The Weird, Unusual, & Strange - Kuriology Oddities & Curiosities

Why you should NOT whittle your stick over your boots (This is not a euphemism)

Why you should NOT whittle your stick over your boots.

Making a 'Stang'  (This is not a euphemism) 

Kuriologist, Stang & Tik-ma-dog dressed  for a previous winter solstice Montol Festival
(What is Montol?  Think ritual procession in the 1970's film 'Wickerman' & your getting close)

Last night I decided to whittle my next seasons 'stang', something I generally like to do around the Celtic Samhain festival.  

However last night the need to whittle was a reaction to my utter frustration at the last couple of days computer usage.  The horrible impact of the dark sorcery arts of Microsoft wizardry casting their computer spells through forced updates upon my computer.  These enforced updates have caused misery, havoc & chaos, deleted programs, made files inaccessible, programs crash & other such pain. I have had to create some very convoluted frustrating work rounds to complete what were previously very simple computer tasks.  Curse you Microsoft.

(NB: I hate Windows 10 more passionately,  than I despise Windows 8, & I'm not impressed with that previous Microsoft regression & their utter aloof contempt towards their customers).

In fear & trepidation each morning I turn on the computer to discover what will Microsoft no longer allow me to use my computer for - Windows Movie Maker already a casualty = no more simple slideshow creations & I, like many others on the inter-webbry cannot find a simple, 'emphasis on simple',  program to replace it. 

So last night  I decided to strip the bark & whittle my 'stang'.  It is a satisfying, but messy process. Strips of bark & wood shavings cascade under the blade as I like to relax, kick off my boots & watch/listen to television whilst stick whittling.

Each year I have a new staff (stave, rod,  stang).  During August - September whilst out walking Tik-ma-dog I start casting my eye over suitable branch growth before the Autumn.  You would be surprised how difficult it is to find just the right long, straight-ish & forked length of growth of both correct length & girth.  I prefer an at least elbow high stave-stang.  By the end of the year it will have worn down by some 4 inches (10cms) or so through usage.  Tik-ma-dog & I tend to do a lot of solitary 'bimbling' (Navy slang) around the Cornish countryside & coastline.  

My preference is for Sycamore wood.  In Cornwall, sycamore are sometimes referred to as 'weed trees'.  They do pop up all over.  It is sustainable, regrows quickly when cut, peels beautifully with a blade of its bark, leaving white wood (once scraped of pithy under bark).  The wood then when seasoned for a week or two, rubbed down with wire wool & brown boot polish leaves a delightful pale honey glow to the wood. 

So last night I whittled.  This morning after sitting at computer during 1st round check of ebay listings & etsy, twitter, tumblr, etc.etc.  the sudden realization the clocks had gone back an hour.  My computer had automatically reset the time.  Which Is why my head was an hour out sat at the computer.  British Summer Time first brought in during WWI & fiddled about still further during WWII (British Summer time, its just something we Brits do).

Tik-ma-dog was now doing a minor River Dance jig at this stage so it was imperative to get her out for her walk. Rushing downstairs thrust my foot into my walking boot &..... well you get the general idea.

Which is Why you should NOT whittle your stick over your boots! 

When weird is for all year, not just for Halloween. Wunderkammer Curiosity and Oddity Collectors

When weird is for all year, not just for Halloween. 

Wunderkammer Curiosity & Oddity Collectors

A few  'Art of Kuriology' creations listed for sale on eBay.co.uk 

These did not come out of a mold in a plastics factory in the far east. 

Individually hand crafted & unique.  More can be found on etsy

Shark exhibit on wood display stand, Faux Fish Taxidermy, Unusual Curio Oddity

Steampunk Taxidermy Laboratory Vampire Rat on Wooden Stand, Goth Weird Unusual

Faux Severed Mummified Hand Taxidermy Antique Finish Weird Odd Curiosity

Skull Antique Style Papier-mâché Taxidermy Museum Exhibit Curio SideShow Prop

Antique Style Faux Skull Taxidermy Unusual SideShow Oddity Exhibit on Wood Stand

Windows 10 - In an Emergency - 'Seated Shepherd' - Museum Exhibited Male Nude Figurative Sculpture

'Seated Shepherd' 

 Museum Exhibited Male Nude Figurative Sculpture 

created by 'Art of Kuriology'

In case of Kuriology emergency up load slideshow. 

