Mechanical Marvels: Clockwork Dreams: A History of Automatons on the BBC

Mechanical Marvels: Clockwork Dreams
DURATION: 1 HOUR
Documentary presented by Professor Simon Schaffer which charts the amazing and untold story of automata - extraordinary clockwork machines designed hundreds of years ago to mimic and recreate life.

The film brings the past to life in vivid detail as we see how and why these masterpieces were built. Travelling around Europe, Simon uncovers the history of these machines and shows us some of the most spectacular examples, from an entire working automaton city to a small boy who can be programmed to write and even a device that can play chess. All the machines Simon visits show a level of technical sophistication and ambition that still amazes today.

As well as the automata, Simon explains in great detail the world in which they were made - the hardship of the workers who built them, their role in global trade and the industrial revolution and the eccentric designers who dreamt them up. Finally, Simon reveals that to us that these long-forgotten marriages of art and engineering are actually the ancestors of many of our most loved modern technologies, from recorded music to the cinema and much of the digital world.

Thanks to Ross MacFarlane for bringing this to my attention. You can find out more here and watch the program above or by clicking here.

"I Do Not Fear Death" or RIP Roger Ebert, In His Own Very Wise Words

I know it is coming, and I do not fear it, because I believe there is nothing on the other side of death to fear. I hope to be spared as much pain as possible on the approach path. I was perfectly content before I was born, and I think of death as the same state. I am grateful for the gifts of intelligence, love, wonder and laughter. You can’t say it wasn’t interesting. My lifetime’s memories are what I have brought home from the trip. I will require them for eternity no more than that little souvenir of the Eiffel Tower I brought home from Paris.

I don’t expect to die anytime soon. But it could happen this moment, while I am writing. I was talking the other day with Jim Toback, a friend of 35 years, and the conversation turned to our deaths, as it always does. “Ask someone how they feel about death,” he said, “and they’ll tell you everyone’s gonna die. Ask them, In the next 30 seconds? No, no, no, that’s not gonna happen. How about this afternoon? No. What you’re really asking them to admit is, Oh my God, I don’t really exist. I might be gone at any given second.”

Me too, but I hope not. I have plans. Still, illness led me resolutely toward the contemplation of death. That led me to the subject of evolution, that most consoling of all the sciences, and I became engulfed on my blog in unforeseen discussions about God, the afterlife, religion, theory of evolution, intelligent design, reincarnation, the nature of reality, what came before the big bang, what waits after the end, the nature of intelligence, the reality of the self, death, death, death.

Many readers have informed me that it is a tragic and dreary business to go into death without faith. I don’t feel that way. “Faith” is neutral. All depends on what is believed in. I have no desire to live forever. The concept frightens me. I am 69, have had cancer, will die sooner than most of those reading this. That is in the nature of things. In my plans for life after death, I say, again with Whitman:

I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love,

If you want me again look for me under your boot-soles...

The above is a but a short excerpt from a wonderful essay entitled "I Do Not Fear Death" from Roger Ebert's Life Itself: A Memoir. The essay was published in full on Salon in honor as a sort of memorial to the recently deceased film critic. You can read the entire piece on Salon's website (highly recommended!) by clicking here. Special thanks to Evan Michelson and Allen Crawford for bringing this essay to my attention.

"The Macabre and Little Known Sight of Saint Victoria of Rome" : A Mystery Revealed, Thanks to the BBC

Regular readers might remember the enigmatic and gorgeous Saint Victoria (or Saint Vittoria; seen above), a life-sized saint I stumbled upon in the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria directly across from Bernini's tourist-drawing Ecstasy of Saint Theresa on a recent trip to Rome. This rose-crowned and slashed-neck lady had caused me no little consternation; Was she waxwork? Effigy? Reliquary? Or some combination of the above? Sadly, churches do not have informational panels explaining such things, and I was left only to wonder as to her history and makeup.

Then, very recently, a few comments popped up on my blog from folks who had seen this mysterious figure discussed at length on the "Divine Gamble" episode of the new BBC TV series "Rome--A History of the Eternal City." I finally was able to locate a copy on You Tube and at about 12:47 minutes in, here is what I learned:

This figure, one of the cities least known but most macabre sights, appears to be a statue. But closer inspection reveals something far more spine chilling. When first you look at this, you think it must be a waxwork. But when you look a little closer, into the slightly open mouth you see, through the open lips of a skeleton. And if you look at the hands on the outside, they appear to be wax. But look inside. You can see not just the skeletal bones of the real hand of the human body but actually the dry skin there too. This is the body of Saint Victoria.

