Sickly Playthings

Join my new blogger

2011-08-15T08:41:00.001-07:00

Please join my new blogger at http://sicklyplaythings.blogspot.com

I had to update to a new format and link to my gmail. So this new one will have all my current posts.

- S

SCOTT FERRY / INHIBITION project (Final Trauma Recordings Ftr)

2011-07-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

Final Trauma Recordings Ftr
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/finaltraumarecordings

Malice and Alice in the Underworld

2011-06-29T07:41:00.000-07:00

Malice and Alice in the Underworld
by Scott Ferry
15" x 20"
ink, marker, acrylic ink, gel ink on watercolor paper.

ʄ≜uxmuℭica - A Tree Cries

2011-06-27T13:47:00.001-07:00

DEMONESS MAGICK

2011-05-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

HALLUCINATORY TWILIGHT @ CINEMA DU PARC

2011-05-04T07:36:00.000-07:00

exhibition @ Cinéma du Parc in Montreal

2011-04-27T12:10:00.001-07:00

I will be exhibiting artwork from May 27 to June 30 @ Cinéma du Parc
(in the mezzanine gallery)
3575 av. du Parc, Montréal
http://www.cinemaduparc.com/
More info to come later this month.

My Sweet Blengin

2011-04-20T13:13:00.000-07:00

"Ammut & Apophis for life"

Author Profile for Scott Ferry

2011-04-04T08:38:00.000-07:00

Author Profile for Scott Ferry on Goodreads.
Take a look! Become a fan.

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4628312.Scott_Ferry

Haunted Underworld

2011-03-16T09:59:00.001-07:00

Haunted Underworld
Originally uploaded by Sickly Playthings

Demoness Magick by Scott Ferry (Book Trailer)

2011-03-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

DEMONESS MAGICK Book by Scott Ferry for order on Blurb

2011-02-01T06:46:00.000-08:00

DEMONESS MAGICK
(SWEETNESS EVERY AFTER)
by Scott Ferry

This is a book I had originally created and self published in 2000. I went back through it and included new material (new writings and images) and painstakingly edited it.
I am pasting below this note more information about the book and the cost. The books are only in black hardbound format with a silver 37 pointed star on the cover.

If you are interested in ordering the book through Blurb please following this link :
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1934743

Please do not hesitate to contact me or my publisher F. Issaly if you have any questions or inquiries.

Sincerely,
Scott Ferry

---------------------------------

We have searched for many years having traveled from the heights of close destruction to the oceans of disarray...

and we have come no further...
So let us...

Cast, speech with madness
Twist into crooked rhythms and
Reflect outwards the whirlwind of mind.

Demoness Magick
ever-after sweetness
By Scott Ferry

To Order the book click here : http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1934743

120 pages / hardcover
Published by F. Issaly
francoise@francoiseissaly.com
http://www.francoiseissaly.com/Maison%20Edition_Eng.htm

a 1st edition was published in 2000

A brief description of Demoness Magick :

An intuitive guide into a world of spirit possession, spontaneous choice, chaotic liberation and rebellion.

Surrealist texts, poetry, ritual and stories weave together to create a unique portal into another world of unlimited imagination, freedom, and obsession.

Written during the periods of 1998 to 2000 using spirit possession and trance states this book retains a certain organic flow that links all words and images together into one gateway to be entered through.

The secret keys are present, you only need the courage to enter.

This book is dedicated to all those who would traverse the unknown territories of the mind without hesitation and with a preternatural instinct.

Scott Ferry was born and raised in Los Angeles, growing up in the colorful chaos of the 80’s in the California subculture. He currently lives and works in Montreal, Canada.

His writing stems from over 18 years of experimental Chaos Magick, Buddhist Tantra practice, and Runic sorcery and divination. Drawing on techniques of automatic writing and surreal cut-up he developed a powerful way to describe the primal elements and how to access them simply, effectively, and humorously through the medium of a multifarious feminine entity.

Scott also works as a visual artist. His early drawings being in black and white pen using a stipple dot technique. His artwork is inspired by spirits, ghosts, possession, hypnotic and trance states, other worlds, childhood, magick, subtle disturbances, and nightmarish reflections.

To Order Your Copy through Blurb please click on this link:
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1934743

SCOTT FERRY - SWEET SOFT HAUNTING

2011-01-24T06:49:00.000-08:00

Falling through tunnels of sensitive sweet memories, cute youth and soft touches.. 1979 boy white skin body and blondish hair.. i see each spirit in turn swirling around my body and yours.. purple then green.. they tell me of your wonders and your hells..