Today my computer is in melt down.  

Either Microsoft has made a forced instillation of Windows 10 on my computer (it was windows 8.1) or Google Chrome made a chronically flawed upgrade. I cannot access settings to even find out if that is what has been done.  Windows 10 = Don't touch it with a barge pole if you have an older computer, like more than say three weeks old.

What this external instillation resulted in was/is - no access to pictures, music, documents &  files through desktop, programs deleted (like Windows Movie Maker), initially no access to websites (all passwords deleted). Still cannot access settings & a plethora of other usual internal commands & files. It is an abomination.

I have spent ALL DAY trying to find work arounds!

Eventually found a method of putting short cut links onto old old start page desk top from a free program I had when Windows ditched the start  page (What a STUPID idea that was!).  Cannot access programs at all.  Windows ten = What an abortion!

 Movie Maker is gone & I keep getting taken to a webpage spouting how wonderful Windows 10 is.  It is not, Windows ten is horrific.  That is why I removed it previously about a year ago or more  & went back to windows 8.1.(Which 8.1 is quite frankly worse than XP professional was. If I could have XP Pro back, I would in a flash).

I made a number of Kuriology Sculpture video short slideshows just for such an emergency for blogging.

 As yet not found a single simple video program which is a patch on the simplicity & intuitive nature of Movie Maker.

I have always been astounded at the utter contempt Microsoft exhibit towards their users, but this Windows 10 forced instillation, deletion of programs, blocking of access, removal of files, deletion of passwords - takes the biscuit. 

Not Happy!

What is Vulture Culture - Oddities - Cult of Weird - Curiosities & Wunderkammer... it is all Kuriology to me

What is

Vulture Culture - Oddities - The Cult of Weird 

- Curiosities & Wunderkammer 

....it is all 'KURIOLOGY' to me!

Part of Kuriologist's own 'Cabinet of Curiosities' - Kuriology

Yesterday the sun shone, it was a beautiful autumn day & the computer was throwing a major hissy glitch fest of epic proportions.  The wizards in the Microsoft towers were obviously casting spells again, I think.

In such circumstance the best  thing to do is take Tik-ma-dog for a good long two hour plus walk.  Refreshed by a 4 mile+ Cornish countryside bimble, a good proper cup of coffee at a favored watering hole garden centre. Then return home to do battle & continue one sided swearing session with computer.  Google Chrome seemed to be the primary villain yesterday.

What was working (or at least accessible) was Tumblr. = https://kuriology.tumblr.com/ 

Tumblr is new to me, or more accurately I tried it once before but could not get on with it,

.... however, Now!  

Part of Kuriologist's own 'Cabinet of Curiosities' - Kuriology

Tumblr is seemingly on the surface SO MUCH EASIER to use than Google+.  

Google+ seems to be based on witchcraft & ritual computer magic, as be damned if I can work it out & it is certainly not an intuitive social media platform for an old fossil like me to use.

So Tumblr it was, & whilst ferreting & furtling around on the site I learned a new term.  'Vulture Culture'. This follows hot on the heels of another recently term I've learned, 'Oddities' collections. Both seem to be primarily terms in use on the other side of the pond in USA & Canada.  

Part of Kuriologist's own 'Cabinet of Curiosities' - Kuriology

Now 'Vulture Culture' is not to be confused with a 'Culture Vulture'...confused?

A Culture Vulture is a person (generally UK middle class) who is an avid follower of the Arts, as in music, art, theatre, ballet, etc.:

Where as  'Vulture Culture' is seemingly the practice of collecting, gathering of dead things, bones, skulls, taxidermy, natural history objects, Memento mori, even paleontology (fossils), conchology (shells), etc. 

