 Date: Thursday, March 29
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Inspired by Migration, the year-long exhibition at Proteus Gowanus, music writer John Swenson suggested we do a series about British rockers who come to America seeking fame and fortune. John knows quite a few, and the first on his list is Tony De Meur!
“Think Pink”: Comedian Ronnie Golden, aka Tony De Meur of the Fabulous Poodles, relives the golden days of 80s post-punk and New Wave. De Meur has agreed to do an exclusive presentation at the Observatory while in New York for the opening of his latest project, “The City Club,” a musical at the Minetta Lane Theater in Greenwich Vilage. The self -described “Swiss Army Knife of Entertainment” and writer of such memorable hits as “Mirror Star,” “Think Pink” and “Stompin’ On the Cat” will reprise his career as rock songwriter, TV star (”The Young Ones”) and Edinburgh Fringe performer. John Swenson will MC and will sign copies of his latest book, New Atlantis.
BIO: “Ronnie Golden” is the alias of Tony DeMeur whose musical career began at age ten with his crooning “No Other Love Have I” to Akela in the Turkey Street Cubs’ hut. Nine years later and he’s touring round Britain in “The Corsairs” with his old school chums, opening shows for Tom Jones, Englebert Humperdinck and Scott Walker. Hair was dutifully grown and an altogether more experimental concept was born - “Ugly Room” - playing ‘pig-stabbing music’ opening onetime for debut of “David Bowie’s Hype” after recommendation from wife-to-be Angie.
Such childish things were put aside for a couple of years while he worked at the Tate Gallery and then “Daddy Stovepipe” was his next incarnation, warbling ancient blues songs and music hall ditties in cheap suits and strumming a ukulele. Then South London theatre-based twenty-strong aggregation “Silly Balls” asked him to join and he was soon working alongside mime genius Lindsey Kemp dressed up in a foam rubber garden wall declaiming “Some Enchanted Evening.” It was a living (actually it wasn’t with twenty other fuckers on the payroll!)
After this period of certifiable madness Bob Suffolk invited him to become a “Fabulous Poodle” and his world shifted on its axis. Almost imperceptibly. From cult status in the UK to Top Forty in the U.S. supporting Tom Petty, Sha Na Na and The Ramones all across that demented continent. Three albums and then came the predictable rock’n'roll hari kari.
A short period of rampant paranoia ensued, followed by a new identity and - voila! - “Ronnie Golden” was born.
Invited to Soho’s ‘Comic Strip’ one rainy midweek evening in 1981 he was blown away by Alexei Sayle, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer et al and one week later was on the show alongside a very raw but hilarious Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders and the world premiere of twenty-one year old Ben Elton. An appearence in BBC 2’s “The Young Ones” followed and then a whole bunch of other comedy shows including “Saturday Night Live” and “Stomping on the Cat” (named after one of Ronnie’s more sensitive tunes.)
He then joined The Actor’s Centre, got himself an agent and took occasional acting work notably as a heroin addict in C4’s “How Much Is Too Much?” and as an MI6 agent in “The Fourth Protocol” with Pierce Brosnan and Michael Caine.
There were other musical ventures like the acappella doowop of the “Dialtones” but when he was asked to put together a band for the ‘graveyard shift’ in The Gilded Balloon at The Edinburgh Festival in ‘89 he jumped at it and called up a bunch of his favourite alcoholics and the rest, as they say, is………hysteria.
Presented by John Swenson and GF Newland, and brought to you by Observatory’s Things-That-Move Department.
 Yes, friends, we’re over the moon about our 3rd Anniversary! Come celebrate with us, and help support your favorite interdisciplinarian art, science, & occult event space.
Date: Saturday, February 18th
Time: 8pm
Admission: $20
Check out our art show, Lunation: Art on the Moon, and then trip out to a Moon Phantasmagoria show by VJ Fuzzy Bastard. We’ll also be screening episodes from the Midnight Archive, a show featuring your favorite Observatory masterminds.
Libations will be provided courtesy of La Fée Absinthe.
There will also be:
The luminous MC Lord Whimsy!
Stellar giveaways courtesy of Kikkerland!
Out-of-this-world raffle prizes, including:
Gift certificates from the scrumptious SweetWolf’s and the delectable Palo Santo!
Moonrise Perfume from Herbal Alchemy!
Audiobooks from Hachette!
Occult Book Set including an autographed copy of Mitch Horowitz’s Occult America (Bantam), and Manly P. Hall’s The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Tarcher/Penguin)!
Abraxas International Journal of Esoteric Studies with accompanying occult music CD!
Lunavision Ritual Tea Set from Rebis Remedies!
And so! much! more! We look forward to seeing you there.
