thirteenth pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty (12. 832)

After a pause of more than three year after the discovery of the undisturbed burial chamber, the mummified remains of Tutankhamun were discovered on this day in 1925 by Egyptologist Howard Carter and his team. Over three thousand years after his death, the king is notably the only mummy yet found completely intact and with no sign of tampering and despite the famous find and iconic nature of his gold and lapis lazuli death mask, very little is known about the individual’s circumstances or cause of death, other than a reign of about a decade dedicated to undoing the much the cultural and religious reforms enacted by his predecessor and father Akhenaten and expiring only as a young adult, hence referred to a the boy-king. Laid to rest in a series of nested coffins which we carefully opened to reveal the golden sarcophagus—the headdress crafted to give him the likeness of the god Osiris. Inlaid with faience and precious stones, the back of the mask is inscribed with a chapter from the Book of the Dead, a collection of creation and resurrection texts, spells and incantations used in funerary rituals. Studied forensically for nearly a year, the body was indelicately separated from the gold coffin and reinterred within one of the larger ones and stays in repose in Luxor in the Valley of the Kings. Although contributing much to public awareness of the field of archaeology, Tutankhamun’s treasures and alleged curse—published and propaganda in the following decades, turned out to be more captivating than his mortal remains.

synchronoptica

one year ago: a tarot card inspired garden (with synchronopticæ), more air-based food plus a Trump rally in Manhattan

twelve years ago: the NSA espionage in Germany 

thirteen years ago: a Halloween greeting plus a seasonal recipe

fourteen years ago: China relations plus a gathering of the Common Wealth realms

fifteen years ago: polarised politics plus US government budgetary outlays  

seventeen years ago: proving you are not a robot 

blue collar boom (12. 831)

Via Boing Boing we are directed to a rather blatant display of christo-fascist propaganda (generated by AI of course but with typical machine wokeness filtered out and the implicit message baked-in) in a series of US government sanctioned advertisements from Trump’s labour department recruiting campaign, encouraging the white and male, virility virtually without exception despite some tokenism and a few women and darker-complected individuals appearing as subordinates and somehow more dated and fantastical in this Norman Rockwell vision that’s far from just benighted in its subtext, to skill-up and enter into apprenticeship programmes, as the acolytes did who propped up the president himself and saved him from television obscurity and his own deserved reputation as a bad businessman. No second glance is necessary to recognise the message not as some retro-styled call to action but rather as erasure of the reality of the populace that drives America and cued into the same aesthetics and ideals of the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda of Joseph Goebbels.

mummers parade (12. 830)

Featured in full on Spitalfield’s Life, we found this abecedary by illustrator Marion Elliot of folklore and superstition to be an absolute delight whose risograph alphabet on exhibit is perfect for the height of the spooky season. 

From the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance to the Cornish legend of the Mermaid of Zennor, with everything in between ranging from sin-eaters, corn dollies and The Wicker Man (see previously here and here). 

Adopt a letter and research further into the custom or myth each panel represents, but be cautious as these collections were not only regarded as didactic aides by the clergy, it was also believed that the alphabet possessed supernatural powers itself.

giorno poetry systems (12. 829)

Courtesy of Weird Universe, not only do we learn about the public multimedia experiment (see also here, here and here) started by artist and activist John Giorno in 1968—initially introduced as an installation before being deaccessioned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York after complains over its catalogue being weighted towards counter-cultural polemics and a subsequent FBI investigation into potentially subversive language before retreating into different iterations and media, we learn that the service is still active and one can dial-a-poem—or visit the its web presence for a random selection (or with directory assistance per app), sourced from the original exhibit (collaborating with John Cage, Allen Ginsberg, William S Burroughs, Patti Smith and others) with many more contributors added in the decades since.

the farthest shore (12. 828)

As for other authors of the genre, the business of world building is a key first step, and no exception for godmother of high fantasy-fiction Ursula K LeGuin (previously here and here) who meticulously charted out her complex, layered narratives before populating them with her characters. Along the same lines as Le Guin’s pithy quote about how people who deny the existence of dragons are often eaten by them—“from within”—mapping out her domains has an immediate impact: “I saw and named Earthsea and all its islands. I knew almost nothing about the but I knew their names. In the name is magic.” More on the exhibition from Hyperallergic at the link above.

no sir—i don’t feel very much like talking (12. 827)

The duo of Mayte Mateous and María Mendiola discovered by an RCA Records executive whilst on holiday in Fuerteventura performing for tourists singing traditonal songs and dancing flamenco and formed the band Baccara for the label reached the top of UK charts on this day in 1977 with their signature single, holding the number one spot for a week, becoming an international hit and the first female and Spanish act to achieve this. Almost immediately after this success, several cover versions were recorded in other languages, including Finnish, Czech and Latvian.

*    *    *    *    *

synchronoptica

one year ago: Bezos’ owned Washington Post declines to endorse a US presidential candidate (with synchronopticæ), a temporary monument for the January Sixth rioters, a seasonal treat from Louie Zong plus assorted links worth revisiting

eleven years ago: a lingual family tree, space tourism plus collectable matchbooks

twelve years ago: metastasised lobbying culture, the extravagant lifestyle of the Bishop of Limburg plus underestimating animal intelligence

thirteen years ago: homeopathic remedies plus anticipating Guy Fawkes Night 

charring cross (12. 826)

Another property saved from falling into abject disrepair from the Spitalfield’s Trust, the Gentle Author directs our attention to the real estate on the market in the Kentish Weald of the remnants of the archbishop’s palace, a favoured respite during the day’s journey from Canterbury to Lambeth Palace in London for centuries as well as hosting Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon (and vast entourage) on their embassy with France’s Francis I for their representatively opulent summit at the Field of Cloth of Gold. Ultimately converted into a dwelling space following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1545 (also the work of Henry under the Reformation) this storied way-station (see also) was redeveloped as a farming complex and is in need of a good caretaker. We wish we had the spare resources for such a noble endeavour lying around.

wormsign (12. 825)

This spectacular image of a lone horseman standing in the mawing mouth of a rocky outcropping in Cappadocia—one of the multitude of “fairy chimneys” or hoodoos (peribacası), the formations named for the Southern Paiute word of the indigenous Native American tribe of the southwest of the continent for a vista inspiring awe and trembling, some the pinnacles and spires in this region of Türkiye have been hewn into ancient dwellings—looking like scene from a wintry Arrakis was captured by Erfurt-based filmmaker and photographer Dennis Schmelz, securing top prize in the annual drone photo competition, the Siena awards, see previously. NPR’s Goats & Soda features more outstanding honourable mentions at the link above.