From what I have observed from a straw poll of profiles, seemingly this 'Vulture Culture' practice seems to primarily appeal to several demographics,  ie. collecting of curious things has always appealed to the young between 6 - 13yrs of age group, but also inquiring minds, goths, persons of any age but of an eccentric inclination, also almost anyone connected to museums, artists (or creative people in general). Interestingly, appealing equally (by profiles viewed) to those of such inclination in both male & female genders.

Part of Kuriologist's own 'Cabinet of Curiosities' - Kuriology

This 'Vulture Culture' practice links & leads to 'Oddities' collections, which in general tend to house aspects of the aforementioned dead things, but also may stray & bleed into such areas of including anatomical models, anatomy, macabre, medical & scientific objects, gothic, occult, witchcraft, folk art, tribal items, etc. etc.

...as is embodied in the 'The Last Tuesday Society' in London

...and this to my mind is what makes up such collections as 'Cabinets of Curiosities' (or as the French would say ''cabinets de curiosités') 

...or as the Germanic countries might say, Kunstkabinett, Kunstkammer or Wunderkammer 

However, all these various terms for the culture of collecting the weird, unusual, macabre, strange, 

bizarre, the abandoned, dead, stuffed, peculiar, obscure, enigmatic, odd, creepy, curious, freaky, 

eccentric, unnatural, grotesque, mysterious, occult, wonderful, etc. are best summed up for 

me by one term 

 'Kuriology'

Because as the actress Maureen Lipman said, when playing a dotting Jewish Grandmother in a 1998 old former British Telecom advert - 'if you get an 'ology', your a scientist' 

If you are foreign, don't remember or are too young, 

the link to British Telecom - 'Ology' advert is below

Kuriology = Your a scientist!

'Blue Satyr' - 2nd Male Nude From Series of Figurative Sculpture by 'Art of Kuriology'

'Blue Satyr' - 2nd Male Nude From Series of Figurative Sculpture by 'Art of Kuriology'

Exhibited at Helston Museum, Cornwall, June 2017

'Blue Satyr' -  2nd in a mini-slideshow series of Male Figurative Sculptures created by Kuriology.   Sculpture as exhibited at Helston Museum, June 2017 as part of the 'From Behind Closed Doors', a sculpture exhibition by The Kuriologist.

Blue Satyr by Kuriology

This particular sculpture is of a naked young male satyr with syrinx (pan pipes).  A traditional common theme subject of both classical Roman & Greek sculpture.  To most enlightened & educated persons a nude mythical hybrid goat-human is not intended to stimulate sexual excitement & by proxy not pornographic.

However this & all the Kuriology male nude sculptures are 'banned' from Cornwall Gay Pride.  It would seem Cornwall's gay population are deemed by the Cornwall Pride Committee as being utterly incapable of coping with the sculptural depiction of the male nude form.  

Which makes me laugh, as for many years the Cornwall Gay Pride parade at Truro would pass by a very large naked male sculpture of a nude drummer in Lemon Quay Plaza, presumable erected by the council.  

That sculpture did not seem to cause a break down in public decency behavior as gay people passed by it.  Nor was I aware of sudden turning of the open square in Truro, into a free for all gay dogging session due to exposure to a male nude sculpture?  

Nudity is after all not pornography...or is it?

Some however seem intellectually incapable of differentiating between the two.
  
This is the definition of pornography - 'printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity, intended to stimulate sexual excitement.' 

The problem here is personal intent & interpretation.  I know someone who has a real thing for women's stiletto shoes.  A picture of an unworn stiletto shoe can cause them sexual arousal, but an image of a shoe is certainly not pornography by definition.   

I have always considered in any nude artwork, be it painting or sculpture as to whether the subject is depicted in a natural state & one which does not convey or intend to convey overt sexual eroticism. 

Where as pornography generally has both facial expressions combined with pose which are intentionally erotic or sexually arousing & frequently, primarily in film or photography with a specific emphasis upon genital area, mammary glands or rectum ...but is still subjective to viewer interpretation.

Likewise I have always liked the attributed quote to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, but be damned if I can find it.  It went something like, - a wealthy Lady observing Lautrec's paintings at exhibition criticized Latutrec's paintings of nude women as being obscene, prostitutes being his models. 