What the host does not mention explicitly is that it is, indeed, the body of the saint herself, but very much "touched up" with wax, human hair, and clothing. You can watch this segment--or the entire episode--by clicking here. You can read the former blog post by clicking here. Thanks so much to posters Cheryl, Josh and Allan for alerting me to this!

Morbid Anatomy Scholar in Residence and Star of TV's "Oddities" Evan Michelson on "The Midnight Archive"

The newest latest episode of The Midnight Archive--Ronni Thomas' fantastic documentary series centered around Brooklyn's Observatory--has just gone live! Entitled "Dealing in the Obscure," it features Morbid Anatomy Library Scholar in Residence, star of TV's "Oddities", and good friend/partner in crime Evan Michelson waxing poetic on the pleasures of time travel through material culture, why some people are drawn to darkness, and her own uncannily beautiful collection.

To watch the episode, simply press play in the viewer above. More on the episode, in the words of director/creator Ronni Thomas:

The Midnight Archive - Ep. 14 - Evan Michelson - It is a pleasure to have Evan Michelson, owner of the NYC epicenter of the odd 'Obscura Antiques' and star of Science Channel's "Oddities"' as a guest on our series. In what is certainly our most abstract and experimental episode, she quite eloquently puts into words why some of us are so drawn to certain objects, the dark, and the disturbing. Her house is, as she puts it, a literal library of the strange and esoteric. Each artifact houses a special story and emotion for its possessor. So enjoy a very psychedelic and surreal episode of the series and please make sure to like our facebook page for random tidbits of macabre history and events around the world! And be sure if in NYC or visiting to check our Obscura Antiques in the East Village - you will not be disappointed!

For more on the series, to see any of the episodes, or to sign up for the mailing list and thus be alerted to future uploads, visit The Midnight Archive website by clicking here. You can also "like" it on Facebook--and be alerted in this way--by clicking here.

Morbid Anatomies! Max Raabe! Amazing Collections! Victorian Machines! The Green Fairy! Post-Mortem Photography! Announcing Season Two of The Midnight Archive.

A new season of The Midnight Archive--that wonderful web-based documentary series centered around Brooklyn's Observatory--will be launching shortly, and series creator Ronni Thomas has just posted an exciting new teaser to give you a taste of what is to come, which, as you will see, will include featurettes on yours truly, the amazing Weimar-revivalist/performance artist Max Raabe, the time-traveling collection of Evan Michelson, the Victorian machines of Tim Mullen, Stanley Burns and his collection of Post-Mortem photography, and the green fairy herself, absinthe!

You can view the excellent teaser by clicking "play" above.

And here is what series creator Thomas has to say about this upcoming season:

Coming up shortly - after a brief hiatus the Midnight Archive web series is on its way back complete with all new things to make your eyes bulge. This season shifts focus to some prolific collections and their owners including our gal Joanna Ebenstein (Morbid Anatomy/Brooklyn Observatory) and the elegant and charming Evan Michelson (owner of Obscura Antiques in NYC) - but we also sprinkle in a decent dose of the old who/what/where/why's of the obscure. We're excited to get it underway and always excited to hear your feedback - prepare for a great stretch! 

For more on the series, to see any of the episodes, or to sign up for the mailing list and thus be alerted to future uploads, visit The Midnight Archive website by clicking here. You can also "like" it on Facebook--and be alerted in this way--by clicking here.

Sue Jeiven's Anthromorphic Mouse Taxidermy Class, Valentine's Day Edition

Above are some photos from the recent Valentine's Day edition of our most popular and most often sold out of Observatory class, Anthropomorphic Mouse Taxidermy Class with Susan Jeiven. Sue was recently profiled by the Spanish Television network Telemundo in a piece entitled "Pasatiempos controversial: Disecan animales muertos para decorar;" you can view it in its entirety by clicking here.

For those interested in studying with Sue, in making your own pieces and learning this largely lost Victorian art: I am pleased to announce a few rare vacancies in some upcoming classes; click here to find out more. Click on images to see larger versions; you can also see more photos from past classes by clicking here.