The liminal space where life and death mix and a hallucinatory other world opens up has always fascinated me. This in-between space and the gateways that lead to and from it have always permeated my work in many ways. The shade of what happens after death, the separation and the loss of things held dear, the entities that live between this world and that and the possibility of our metamorphosing into a more flexible nature. Much like a flower or child that dies quickly I have grown to understand how fragile life can be and how that can make us cling to the possible idea that there maybe an eternal life. But eternity is only interesting if it includes change. And why not, as an artist, learn to create my own reality which equates with my own changing belief structure and opens up many possibilities both to myself and to the viewer.

www.scottferry.com
facebook page : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Scott-Ferry/60607846384
scottferry.deviantart.com

*********
All artwork is for sale. Each piece is original and signed. Shipping is NOT included in the price, price of shipping will depend on country.

Payments can be made through Paypal or Google Checkout. Other payment options can be discussed.

For inquiries or list of available artwork please email : scott@scottferry.com
or contact:
Usine 106U Gallery
160 Roy E. (corner Coloniale)
Montreal, Quebec
usine106u@gmail.com
(514) 728-9349

Haunted Mansion Disneyland

2011-01-19T13:39:00.000-08:00

Goldstream's Green River

2011-01-13T07:33:00.000-08:00

tunnels and gates ...

2010-12-10T13:39:00.000-08:00

in the shadows amongst the sand..

2010-12-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

DEMONESS MAGICK by Scott Ferry

2010-12-06T07:44:00.000-08:00

DEMONESS MAGICK
(SWEETNESS EVERY AFTER)

This was a book I had originally created and self published in 2000. I went back through it and included new material (new writings and images) and painstakingly edited it. All Pre-order books will be signed by me.
I am pasting below this note more information about the book and the cost. The books are only in black hardbound format with a silver 37 pointed star on the cover.

If you are interested in pre-ordering the book please following this link to reserve your copy
( http://www.francoiseissaly.com/Maison%20Edition_Eng.htm ).

Please do not hesitate to contact me or my publisher F. Issaly if you have any questions or inquiries.

Sincerely,
Scott Ferry

Marriage of AA and AS, November 27, 2010

2010-11-29T09:44:00.000-08:00

Ammut Aisilinn and Apophis Sek

marriage of AA and AS ... Eric presiding.

marriage of AA and AS..... aftermath

marriage of AA and AS..... the witness

AA and AS ... exchanging rings of power

AA and AS ... opening unknown gateways..

with respect to the passing of Peter Christopherson

2010-11-25T12:08:00.000-08:00

A great inspiration to me in many ways.

Peter Martin Christopherson, a.k.a. Sleazy (born 27 February 1955) passed away peacefully in his sleep on the 25th November 2010 at his home in Bankok.

http://auricular.com/blog/?p=362&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+disperse+%28%28dis%29PERSE%29&utm_content=FaceBook

http://www.copticcat.com/news/163/56/IN-MEMORY-OF-PETER-SLEAZY-CHRISTOPHERSON

Serkhet

2010-11-17T11:05:00.001-08:00

30TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOW @ OCCCA

2010-11-10T07:11:00.000-08:00

Celebration and show of current and past members of Orange County Center for Contemporary Art.
1980-2010

Scott Ferry (www.scottferry.com)
title: Where I Feel The Most Comfortable, 9x12 in.

(Francoise Issaly - painter) www.francoiseissaly.com

details from Ammut Aisilinn drawing

2010-11-09T07:29:00.000-08:00

more detailed images from the Ammut Aisilinn drawing.

www.scottferry.com

Ammut Aisilinn

2010-11-08T07:37:00.000-08:00

Malinalxochitl (current drawings)

2010-11-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

October 31st (current drawings)
Malinalxochitl: Aztec sorceress who held power over the desert's nasty, stingy, bitey things.

Ammut Aisilinn - drawing in process

2010-11-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

Ammut Aisilinn
(drawing in process)
www.scottferry.com

30th year anniversary show OCCCA

2010-09-27T11:52:00.001-07:00

A celebration of current and past members of OCCCA
October 14 – November 27, 2010
www.occca.org

Orange County Center for Contemporary Art
117 North Sycamore, Santa Ana, CA USA 92701
714.667.1517
Info.occca@gmail.com

This year OCCCA is entering its 30th year and to celebrate this historic event we are devoting two months to showcase and reunite our past and present members.

We invite you the OCCCA alumni to participate,
We have a proud history of providing cutting edge thought provoking shows and showcasing a diverse range of art from hundreds of talented artists from around the world. We could not have made it this far without you.