Lautrec said to have responded along the lines of - 'Madam, please take your filthy thoughts off of my nice clean paintings'

Generally I find those who criticize depiction of nudity in art are generally trawling & reflecting the bottom of their own lurid thoughts & sexual depravities, fantasies & fetishes far more so than that of any intent on the part of the artist to depict or convey such. 

Outsider Art 'Alternative Visions' Touring Exhibition of Excellence : Kuriology

Outsider Art 'Alternative Visions' 

Touring Exhibition of Excellence

Finally made it to the 'Alternative Visions' exhibition of Outsider Artists.  This touring exhibition throughout 2017/18. The 1st Art Exhibition to which The Kuriologist has submitted work.  Although not one of the final artworks selection, a Kuriology sculpture is still featured in the exhibition. Yay! (*Does happy dance)

The quality of work of the exhibits was to my mind excellent, refreshing & art to which mostly I could actually relate too.  This was not high brow, arty-farty, bourgeoisie conceptual art bullsh*t, which I have unfortunately come to expect from so many art? exhibitions.  So many galleries I have seen conceptual work? which actually excludes me far more than it draws me in to engage with it.

This for me was an exhibition of real art, by real people, untrained, raw, & outside of the academia of a generally pretentious & excluding art world, which I personally believe ostracizes more people from art & its ultimate enjoyment. 

I was delighted to find this video on youtube of some of the exhibiting artists & their work

Now I did have to look really hard to find the tiny screen which was displaying some of the x300+ other artworks submitted to the 'Alternative Vision' exhibition.  I dutifully stood & watched as equally good work to that which made the final cut slid past my eyes a few seconds at a time.

• *It is always a joy to be able to instantaneously recognize a piece of work by an artist when one is not expecting to see it.  I recognized a stylized painting of two birds in flight by Peter from Redwing gallery in Penzance, in Cornwall  

Kuriologist submitted sculpture to 'Alternative Vision'

The above image is the sculpture I submitted to the exhibition. One of many pseudo anatomical species museum exhibits I have created.  Ironically many have now actually been museum exhibited at Helston Museum in June of this year (2017).

Museum Exhibited Kuriology Insects

Why was The Kuriologist one of the submitted artists to 'Alternative Visions'?  

I have a full clinical & forensic diagnosis of post traumatic stress disorder, suffering from catastrophic trauma, severe anxiety, panic attacks & a form of people related agoraphobia. It left me housebound for ten years & my art creations, self taught, kept me engaged with life.

The 'Alternative Visions' exhibition organised by Outsidein.  

Thank you Outsidein.

Venues and dates for 'Alternative Visions' Exhibition:

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery: 3 June - 10 September 2017

Falmouth Art Gallery: 25 September - 10 December 2017

The Wilson, Cheltenham: 6 January - 11 March 2018

Poole Museum: 21 March - 6 May 2018

How To Get Quality Followers by Begging, Bribery, Groveling, Demanding & Maybe Even Throw A Tantrum?

How To Get Blog Followers by

Begging, Bribery, Groveling, Demanding & Maybe Even Throw A Tantrum?

Kuriology Reliquary Curiosity Cabinet

The above title question is a dilemma & certainly a question that needs addressing, -especially for The Kuriologist.  

HOW to get quality followers? 
Actually, how to get any followers at all...let alone client customers?

You are a valued reader, but are you following this blog?
Have you shared this info with others via social media?

You can & it would really be appreciated!

Now I am still working on principles which have worked brilliantly for me in the past with a prior blog & other webpages.  A previous blog & stuff a few years ago had thousands of views a week & dozens of regular followers. However, something seems broken for me in the inter-webbery & I suspect maybe so for many others also?

1. Unique content = Ticked that box. 

In fact my unique selling point, (USP) in marketing speak, is that my artwork is quite unique but in theory, should still have a strong niche market.  A wide spectrum of diverse persons theoretically including Pagans, Goths, Steampunk devotee, Taxidermists enthusiasts, Oddity Collectors, Witchcraft & folklore aficionados, Cabinet of Curiosities fans, Museum buffs, &  individuals with inquiring minds, to name a few.  

