At the Mountains of Madness: A Summary
Tired of feigning understanding at your friends’ pretentious Lovecraft jokes about polar expeditions and savagely mutilated sled dogs? Not willing to read Lovecraft’s classic (and longest) short story?
Fear not. Thanks to the magic of YouTube and its hordes of underemployed “artists” you can enjoy an abbreviated version of the horror classic without all the bother of reading a book. I proudly present to you At the Mountains of Madness in 4:10:
I found this video at Under Vhoorl’s Shadow, a site so full of Lovecratian horror one could go mad just opening it in a new tab. You’ve been warned.
Psycho Potato
While you recover from your Thanksgiving gluttony, enjoy this wonderful reimagining of the shower scene in Psycho:
via Mental Floss
Macabre Alice in Wonderland Prints by Alex CF
“Jabberwocky” is one of ten prints in the “What Alice Saw” limited edition series by Alex CF. Alex describes himself as “a steampunk cryptozoological assemblage artist” – you may have seen some of his 3D work like the necropathic spectregraph or the 18th century lycanthrope research case.
A small number of complete sets of “What Alice Saw” prints are currently available on eBay. From the eBay listing: “The style is disturbing and dark and mixes lovecraftian with steam punk.”
Tentacled Victoriana by Artist Dan Hillier
London-based artist Dan Hillier is the man behind this tentacled fusion of Victorian engraving and Lovecraftian horror. His “Altered Engravings” bring to mind the surreal collages of Max Ernst:
Dan Hillier sells his prints from a stall at The Sunday (Up) Market in London (which is where author Cory Doctorow recently purchased one), but if traveling there is geographically prohibitive, you can purchase prints or commission work using the contact information on Hillier’s Web site.
If getting mentioned on Boing Boing kills Dan’s Web site temporarily, he has the obligatory MySpace profile where you can view some of his work.
The Modern Ruins on Bannerman’s Island
Bannerman’s Island is home to the most beautiful examples of modern architectural decay I have ever witnessed firsthand. Bannerman’s Castle was built by military surplus dealer Francis Bannerman as a storage warehouse in the early twentieth century. The words “Bannerman’s Island Arsenal” were proudly displayed in 4 1/2 foot lettering on the building’s facade, thus popularizing the name “Bannerman’s Island” for the tract of land more properly known as Pollepel Island.
The European-style fortress was Francis Bannerman’s hat tip to his Scottish heritage. He personally designed every turret and embellishment, every curved wall that became part of Bannerman’s Castle.
The island sits in the Hudson River, just a couple of miles south of the Beacon-Newburgh Bridge, and can be seen from the window of the train if you’re heading to Poughkeepsie. Bannerman’s Castle has remained vacant since the Bannerman family deeded the property to New York State in 1967.
The castle first sustained serious damage in 1920 when some of the stored arsenal exploded, sending portions of the building and the island itself cascading into the Hudson River. A mysterious fire laid waste to all of the island’s buildings in 1969, and with each passing year, nature reclaims more of Bannerman’s Island.
The state of New York still owns Bannerman’s Island, and the parks department has designated The Bannerman Castle Trust as the official “friends” organization. Members of the trust are attempting to secure the funding and resources required to preserve and stabilize the buildings on the island.
While the Internet is rife with images of Bannerman’s Castle, most pale in comparison to Shaun O’Boyles stunning and evocative photographic essay, Bannerman’s Island. The above images are selections from O’Boyle’s work, which you can support by purchasing a high quality, fine art print from his site. For more on the island, see:
Bannerman Island Arsenal (Hudson Valley Ruins)
Hudson Valley Ruins: Forgotten Landmarks of an American Landscape
Lost in New Jersey on Bannerman’s Castle
Bannerman Castle (NY) (Images of America)
Thanks to BLDGBLOG for recommending Shaun O’Boyle’s photography of modern ruins. Shaun’s photographs are, if possible, even more memorable than the castle itself.
The Song of The Count – Lemon Demon Version
Who knew that a few strategically placed bleeps could render a Sesame Street song so fiendishly delightful? Watch the whole video to fully enjoy the genius:
Simple, yet so counting brilliant.
via ectoplasmosis