Trembling from the Hooves Upward
If you wanted to consult the Oracle at Delphi, you first had to travel to Delphi — no easy task. Once there, you would prepare yourself for your consultation, which included presenting gifts to the various priests and prophets you came across. On the appointed day, the seventh day of the month, you would travel the Sacred Way — a mountain path that led to the cave where the Pythia (who received the voice of the god) waited. There, the sacrificial goat would be set in front of the altar. Water would be sprinkled on the goat. If it trembled from the hooves upward, this was a good omen, and the consultation could proceed. If not, try again next month (if you can afford to stay around or come back). On an auspicious day, the goat would be burned on the alter and the smoke would be the signal that the oracle was open. Assuming all this, you as the supplicant would go into the cave and speak your question to the oracle, likely in an atmosphere of smoky darkness. The Pythia would receive the god’s reply and relay it to you, perhaps in rhyme, often in metaphor, many times as a paradox.
The Bibliomancer at Work
For Art Crawl, I’ve been creating these bibliomancies that I place into envelopes and seal with wax, so no one knows what they’re going to get before they purchase it. Most of them have phrases in the form of instructions — you’re meant to pose a problem and then ask, “What should I do?” Then open the envelope, read the words that have not been redacted, and figure out how to apply them. Others are like the one above, more like fortune cookie fortunes.
The Fall 2024 Saint Paul Art Crawl is nigh…
I’m excited to be participating in my second Saint Paul Art Crawl at the Northern Warehouse Lofts, once again with my friend, writer and collagist Cheri Johnson. The flyer attached should have all the relevant info, but one thing I wanted to highlight that I’ve been working with this year is bibliomancy.
The Spring 2024 St. Paul Art Crawl
The spring art crawl is coming up in just a few weeks, and I’m really excited to be participating for the first time. One of the reasons I was so excited to get an apartment in the Northern Warehouse Lofts, in Lowertown Saint Paul, was for the chance to participate in these semi-annual art parties.
Machine Ablaze Schematics
Now your work is too anarchic. The muse has returned… with a fire hose. You don’t want to sacrifice that flood of inspiration, you just want a bit more control over how it comes out. You’re ready for The Machine Ablaze.
Built for those looking to reintegrate form and content while still keeping the door wide open to chance and inspiration, The Machine Ablaze helps you discover what fuels your work and put the match to it.
Wave Machine Schematics
Predictability has become your nemesis. The relentless tread of logical development or plot contrivances has worn trails through the wilderness where your inspiration used to make its home. You’ve realized conventions are for cowards. You’re sick of doing what you know how to do.
If this sounds familiar, then the Wave Machine might be for you.
Simple Machine Schematics
Your connection to inspiration is spotty. Your perfectly envisioned story lacks life on the page. You have the growing suspicion that you’re phoning it in, playing it safe, up to the same old tricks. You’re bored of the methods you’ve been using, but don’t know what to try next.
Though no one else may have responded in as ludicrous a manner as we did here at Anthelion Projects, we know we’re not the only artists who face these issues. The Simple Machine was our answer.
Surrender control to this formally innovative method of generating content. Stop waiting for the unconscious to offer its gifts and ask for them explicitly. Create work you couldn’t have intended. Find out what you really want to say.