Category Archives: Anatomy

These great type skulls were the work of designer Ross Elliott and “made entirely from unaltered characters of Fette Fraktur”. I imagine they took a while to produce, the symmetry alone would drive me crazy (although I secretly love making things perfect with alignment in illustrator, ha). Major props for the creativity! Be sure to check out more on his Behance Portfolio.

[via visual-graphic]

This weekend, The Morbid Anatomy Library and Observatory--which are next door neighbors, by the way!--will host open hours as part of Atlantic Avenue Artwalk. So, if you're in the hood from 12-6 PM and would like to poke about the library with a glass of wine, or peek into The Secret Museum with the photographer on hand to guide you through the exhibits, then please, come on by!

Following the open studios, Observatory will be hosting a free closing party for The Secret Museum, which will run from 6 PM until the wine runs out (which we are approximating at 10:00 PM); there will also be snacks and the DJ stylings of Mister Friese Undine.

All events will take place at the old box factory at 543 Union Street, Brooklyn at Nevins; enter via Nevins Street alley and Proteus Gowanus Gallery. Click here to view map.

This promises to be good times; very much hope to see you there!

You can find out more about Atlantic Avenue Artwalk by clicking here. You can find out more about the Secret Museum Exhibition by clicking here and more about the closing party by clicking here. You can find out more about the Morbid Anatomy Library by clicking here and about Observatory by clicking here.

Image: Installation view of Observatory's Secret Museum Exhibition.

Cosmas and Damian were twin brothers who lived in Syria during the 200s CE. Under the influence of their devout mother, they embraced the Christian religion that was still outlawed by the Roman authorities. They were both physicians and, unlike colleagues, are said to have provided free treatment. Their growing fame brought them to the attention of the Roman consul, who ordered them to make a sacrifice to the gods. When they refused, they were executed.

Over 48 miracles were credited to the twins, including, amongst others, the development of remedies against plague, scabs, scurvy, kidney stones and bed-wetting. Their most famous miracle involved the alleged replacement of a diseased leg of a white patient with the leg of a recently deceased black man. This legend became increasingly popular from 1200 onwards, and contemporaries would have been in no doubt that it was a miraculous procedure. While amputation was a known, if extreme, procedure, there is no way that a limb from a corpse could have been successfully transplanted to an ailing donor, who then went on to live.

Cosmas and Damian are regarded as saints by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Coptic Christian churches. Roman Catholics consider them the patron saints of medicine and their skulls are venerated as holy relics in a shrine at a church in Madrid. Their saints’ day is 26 September.

Via the Science Museum's unrivaled "Brought to Life" web exhibition.

Click on image to see larger version; Image caption: "A verger's dream: Saints Cosmas and Damian performing a miraculous cure by transplantation of a leg." Oil painting attributed to the Master of Los Balbases, Oil 15th/16th century. Image credit: Wellcome Library, London via Brought to Life.

Behind this beautiful packaging, lies a historical event that boggles minds today.  Way before Street Anatomy and the Skull-a-Day blog, 13 magnificently crafted skulls were found scattered around the world. No one really understands how they were made that well so long ago. The thought is that they hold magical powers that have healing qualities.  After drinking some of this vodka, you too may feel the magic! Check out the origin of this design here!

...Observatory celebrates the eccentric and nurtures the curious; its oddities delight the eye as well as the mind.

Thanks to Melissa Stern for loving Observatory--the arts/event space I run with 6 other people in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York--enough to write a charming piece about it for this week's Time Out New York.

The piece is entitled "I’m Officially Obsessed with Observatory;" You can read the article--from which I drew the excerpt and image above--in its entirety by clicking here. You can find out more about Observatory by clicking here; you can join the Observatory mailing list by clicking here, and can join us on Facebook by clicking here.

The above image is sourced my Secret Museum exhibition, which closes with a party this Sunday, June 6. More on that soon; in the meantime, you can visit the Secret Museum website by clicking here. Image caption reads: Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Gallery of Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy, Paris, France, Established 1793

“A lonely man turns to frankensteining his utensils to find love, happiness and a dance partner.”  Silly, but fun.

Darren Hanlon “Electric Skeleton” music video

Directed by Natalie van den Dungen
http://www.natalievandendungen.com
New single from the album ‘Pointing Ray Guns at Pagans’
http://www.darrenhanlon.com