 Anthropomorphic Insect Shadowbox by Daisy Tainton, teacher of today's workshop With Daisy Tainton, Former Senior Insect Preparator at the American Museum of Natural History
Date: Sunday, February 12
Time: 1 - 4 PM
Admission: $65
*** SOLD OUT; Additional class added on March 24th; link here
Rhinoceros beetles: nature’s tiny giants. Adorable, with their giant heads and tiny legs, and wonderful antler-like protrusions. If you think they would be even more adorable drinking tiny beers and holding tiny fishing poles, we have the perfect class for you! In today’s workshop, students will learn to make–and leave with their own!–shadowbox dioramas featuring carefully positioned beetles doing nearly anything you can imagine. An assortment of miniature furniture and foods will be made available to decorate your habitat, but students are strongly encouraged to bring any dollhouse props they would like to use. 1:12 scale is generally best.
Daisy Tainton was formerly Senior Insect Preparator at the American Museum of Natural History, and has been working with insects professionally for several years. Eventually her fascination with insects and love of Japanese miniature food items naturally came together, resulting in cute and ridiculous museum-inspired yet utterly unrealistic dioramas. Beetles at the dentist? Beetles eating pie and knitting sweaters? Even beetles on the toilet? Why not?
 Date: Sunday, March 25th
Time: 1-4pm
Admission: $130
Presented by Phantasmaphile
***Very limited class size! You must RSVP to phantasmaphile [at] gmail .com if you’d like to attend. You will then receive a payment request via Paypal.
Smell is the most neglected of our senses yet it has an instantaneous power to penetrate our consciousness, invoking memories and emotion. Odors are ethereal and elusive yet can strongly attract or repel.
As a concerned consumer, you are choosing organic food, seeking out sustainable products and opting for eco-friendly packaging. But what about the fragrance you wear? That signature scent is likely composed of synthetic materials (as most commercial fragrances are), mass-produced, packaged and shipped around the world in the millions of units. Natural perfumery is a much different process that uses only essential oils and precious absolutes that are extracted from plants. Like fine wine, subtle differences can be found from the same plant from year to year depending on soil conditions and climate meaning that it is not an exact science but a creative alchemical process.
In this sensory workshop we will examine the artisanal art of natural perfumery. Students will gain a basic understanding of the sense of smell, the history of perfume, the advent of synthetic ingredients and the return to naturals. Perfume ingredients and formulation will be explored, and each participant will leave with two bottles of their own bespoke perfume.
No prior knowledge of perfume making is required. Students should bring a notebook to class, all other materials will be provided.
Julianne Zaleta is a natural perfumer, aromatherapist and herbalist and has trained with Michael Scholes and Jeanne Rose. Owner and sole proprietor of her own company, Herbal Alchemy Apothecary, Julianne creates aromatic and therapeutic remedies and elixirs for a wide variety of ailments. As a perfumer she has trained with Mandy Aftel to create a line of all natural perfumes. Recently she has turned her attention to artisanal cocktails, which makes her work life quite enjoyable, as you can imagine.
Anthropomorphic Insect Shadowbox by Daisy Tainton, teacher of today's workshop With Daisy Tainton, Former Senior Insect Preparator at the American Museum of Natural History
Date: Saturday, March 24
Time: 1 - 4 PM
Admission: $65
*** MUST RSVP to morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com as class size is limited to 12
This class is part of the Morbid Anatomy Art Academy
Rhinoceros beetles: nature’s tiny giants. Adorable, with their giant heads and tiny legs, and wonderful antler-like protrusions. If you think they would be even more adorable drinking tiny beers and holding tiny fishing poles, we have the perfect class for you! In today’s workshop, students will learn to make–and leave with their own!–shadowbox dioramas featuring carefully positioned beetles doing nearly anything you can imagine. An assortment of miniature furniture and foods will be made available to decorate your habitat, but students are strongly encouraged to bring any dollhouse props they would like to use. 1:12 scale is generally best.
Daisy Tainton was formerly Senior Insect Preparator at the American Museum of Natural History, and has been working with insects professionally for several years. Eventually her fascination with insects and love of Japanese miniature food items naturally came together, resulting in cute and ridiculous museum-inspired yet utterly unrealistic dioramas. Beetles at the dentist? Beetles eating pie and knitting sweaters? Even beetles on the toilet? Why not?
 "Moon Viewing," from the series "Artistic, Aesthetic and Poetic Tastes of the Japanese," by Gerald Marks, as featured in our current Lunation exhibition. Put on 3-D glasses for full experience. Date: Friday, February 17
Time: 8:00
Admission: $5
Presented by Morbid Anatomy
The Moon and its relationship to our earth has been a prominent feature in the work of artist Gerald Marks for the past four decades. Tonight, join this 3-D legend and former San Francisco Exploratorium artist in residence for an all 3-D ode to our dear satellite. Some of the images premiered at Marks’ 2000 presentation at the American Museum of Natural history as part of their “Rockets in Sprockets” festival, honoring the first anniversary of the new Rose Center for Earth & Space. Also included will be Marks’ panoramic 3-D images of New York City, taken during the January 2001 Lunar Eclipse, from the top of the World Trade Center.
