fanciful devices: Feliz Dia de los Muertos

A Stone Is Nobody's

A man ambushed a stone. Caught it.
Made it a prisoner.
Put it in a dark room and stood guard over it for the rest of his life.

His mother asked why.

He said, because it's held captive, because it is captured.

Look, the stone is asleep, she said, it does not know whether it's in a garden or not. Eternity and the stone
are mother and daughter; it is you who are getting old. The stone is only sleeping.

But I caught it, mother, it is mine by conquest, he said.

A stone is nobody's, not even its own. It is you who are conquered; you are minding the prisoner, which is yourself,
because you are afraid to go out, she said.

Yes yes, I am afraid, because you have never loved me, he said.

Which is true, because you have always been to me as the stone is to you, she said.

Russell Edson

FAQs

1. Are you a Southeast Asian dancing girl from the 1800s?

No, sorry to disappoint. My avatar and banner images are from an ancient book I found in the depths of my grandmother's cabinets. More on that here.

2. How do you make everything look so old?

First, you need a good oxidizer to brush on every bit of metal you can reach. I'll tell you all about it here.

Then there's this wax. I first mentioned it here. You'll have to scroll down a lot.

3. How can you be so productive?

I'm insanely obsessed and I have no offspring. I do nothing else- I don't have a day job, I don't clean my house or cook, I spend all day in pjs, often completely abandoning personal hygiene... I only interact with other humans when I walk my dog. And I like people! But I prefer dogs.

And I'm sloppy- but I make that sloppiness work for me.

4. Any tips you'd like to share?

No! Except for these 16 posts about techniques and this one about how to find your aesthetic.

5. Would you be offended if I took some inspiration from your designs?

Well, I'd be happier if you outright copied them.

No really, imitation is how we learn. I have enough ideas to go around. And even if I don't- please. No one's going to do this obsessively enough to threaten my business. (Probably.) I learned by copying others and I've seen others copy me as a step toward developing their own voice. So feel free. (I'd love if you tossed me a link in my comments, so I can feel like a proud momma.)

6. What do you look like?

Why, what have you heard? Really? Wow.

11/3/10

Feliz Dia de los Muertos

La Calavera Catrina- the elegand skull, the stylish dead.

here

This is how José Guadalupe Posada poked fun at the hipster ladies of the age. Soon, those show-off fashion-plates will be as dead as the rest of us, he seemed to say.

here

"Calavera Oaxaqueña" by Jose Guadalupe Posada (1910)

I've come to realize that Mexicans have no idea how cool and quirky Americans think Day of the Dead is. "Death can be funny. Death can be a party!" A woman said to me yesterday, explaining the holiday. "It hurts us when our loved ones go, but we know they're still around, so we can tease them a bit. We know we'll end up the same soon enough." Talk about memento mori.

Jose Guadalupe Posada.

I met some really cool people yesterday volunteering for get-out-the-vote yesterday. But I got sick. I was freezing and underbundled, so when I got inside I warmed up with half a cup of coffee and then I couldn't get to sleep til 6:30 this morning. Never again! Caffeine after 7 pm will not tempt me again!

5 comments:

Spirited Earth said...: Sorry you got undone by the cold and caffeine
In the long ago,i spent Dia de los Muertos in Oaxaca Mx.
it was an amazing experience..
the alters loaded with assorted fav's of the dearly departed were curious and touching, orange marigolds and red celosia petals dotted the streets like confetti, dead bread and festive sugar skulls everywhere.; 11/3/10, 11:14 AM
stregata said...: Sorry your exertions have lead to your feeling low and hope you will feel better soon.
In the mostly Catholic area I live in, November is a solemn month, where the graves are tended and blessed. All very solemn, very grave - not a bit of joy. You'd almost think they don't believe in the heaven they are all trying to get to.; 11/3/10, 12:40 PM
~Debi said...: Awww, sorry you got sick. I hope you feel better really soon! :); 11/3/10, 12:54 PM
fanciful devices said...: Thanks guys, im feeling better already.
Spirited- you're in oxaca!!!? omg! did you post about it? i wanna see pictures!; 11/3/10, 5:39 PM
fanciful devices said...: Thanks guys, im feeling better already.
Spirited- you're in oxaca!!!? omg! did you post about it? i wanna see pictures!; 11/3/10, 5:39 PM