Wednesday 4 October 2017

Nautilus or not a Nautilus, that is the steampunk question?

Nautilus or not a Nautilus, that is the steampunk question?

Nautilus Pompilius created from newspaper by the Kuriologist
So there I was watching something diabolically boring on television.  As usual I was fiddling & scrunching newspaper in my hand.  My deliberating whether to mix up a new batch of paste & carry on working on the half complete meter long kraken squid hanging on my study wall.

In my hand was a form taking shape that seemed familiar.  Completely unconsciously I had begun to create a shell form.  Now I love chambered Nautilus shells, there is something about their shape & form that is pleasing.  I had been reconsidering having a pop at making one for sometime, as previous attempts had alluded me. 

Kuriologist created Raw paper nautilus form
The 'Nautilus' name very much synonymous with steampunk enthusiasts, but more so for the submarine than for the mollusc sea shell from which the underwater vessel derives its name.  

For me the nautilus pompilius shell always conjures up an image of still life paintings or wonderful goblets of the Renaissance era, but the Greeks & Romans too had a love of the exotic shell form . No self-respecting Cabinet of Curiosities or Oddities collection seems to lack one of these shells in its midst.

But this Kuriologist creation surely more of an oddity.  A real 'paper' nautilus that was not a paper nautilus (there is such a natural thing as a paper nautilus - Argonauta argo, a form of pelagic octopus), nor was this a pompilius nautilus, but a paper one.

Now that I have seemingly cracked how to make this conchologists favorite I will probably have to list them in at https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/KuriousThings   But give me a day or two, as I'm still getting to grips with listing inventory on etsy.

Nautilus pompilius by the Kutiologist

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You can find Kuriology Art for sale on :-https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/KuriousThings