Gerald Marks is an artist working along the border of art and science, specializing in stereoscopic 3-D since 1973. He may be best known for the 3-D videos he directed for The Rolling Stones during their Steel Wheels tour. He has taught at The Cooper Union, The New School for Social Research, and the School of Visual Arts, where he currently teaches Stereoscopic 3-D within the MFA program in Computer Art. He was artist in residence at San Francisco’s Exploratorium and a Visiting Scholar at the MIT Media Lab, where he worked with computer-generated holography. His Professor Pulfrich’s Universe installations are popular features in museums all over the world, including the Exploratorium, The N. Y. Hall of Science, and Sony ExploraScience in Beijing & Tokyo. He has done 3-D consulting, lecturing & design for scientific purposes for The American Museum of Natural History, the National Institutes of Health, and Discover Magazine. He has created a large variety of 3-D artwork for advertising, display, and pharmaceutical use, as well as broadcast organizations Fox and MTV. He has designed award winning projections and sets at the N.Y. Public Theater, SOHO Rep, Kaatsbaan International Dance Center and the Nashville Ballet, where he created stereoscopically projected sets. He created the 3-D mural in the 28th Street station of the #6 train in New York City’s subway. He did 3-D imaging of dance around the New York shoreline as part of an iLAB grant from the iLAND Foundation for using the arts to raise environmental consciousness.
 Remedios Varo "To Be Reborn: 1960 Date: Sunday, January 22nd
Time: 3-5pm
Admission: $20
Presented by Phantasmaphile
***You must RSVP to phantasmaphile [at] gmail.com if you’d like to attend, as space is limited
Ancient cultures from around the world have looked to the moon as a source of deep and potent power. By working with her phases and honoring her myths, one can learn how to manifest personal transformation and glean profound wisdom.
Tonight we’ll ready ourselves for the first new moon of the year with an evening of lunar ritual and contemplation. We’ll explore the spirit of the moon through story, symbol, and spell work, with special focus on Hecate, the goddess of darkness and magick. The evening will include ritual, meditation, and discussion, as well as teachings regarding how to start your own moon magick practice. You’ll learn how to work with the specific energies of each lunar phase, thereby effecting meaningful change in your life.
Please bring a candle and holder, as well as any altar objects you like. Please also bring a cushion, pillow, or fabric, as we will be sitting on the floor (chairs will be available for those who need). Note-taking is welcome. This workshop is open to men and women, novices and advanced practitioners alike.
Pam Grossman is an independent curator and lifelong student of magical practice and history. An initiate in the wise woman tradition, she is currently apprenticing with green witch Robin Rose Bennett. She is the creator of Phantasmaphile, a blog which specializes in art and culture with an esoteric or fantastical bent. Her group art shows, Fata Morgana: The New Female Fantasists, VISION QUEST, and Alchemically Yours have been featured by such outlets as Boing Boing, CREATIVE TIME, Time Out New York, Juxtapoz, Arthur, 20×200, UrbanOutfitters.com, and Neil Gaiman’s Twitter. She is a co-founder of Observatory, where her programming aims to explore mysticism via a scholarly yet accessible approach.
 Carbon dust drawing by instructor Marie Dauenheimer of an innominate bone (human) called the "nameless bone," commonly called the pelvic bone or hip bone. Drawing class with Board Certified Medical Illustrator Marie Dauenheimer, MA, CMI
Date: Sunday, March 18
Time: 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Admission: $75 (includes materials cost)
*** MUST RSVP to morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com as class size is limited to 10
This class is part of the Morbid Anatomy Art Academy
Carbon dust is a technique perfected by medical artist Max Brodel, at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, in the late 19th century. This technique–which, until the digital age, was an essential component of medical illustration education–allows the artist to create luminous, textural, three-dimensional drawings by layering carbon dust on prepared paper.
Today’s one day intensive workshop will teach students the use of this all but forgotten medium, and guide each student in the creation of a finished work based on real anatomical specimens supplied by the instructor. The workshop will also include a historical lecture placing carbon dust drawings in the context of the history of anatomical and medical art. The instructor will provide all materials necessary for this workshop, and will also share finished carbon dust drawings (such as her depiction of the “nameless bone,” above) for study.