Amazing Baroque Bone Chapels and Real Life Mad Scientists: Episodes 5 and 6 of The Midnight Archive

The Midnight Archive, as mentioned previously, is a new web-based documentary series "centered around the esoteric and always exotic personalities that spring from Observatory," the Brooklyn-based event/gallery space I founded a few years ago. The series is created and directed by film-maker Ronni Thomas, who has plans to upload approximately one new episode per week to the new Midnight Archive website.

Episodes five and six of The Midnight Archive--A. Head B. Body and Empire of Death--have just been uploaded is now available for viewing! You can view them above or on The Midnight Archive website.

For more on the series, to see former episodes, or to sign up for the mailing list so as to be alerted to future uploads, visit The Midnight Archive website by clicking here. You can also "like" it on Facebook--and thus be alerted--by clicking here.

Morbid Anatomy Library on Fox News. Yes, Really.

A few weeks ago, Fox News (yes, THAT Fox News) sent over Red Eye host Bill Schulz and former medical examiner of New York Dr. Michael M. Baden for a little filmed visit to the Morbid Anatomy Library. In the course of our time together, we talked about phrenology, body snatching, and mummification. In addition, the very knowledgeable Dr. Baden conducted a thorough and pretty fascinating forensic examination of the newest addition to the library: an early 20th century human skeleton medical preparation, seen in the screen shot above.

You learn all about the skeleton--and watch the segment in its entirety--by clicking here.

The Midnight Archive Episode 2: Occult New York Part 1, Online and Available for Viewing!

As mentioned in this previous post, The Midnight Archive is a new web-based documentary series "centered around the esoteric and always exotic personalities that spring from Observatory," the Brooklyn-based event/gallery space I founded a few years ago. The series is created and directed by film-maker Ronni Thomas, who has plans to upload approximately one new episode per week to the new Midnight Archive website.

Episode two of The Midnight Archive--entitled Occult New York Part 1, and featuring the ever fascinating and many-time Observatory presenter Mitch Horowitz--has just been uploaded is now available for viewing! You can view it above or on The Midnight Archive website.

For more on the series, to see former episodes, or to sign up for the mailing list so as to be alerted to future uploads, visit The Midnight Archive website by clicking here. You can also "like" it on Facebook--and thus be alerted--by clicking here.

Tonight: Morbid Anatomy Scholar in Residence (and Star of TV's Oddities ) Evan Michelson on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson!

If you missed Morbid Anatomy Library scholar in residence (and star of TV's "Oddities") Evan Michelson's lecture "A Gathering of Bones" the night before last as part of The Congress of Curious Peoples, you might want to tune into the Late Late Show tonight at 12:35 AM to watch her match wits with Mr. Craig Ferguson! I know I will be doing so.

Image: An early 20th Century department store mannequin from the collection of Evan Michelson, as seen in the Secret Museum project.

Call for "Collectors of Unusual Things" for "Oddities" Television Show

Near NYC? Collect anything unique or out of the ordinary? Want to be on the next episode of "Oddities?" Email your info to odditiesshow@gmail.com!!!! The producers will be in touch!

This call for collectors just in from the production crew of "Oddities," the new Discovery and Science Channel series based on Obscura Antiques and Oddities in New York City. If you are a collector of unusual things and interested in appearing on the show--or would like additional information--email odditiesshow@gmail.com.

You can find out more about the show at this recent post and on the official website by clicking here.

TONIGHT: "Oddities” Marathon and Party, Observatory, 8:00 PM

We at Morbid Anatomy are very very excited about tonight's viewing party for our new favorite television series, "Oddities," which you might recall from this flurry of recent posts (1, 2, 3).

The "Oddities” Marathon and Party event--which will take place tonight at Observatory--will feature a four-episode marathon of the program, special drinks, a DJed after party, and prizes and giveaways, including an early brass "lucky skull" Mexican ring from "Oddities" cast member and Against Nature proprietor Ryan Matthew, a variety of 3D anatomical puzzles generously donated by Kikkerland, and, of course, Obscura Tshirts. The "cast" of "Oddities" will also be on hand for questions and comments.

You can see some clips (recommended!) and find out more about "Oddities" by clicking here.

Full details follow. Very much hope to see you there!