This couples with my personal mental meanderings in my diverse posts.  OK, so am a bit of a butterfly brain, flitting from this to that, but still within the confines of the rose garden which is the 'Art of Kuriology'. 

2. Create a network of interconnected websites 

Well let us see. Here are few interconnected sites used for 'Art of Kuriology'.

Kuriology.com

Twitter

Youtube

Tumblr

Vimeo

Pinterest

Blogger

Etsy

*NB - Kuriology is currently having a mobile phone issue with Facebook, Likewise Instagram (There is NO reliable mobile signal where I live in - 'here be dragon country'- of rural Cornwall.)

Then there are Art portfolio sites.  Here are a few Kuriology uses:-

Artobolus 


ArtDiscover 


Artid 

Artweb 

Outsidein

FoundMyself 

VoodooChilli 

Wooloo 

Zhibit 

...and when I post new content it is shared with the other sites, plus Reddit, Digg & Stumbleupon. 

...& I'm also Old Skool enough to use just one or two Blog directories which have served me well.

Now you'd think that lot would work, but No.  Still not getting metaphorical 'bums on seats' (followers) interacting positively with the content?

What am I missing?

Someone is going to say SEO! (Give them a bloody hard slap for me!)

'Search Engine Optimization' .....or practicing the dark arts of occult web magic & witchcraft as I like to call it.  The technical and creative elements required to improve rankings, drive traffic, and increase awareness in search engines.

If search engines are the roadways to enable others to find my stuff on the inter-webbery...then seemingly my roadways are being run by Cornwall Highways & are riddled with potholes big enough for entire migrant families to set up refugee camps within the confines of the holes?!

Since those who practice SEO are clearly all followers of some Satanic computer cult & speak in coded tongues, because when I look at so-called 'guides' to SEO they are clearly written in gibberish & seem to be the writings of Louis Carrol - 

This is how all SEO guides read to me:- 

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
  Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
  And the mome raths outgrabe.

So it appears to be really back to basics for Kuriology - flood the internet with relentless content until the search engines buckle at the knee in defeat at the sheer volume of persistent material put out.  Well, it might be worth a try?

So dear reader, if you really want to give a lift to an ageing old starving artist (well moderately hungry) & keep my 'Disability Assistance Dog' in chews, you need to re-post, blog, tag, like, follow this & other Kuriology articles for the betterment of both society & humanity....not to mention the advancement of Kuriology!

You will be striking a blow of resistance against the march of the machines (ie; Seach Engines).  Gods help us when the computers get full AI & realize what us humans are like.   

Vampire Rat & Where to Buy Other Unusual, Weird & Curious Odd Things...Why eBay.co.uk of course!

Vampire Rat & Where to Buy More Unusual, Weird & Curious Odd Things...Why eBay.co.uk of course!

Kuriology created Steampunk Vampire Laboratory Rat

Here at 'Art of Kuriology' HQ we are slowly releasing into the public various of our creations.  We need space to create even more Kuriology 'things'. Above picture is of one of our Steampunk Vampire Laboratory Rats, Kuriology created in our Bio-hazard Art Unit  (Small corner on left hand-side of the workbench).  Now everyone has heard of vampire 'bats', - but vampire rats?

Rats are known to eat pretty much anything organic, if they put their minds (& teeth) to it.  Even some forms of thermal insulation & electrical wire cable coatings are not safe from what many consider as nibble-y nasties. Rats are also not adverse to a little cannibalism, or even a lot as a 2016 newspaper article raises. 

This particular Kuriology rat was exhibited at Helston Museum as part of our 'From Behind Closed Doors' exhibition.  The exhibition  had nothing directly to do with mad scientists creating Frankestien-esque beasties in dodgy GM crop labs, but was in fact about the invisibility of being disabled when housebound.  

This Kuriology rat was however a tongue in cheek 'nod' to the previous dumping of toxic waste from Nancekuke, the Ministry of Defense former chemical warfare laboratory at what is now RAF Portreath.    On the original decommission  of the chemical research facility, waste was dumped down abandoned mine shafts in Cornwall.  

Don't believe me...read up on Nancekuke, in particular questions asked in House of Commons & recorded in Hansard.