Marie Dauenheimer is a Board Certified Medical Illustrator working in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. She specializes in creating medical illustrations and animations for educational materials, including posters, brochures, books, websites and interactive media. Since 1997 Marie has organized and led numerous “Art and Anatomy Tours” throughout Europe for the Vesalius Trust. Past tours have explored anatomical museums, rare book collections and dissection theatres in Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Scotland and England. In addition to illustrating Marie teaches drawing, life drawing and human and animal anatomy at the Art Institute of Washington. Part of Marie’s anatomy class involves study and drawing from cadavers in the Gross Anatomy Lab at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, DC.
 Date: Thursday, December 22nd ****SOLD OUT****
Time: 8pm
Admission: $20
Presented by: Phantasmaphile
***You must RSVP to phantasmaphile [at] gmail.com if you’d like to attend, as space is limited ***SOLD OUT***
Join green witch and wise woman Robin Rose Bennett in a joyful community circle as we celebrate the shortest day and longest night of the year. We will create sacred space and turn the Wheel of the Year with song, story, and candle lighting.
Please bring a personal candle and holder. Festive dress, altar objects, instruments and food or drink to share after the ritual are welcome.
Rest and dream in the safety of deep darkness. Journey within to conceive the spark of your own light and life to be reborn in the spring. Whatever your spiritual tradition, come celebrate the magical rhythms of nature that unite us all.
Robin Rose Bennett is an herbalist, writer, green witch, and educator who teaches Wisewoman Healing Ways of herbal medicine. She is the author of the booklet Wild Carrot:A Plant for Conscious, Natural Contraception, two meditation CDs and her book, Healing Magic: A Green Witch Guidebook to Conscious Living. Her website is www.robinrosebennett.com
 Top image: Still-Life with a Skull, "Vanitas" by Philippe de Champaigne (1602–1674); Bottom image: Skeleton from the Morbid Anatomy Library who will be featured in our Vanitas compositions Drawing class with Proteus Gowanus Artist in Residence Lado Pochkhua featuring real human skeleton
Date: 6 Mondays, January 9th through February 13th
(Jan. 9, Jan. 16, Jan. 23, Jan. 30, Feb. 6 & Feb. 13)
Time: 7:30-10:00 PM
Admission: $110 (classes can also be taken individually on a drop-in basis for $20 per class)
*** This class has a 10 person size limit; Please RSVP for full course at morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com
This class is part of the Morbid Anatomy Art Academy
Vanitas is a genre of still-life painting that flourished in the Netherlands in the early 17th century. A vanitas painting contains collections of objects symbolic of the inevitability of death and the transience and vanity of earthly achievements and pleasures, exhorting the viewer to consider mortality and to repent.
In this class, Lado Pochkhua, an accomplished classically trained artist (see following bio) from Eastern Europe and artist in residence at our sister space Proteus Gowanus will, using a variety of artifacts drawn from The Morbid Anatomy Library, teach students to create and draw their own “vanitas” compositions. The main star of said Vanitas composition will be the genuine human skeleton recently donated to the library, which you can see in the bottom photograph.
The ultimate goal of the class will be not only the creation of this particular drawing, but also understanding of the principles of classical drawing. The instructor will also share historical images throughout the course.
No previous drawing experience necessary; all levels are welcome!
MATERIALS
Please bring with you to class:
- One drawing pad at least 18″ X 20″ with a firm back; paper Fabriano or Arches, or Strathmore 400
- Pencil: HB, 2B, 4B, simple graphite pencils, (no charcoal !!!)
- Eraser
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Lado Pochkhua was born in Sukhumi, Georgia in 1970. He received his MFA in Painting and Printmaking from Tbilisi State Art Academy in Georgia in 2001. He currently divides his time between New York and Tbilisi, Georgia.
Selected Exhibitions:
- 2011 “Works from the Creamer Street Studio,” at the Literature Museum, Tbilisi Georgia (solo show)
- 2010 “Paradise ” at Proteus Gowanus, New York
- 2009 “Prague Biennale 4,” Georgian pavilion
- 2009 “The Art of returning Home,” Arsi Gallery, Tbilisi Georgia (solo show)
- 2008 Gardens, Ships, and Lessons, K. Petrys Ház Gallery, Budapest, Hungary (solo show) Exhibition of Georgian Artists, Festival OFF EUROPA ditorei Gallerie NBL, Leipzig, Germany
- 2004 Artists of Georgia, Georgian Embassy, London, UK
- 2003 Curriculum Vitae: a retrospective of 20th century Georgian art, Caravasla Tbilisi History Museum, Tbilisi, Georgia, Waiting for the Barbarians, Gallery Club 22, Tbilisi, Georgia (solo show)
- 2001 21 Georgian Artists, UNESCO, Paris, France
- 1998 Magical Geometry, TMS Gallery, Tbilisi, Georgia (solo show)
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