L’Oracle du Mort: One of many amazing clockwork pieces by Thomas Kuntz to be featured here in the Archive.
Thomas Kuntz, a professional artist for over 20 years, began as a sculptor of Commercial Toys, but later gained notoriety circa ’89-98 as a pioneer in the making of model kits based on old silent films like Nosferatu, The Man Who Laughs, Vampira, and others.
After a period of time Kuntz found that merely sculpting his dark creations was not nearly enough for him, and that he wanted to give life to his creations through mechanical, perhaps supernatural means… This change in method resulted in some of the darkest and most interesting automations known to man, and not nearly as many fatalities and disappearances as may be rumored.
You may have seen Thomas’ twisted creations in many places, though you may not have been aware of the crafter behind them, or the astounding degrees of meticulous craftsmanship responsible for their being. Mr. Kuntz’ creations have served in the armies and arsenals of many noteworthy people, interesting types such as Kevin Ogilvie, a.k.a. Nivek Ogre, frontman of theatrical post-punk industrial band “Skinny Puppy”. Thomas has made mechanical props for the band, and for Nivek alone, with pieces for use on stage, and for use in video.
In his workshop, Thomas Kuntz controls an army of clockmaking lathes from 1880-present, and each piece he creates is more said to be more exquisite than the last. There are only a handful of builders in the world who make automata, and no one does it like Mr. Kuntz. (more…)
These films (found through the wonderful Emily Beighley) are shades of things to come for the coming Miskatonic Archive exhibit on Automata, featuring another (soon to be named) artist who, like the Amazingly Brilliant Keith Newstead, embodies the very spirit of steampunk ingenuity and craftsmanship.
Please enjoy the videos below, and if you would like to see more of Keith’s wondrous works, visit him at his aetherweb home Keith Newstead Automata – and be sure to check this space again next week, we have more amazing things to show!
Myke Amend has spent the last day moving his store into the Archive’s Reliquiary, as his store sometime this coming week, for an uncertain amount of time will have a bad fail infestation as he seeks to redesign and re-arrange his domain.
There are many, many new items here now, some even that he had forgotten to put in his regular store, some new exclusives to us.
There will also be many additions in the coming days by Bethalynne Bajema
Myke will also be putting up many many more originals here in the Archive over the next day or two as well, for those who like to collect original pieces – aside from what is already here, there will be a number of additional engravings of all sizes and themes, as well as some small scuptures and perhaps even some wood and brass works.
So, please do take a look, everything is one sale right now. I don’t think there is a thing in the store that has not been at least somewhat reduced. This week will be the very best time to acquire some original art, and a very good time to purchase prints and other merchandise as well.
A variety of histories have been offered to explain the creation of the entertaining and slightly wicked creature known as Robyn Von Swank. The more conventional creators of rumor and innuendo simply claim that Miss Von Swank was born to scientist parents long ago on a remote island in the previous century. Raised among experiments and smoking glass beakers, Von Swank found herself greatly drawn to the process of documentation. Her subject matter varies from the simple photographic evidence of zombies in our living world to the arcane practices of strange witch doctors.
The more eccentric tellers of origin tales claim Miss Von Swank was really discovered in 1893 at roughly 80 to 90 feet of digging in the notorious Oak Island Money Pit. These tales claim a stone box with a variety of strange engraved markings was found and brought to the surface. Upon opening the box nothing but emptiness was discovered, however the box was cleaned off and set aside so researchers could take their time studying the strange markings. The excavationer’s went to sleep and come sunrise were shocked to hear the gurgling of baby coos from inside the box. There sat the nude form of a baby happily playing with a very small and strange sliding wooden box camera. Explanations for how this child came to be here were wild and varied, even including a strange theory not unlike Schrödinger’s cat. When all was said and done the origins of the little girl were never discovered, but her gift for capturing the bizarre through the eye of her camera and the alluring and macabre nature of her craft cause most people to not really care if Von Swank is the product of blood raining from the moon or two uber-nerds getting jiggy with it.
Miss Von Swank can be found in the lovely and warm state of California bettering her photographic craft and working on specialized portraits or music videos. Miss Von Swank welcomes inquiries to work with her but cautions all to treat her well during these interactions or she might be forced to set her personal protection on you, which are rather vicious, hidden pokey-stick packin’ mechanical scarabs.
Please take a moment to visit Miss Von Swank at her portfolio: VonSwank.com
Photographs in this entry are copyright Robyn Von Swank, All Rights Reserved. They are reposted here with permission from Robyn. Many thanks to her!
(1926) H. P. Lovecraft as Published October 1927 in “Weird Tales”
You needn’t think I’m crazy, Eliot- plenty of others have queerer prejudices than this. Why don’t you laugh at Oliver’s grandfather, who won’t ride in a motor? If I don’t like that damned subway, it’s my own business; and we got here more quickly anyhow in the taxi. We’d have had to walk up the hill from Park Street if we’d taken the car.
I know I’m more nervous than I was when you saw me last year, but you don’t need to hold a clinic over it. There’s plenty of reason, God knows, and I fancy I’m lucky to be sane at all. Why the third degree? You didn’t use to be so inquisitive.
Well, if you must hear it, I don’t know why you shouldn’t. Maybe you ought to, anyhow, for you kept writing me like a grieved parent when you heard I’d begun to cut the Art Club and keep away from Pickman. Now that he’s disappeared I go round to the club once in a while, but my nerves aren’t what they were.
No, I don’t know what’s become of Pickman, and I don’t like to guess. You might have surmised I had some inside information when I dropped him- and that’s why I don’t want to think where he’s gone. Let the police find what they can- it won’t be much, judging from the fact that they don’t know yet of the old North End place he hired under the name of Peters.
I’m not sure that I could find it again myself- not that I’d ever try, even in broad daylight!
Yes, I do know, or am afraid I know, why he maintained it. I’m coming to that. And I think you’ll understand before I’m through why I don’t tell the police. They would ask me to guide them, but I couldn’t go back there even if I knew the way. There was something there- and now I can’t use the subway or (and you may as well have your laugh at this, too) go down into cellars any more. (more…)