"Oddities” Marathon and Party
A four-episode marathon of the new television series Oddities, with give-aways, special drinks, surprise guests, and after party
Date: TONIGHT! Thursday, December 9
Time: 8:00
Admission: $5
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

On Thursday, December 9, you are cordially invited to join Morbid Anatomy and Observatory as we celebrate the new television series based on our favorite purveyor of curious and amazing artifacts, Obscura Antiques and Oddities in New York City’s East village.

The evenings festivities will include–as a special treat for those of us without cable–a screening of the first three episodes of Oddities, which will reveal, to the discerning eye, an assortment of familiar Observatory faces, including former lecturers Evan Michelson and Mike Zohn as well as a variety of members of the wider Observatory community. There will also be special drinks, a DJed after party, surprise guests, and prizes and give-ways throughout the night. Members of the cast will also be available for questions and comments.

To find out more about the show, check out http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/oddities.

Hope very much to see you there!

To find out more about the event, click here. You can see some clips and find out more about "Oddities" by clicking here. You can get directions to Observatory--which is next door to the Morbid Anatomy Library (more on that here)--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.

"Oddities” Marathon and Party, Observatory, December 9th, 8:00 PM

We at Morbid Anatomy are very very excited to announce an upcoming viewing party for our new favorite television series, "Oddities," which you might recall from this flurry of recent posts (1, 2, 3).

For those who have not yet heard about this somewhat surprising manifestation of a burgeoning popular interest in curiosities and the macabre: "Oddities," which premiered a few weeks ago, is a new Discovery Channel-based reality show documenting the day to day life of Obscura Antiques and Oddities, Morbid Anatomy's favorite purveyor of curious artifacts in New York's East Village. The series "stars" friends, proprietors, and Observatory regulars Evan Michelson and Mike Zohn, as well as old friend Ryan Mathew, and follows their adventures and travails as they pursue artifacts for the shop, research provenance and history of objects, and interact with their collector clientèle.

The "Oddities” Marathon and Party event--which will take place on Thursday, December 9th at Observatory--will feature a three episode marathon of the program, special drinks, a DJed after party, and prizes and give-ways throughout the night. Members of the "cast" will also be available for questions and comments.

You can see some clips (recommended!) and find out more about "Oddities" by clicking here.

Full details follow. Very much hope to see you there!

"Oddities” Marathon and Party
A three-episode marathon of the new television series Oddities, with give-aways, special drinks, surprise guests, and after party
Date: Thursday, December 9
Time: 8:00
Admission: $5
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

On Thursday, December 9, you are cordially invited to join Morbid Anatomy and Observatory as we celebrate the new television series based on our favorite purveyor of curious and amazing artifacts, Obscura Antiques and Oddities in New York City’s East village.

The evenings festivities will include–as a special treat for those of us without cable–a screening of the first three episodes of Oddities, which will reveal, to the discerning eye, an assortment of familiar Observatory faces, including former lecturers Evan Michelson and Mike Zohn as well as a variety of members of the wider Observatory community. There will also be special drinks, a DJed after party, surprise guests, and prizes and give-ways throughout the night. Members of the cast will also be available for questions and comments.

To find out more about the show, check out http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/oddities.

Hope very much to see you there!

To find out more about the event, click here. You can see some clips and find out more about "Oddities" by clicking here. You can get directions to Observatory--which is next door to the Morbid Anatomy Library (more on that here)--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.

Oddities, Obscura Antiques and Oddities, Discovery Channel, Premiere Report

Oddities--the previously discussed reality show [sic] based on my favorite store in the world, Obscura Antiques and Oddities--premiered last night on The Discovery Channel. I am very happy to report that I actually quite liked the show, which came to me as some surprise as I am, in general, no fan reality television. Oddites is actually a television show I would--and will!--watch, and I am so proud of all my friends whose knowledgeable, thoughtful, and non-histrionic participation is elevating it well above the usual reality television fare!

You can view my favorite clip from last night's episode--which stars a very charismatic playwright and Obscura regular named Edgar and his encounter with a straitjacket--by clicking here. Note: you will have to sit through an obligatory commercial to get to the good stuff, but it is definitely worth it.

Oddities will be airing Thursday nights at 8:00 PM on the Discovery Channel; I highly highly highly recommend you find a way to check it out (I surely will be...). You can find out more--and view many more clips!--on the Oddities home page (pictured above) by clicking here.

