L – Page 38 – Necromantic

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Hypnotic Abstraction: The Art of Sougwen Chung

Sougwen Chung is a Brooklyn-based designer and illustrator whose abstract drawings are utterly bewitching and entrancing. Incredibly detailed and intricate, these writhing masses, coiling infinitely upon themselves, have a sense of palpable kinetic energy, and, though the shapes are abstract, also a sense of being organic.

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Rotten Little Darlings: The Art of Zhang Peng

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Pedro Pires’ “Danse Macabre”

“For a period of time, while we believe it to be perfectly still, lifeless flesh responds, stirs and contorts in a final macabre ballet. Are these spasms merely erratic motions or do they echo the chaotic twists and turns of a past life?”

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Una Burke’s Medical Armor

Una Burke’s Re.Treat is a conceptual collection of artwear inspired by prosthetic devices and medical braces and the process of healing from trauma. The warrior-like body armor is reminiscent of medical corsetry, and evokes the idea of using human flesh as a shield against psychological harm. The means of protection also become a means of entrapment, binding the body tightly. She cites a few of her influences as Hans Bellmer, Alexander McQueen, and Erwin Olaf.

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“Before the Tide Comes In” by Zhang Jingna

Photographed by Zhang Jingna, featuring clothing by Mother of London.

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BioShock Infinite

This is the debut trailer for the third installment in the BioShock series, which takes place in the airborne city of Columbia in the year 1912, and deals with themes of American exceptionalism.

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Antichrist: A Brief Review

One of the best movies I’ve seen recently is Lars von Trier’s Antichrist from 2009, starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg, a truly unique and provocative experience. It’s almost impossible to describe what this film is like, or “about.” It’s like a slow-moving, beautiful, irresistible nightmare. I would describe it as psychological/surreal arty horror.

The movie is divided into four chapters, titled “Grief,” “Pain (Chaos Reigns),” “Despair (Gynocide),” and “The Three Beggars.” It tells the story of a nameless couple whose child dies in an accident, and who subsequently go to a cabin in the woods to cope with the mother’s trauma. The film seems divided into two distinct parts, very different in terms of what they give away about the story. In the first part, it seems very much as if the movie is really simply about her boyfriend-cum-psychologist trying to help her overcome her anxiety and panic attacks. Nothing that happens in the first part isn’t within the realm of reality. Once they move to the cabin, strange things begin to occur, and the movie shifts into a more surreal, nightmarish atmosphere, gradually building in horror until it reaches a fever pitch.

The cinematography is absolutely beautiful. It is worth watching for that alone. Overall the movie is eerie, highly atmospheric, erotic, intense and visceral, bizarre and gorgeous. It deals with the occult but not nearly in a literal fashion. It has these lovely scenes of surreal, disturbing beauty, like the piles of pale limbs and naked bodies entwined with tree roots in the promotional image above. Antichrist is a strange gem, mysterious, powerful, and profoundly psychological.

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Dolls by Lena and Katya Popovy

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Kouichi Kimura’s “House of Vision”

I love this house designed by Kouichi Kimura in 2008, located near Shiga, Japan. It’s so elegant – almost a bit “aseptic”-feeling, which I think is partly due to how sparingly furnished the house is in the pictures. I think it’s beautiful, though. Minimalist yet luxurious at the same time, utterly modern and sleek, interesting all around.

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Marina Bychkova’s Enchanted Dolls

Marina Bychkova makes the most beautiful ball-jointed dolls. They are incredibly detailed, costumed, and decorated with body art – exquisite porcelain creations evocative of the melancholy side of fairy tales.

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