museum was. Now I have a... Continue Reading →