"Very Bad Things" and The Morbid Anatomy Library in Newsweek, Article and Video

The Morbid Anatomy Library has just been featured in a Newsweek Magazine article entitled "Very Bad Things," which is essentially a meditation on why people collect the unspeakable, from "hipbones to wallets made of human skin to babies in jars." The piece was inspired by Mark Jacobson's new and excellent book (about which he just spoke at Observatory) The Lampshade: A Holocaust Detective Story from Buchenwald to New Orleans. Good friend Evan Michelson of the incomparable Obscura Antiques and Oddities--who is also co-star of the new reality show "Oddities" (as mentioned in yesterday's post), and Morbid Anatomy Library Scholar in Residence--also makes a characteristically well-spoken and thoughtful appearance.

Accompanying the article is a video tour of The Morbid Anatomy Library which the magazine describes as "A Peek Inside a 'Morbid' Museum;" You can view the video above if you so choose.

You can read the article--and see the video in context!--by clicking here. For more about The Morbid Anatomy Library, click here. To find out more about Mark Jacobson's book The Lampshade--or purchase a copy!--click here. To find out about his recent Morbid Anatomy Presents lecture at Observatory, click here. To find out more about Obscura Antiques and Oddities and the new program "Oddities," click here and here, respectively.

"Oddities," Obscura Antiques and Oddities, Discovery Channel, Premiering Next Thursday at 9:30 on Discovery Channel

Wow. Its for real.

"Oddities," the new reality TV show (that's right, REALITY TV SHOW) based on Morbid Anatomy's favorite shop Obscura Antiques and Oddities in New York City's East Village. Seen above, in moving images and sound, in the just-released trailer. The show features shop proprietors and good friends Evan Michelson (aka Morbid Anatomy Library Scholar in Residence) and Mike Zohn, who recently dignified us with a wonderful lecture on Automata at Observatory.

Wow. Wow! Somehow I did not expect to see so many familiar faces.

"Oddities" premieres Nov. 4 at 9:30 p.m. on Discovery Channel; after the launch, it will air Thursdays at 8 PM. You can find out more about Obscura Antiques and Oddities by clicking here; you can see a recent MA Post on the story by clicking here. For more on the show--including a link to a story in the New York Post--see this recent post.

"Oddities," Obscura Antiques and Oddities, Discovery Channel

Yes, the rumors, bizarre as they are, are true. Obscura Antiques and Oddities--my absolute favorite store in the world, see images above--is now the base, inspiration, location, and cast-provider for "Oddities," a new reality TV show (sic) that will be shown on The Discovery Channel starting next Thursday. The show stars not only friends and friends-of-the-blog Evan Michelson (Morbid Anatomy Library scholar in residence) and Mike Zohn--the proprietors or the inimitable Obscura Antiques--but also an array of other fascinating friends and collectors who travel in their circle.

With this cast, setting, and array of possible situations, "Oddities" will doubtless make unusually compelling reality television. I, for one--and please note, I generally HATE reality TV!--can't wait to see it!

More about the show--which premieres next Thursday, November 4th--from today's New York Post (which, although it seems to miss the point somewhat, provides a good description of the action):

Manhattan's own Obscura Antiques & Oddities and its owners, Mike Zohn and Evan Michelson, are the focus of a new series, "Oddities," premiering Nov. 4 at 9:30 p.m. on Discovery Channel. It'll air Thursdays at 9 p.m. thereafter.

The shop, located at 280 East 10th (between 1st Avenue and Avenue A) has a cornucopia of just-plain-weird stuff, like human gallstones, late 19th century poison bottles and bizarre medical instruments. And Zohn and Michelson seem just as colorful (he's a "creative taxidermy" winner; she's into Victorian mourning jewelry and was in a "Goth fetish band," whatever that is).

In the first episode, Mike finds a mummified cat in the private collection of "an eccentric artist" (ya think?) but worries it might be putrefying. Yeeeccchh. He also informs a customer, who thought he had a collection of musket balls, that they're actually something else entirely. I won't spoil it for you.

The second episode finds Evan encountering a puppeteer who's looking for a prosthetic limb, and a customer who has what appears to be a dead body in the trunk of his car.

Good times.

The show premieres Nov. 4 at 9:30 p.m. on Discovery Channel; after the launch, it will air Thursdays at 9 PM. You can find out more about Obscura Antiques and Oddities by clicking here; you can see a recent MA Post on the story by clicking here.

Thanks to Lord Whimsy for alerting me to the official announcement.