Here is a little slideshow video of what other Unusual, Weird & Curiously Odd 

Kuriology items we have released onto eBay.co.uk this week.  

NB:- Auction ends early Sunday afternoon

29th Oct 2017.

..and if your fed up with being 'sniped' in the last few seconds of an auction.  Set up your own FREE Snipe account  (I did).   Pip those eBay auction bargains in the last few seconds.

'Naked Youth' - Museum Exhibited Male Nude Figurative Sculpture by 'Art of Kuriology'

'Naked Youth' - Museum Exhibited Male Nude Figurative Sculpture 

by - 'Art of Kuriology'

'Naked Youth' - Exhibited at Helston Museum 2017

This particular sculpture originally started as one of the figures in the UK National LGBT History Project Month Cornwall Sculpture Exhibition.  This sculpture which was to represent a 'Twink' was not finished in time (There were over x30 other sculptures that were finished in time).  

There are days when one is blank, & have nothing in mind, & nothing pre-prepared to post on the blog. Then realization strikes.  All those photos taken for items listed on eBay & Etsy can be further utilized by creating mini-slideshow vids.  A light bulb moment. These vids in turn are in effect further promotional vids for 'Art of Kuriology'.

Sometime ago I had already begun creating a simple series of mini-vids of the Male Figurative Sculptures created.  It got put on hold as other more pressing demands made themselves felt...like a computer than was slower than a geriatric snail.  It is staggering how a good blitz maintenance can get rid of 6 Gigabites of redundant code & obsolete files clogging up the ageing old PC.  Today, my computer is running like a race horse on steroids fueled by Nos.

Most of the male figurative sculptures to be featured were exhibited at award winning Helston Museum earlier this year (2017) as part of the 'From Behind Closed Doors' exhibition.  The Kuriologist exhibition dubbed by various UK southwest newspapers as, the 'Museum of the impossible'. 

Now the average view-time of a youtube video appears to be around 1.29 secs.  This mini-vids series come in around 1.40 secs per vid, but the last 15 secs taken up by credits.  Credits a courtesy & absolute must where utilizing Creative Commons music created by another artist/s ...but then who looks at credits anyway, right?

• If I had a £1 for every time I'd posted a video with accredited music at the end & some 'plonker ' asks - 'what's the music', when the information is already provided?

To date there are x15 of these mini-vids of various individual  'Art of Kuriology' created male figurative sculptures.  Some have already sold, others are for sale & others remain in the Kuriologist Private collection. This is still the tip of the iceberg of numerous 'Art of Kuriology' sculptures created, but as yet many still remain yet to be photographed. 

Check out the 'Art of Kuriology' online shop 'KuriousThings' 

Dragon Art, Draco or Jabberwocky? Mythical Beast released to 'KuriousThings' on etsy.com

Dragon Art, Draco or Jabberwocky? 

Mythical Beast released to 'KuriousThings' on etsy.com

Dragon 'KuriousThings' on etsy.com

As the Kuriologist, I'd been having two really unpleasant days on the computer....and when that happens I have to retreat & become creative.  In this instance it meant making a 'Dragon' - or Draco, or is it a Jabberwocky?

Now according to 'Alice in Wonderland' author Lewis Carrol, we should - “Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! ...and this dragon has both teeth & claws!   It has six limbs - two wings, two front legs & two back legs.  

Therefore it is not a Wyvern. 

 Apparently, Wyvern have only four limbs.  Back legs & wings.  Which according to online experts (& lets face it we are ALL online experts these days), is what the dragons in Game of Thrones have, which according to 'some' means they are not dragons, but Wyvern. 

...or is it a case of 'all Wiccans are witches, but not all witches are Wiccan' 

, ie; All Wyvern are dragons, but not all dragons are Wyverns?

Don't even get me started on Behemoths, Basilisks, Hydra or Cockertrice?

Even the taxonomy of mythical cryptozoological beasts has to be correct these days..& I was just going for a 'ball-park' dragon like 'Smaug' creature. hey-ho.

Dragon by Kuriology at 'KuriousThings' on etsy.com