A catalog will be created for this event :

Alexandria Allen
Angie Bray
Ann Phong
Barbara Berk
Bardene Allen
Burt Palisi
Carol Saindon
Carole Gelker
Christina Ponce
Dali Polivka
Darlyn Susan Yee
David Harton
Denise Di Salvo
Diana Frawley
Eileen Anderson
Eric Strauss
Evalynn AluFay Colmar
Francoise Issaly
Gabriel Mejia
Gina Genis
Hamid Zavareei
Janet Mackaig
Janice De Loof
Jean Towgood
Jeff Alu
Jeffrey Crussell
Jeffrey Frisch
Jennifer Irani
Joella March
Jorg Dubin
Julie Easton
Karena Massengill
Kebe Fox
Kurt Weston
Laura Hines-Jurgens
Lee Willmore
Leslie Davis
Linda Southwell
Lisa Popp
Lynn Kubasek
Marcia Louise Cox
Marilyn Ellis
Marsha Turner Pluhar
Melanie Kehoss
Mildred Kouzal
Mike Sasso
Nancy Kooslin
Pamela Keilson
Pamela Grau
Patricia Turnier
Patricia Whiteside
Phillips Patrick Merrill
Paul Silkowski
Ray Jacob
Rebecca Erbstoesser
Richard Bohn
Rik Lawrence
Rob Mintz
Robert (Bob) Tartter
Scott Ferry
Sergio Salgado
Shoshana Ernst
Stephen Anderson
Suki Berg
Susan Elizalde-Holler
Suvan Geer
Theresa Fernald

http://www.occca.org/exhibitions.html#future

Ammut Aisilinn ... my malicious and delicious love...

2010-07-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

Lunar Tribes flickr - foggy lake

2010-06-28T07:34:00.001-07:00

foggy lake
Originally uploaded by Lunar Tribes

I love this artist... her deep dreamy world flickers into my waking state and carries me into that inbetween state.... where reality and otherworlds meet and mix.

There is always certain artists that carry a deep energy and feeling into their work. A particular unique style and realness to what they imagine and bring to other people. This is one I highly recommend.. I look forward to each new artwork as she creates it into existence.

- Scott

We are expecting you, it's nobody’s Game Over yet!

2010-06-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

Press Start!
Opening reception: Thursday, July 8th6-11pm
1649 Amherst, Montreal, Quebec (Metro Beri/UQAM)

Starting July 1st you will have the chance to once again enjoy the world of Mario Bros, Pac Man and Donkey Kong. It is time to celebrate the wonder years when Tetris was giving us headaches, Metroid was keeping us from doing our homework and Mario had us dreaming about princesses.
More than 30 artists from around the world revisited the most popular video games from our childhood.

Headquarters Galerie & Boutique celebrates its 4 year anniversary this year and on July 8th, we invite you to celebrate with us the launch of Press Start!. For the occasion, Toy Company's VJ/DJ Pocaille will mix the most famous 8 bits sounds from the past.

Press Start! at Headquarters Galerie & Boutique until July 31st.
We are expecting you, it's nobody’s Game Over yet!

Artists:

Nate Meltzer (États-Unis)
Lou Pimentel (États-Unis)
Tweedlebop (Angleterre)
Jim Plukart (Colombie)
mr. Schuster (Allemagne)
Sneaky Raccoon (Angleterre)
Po (Argentine)
Acet1 (France)
Bunka (France)
Sandra (France)
Zombie Corp. (Montréal)
Fred Caron (Montréal)
Mimi Trailette (Montréal)
Scott Ferry (Montréal)
Laura Berger (Montréal)
Rupert Bottenberg (Montréal)
Tyson Bodnarchuk (Montréal)
Lauren (Montréal)
Arno (Montréal)
Astro (Montréal)
Yanick Blanchet (Montréal)
...and many more!

-- Tyson & AngieHeadquarters
Galerie & Boutique
(514).678.2923
1649 rue AmherstMontreal, Quebec
H2L 3L4
CANADA
www.HQgalerieboutique.com
HQgalerieboutique@gmail.com

Demoness book by Scott Ferry publishing this September

2010-06-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

SOON TO COME!!
A re-edition of a written work by Scott FERRY

...DEMONESS
You can reserve your copy now!

http://www.francoiseissaly.com/Maison%20Edition_Eng.htm

Publisher Contact: francoise@francoiseissaly.com for more information on ordering.

Anathema Is The Only Way Out

2010-06-02T07:49:00.001-07:00

Anathema Is The Only Way Out
Originally uploaded by Sickly Playthings

Anathema (from Koine Greek ἀνάθεμα "something dedicated, especially dedicated to evil” from ἀνατίθημι anatithēmi, "I set upon, offer as a votive gift") originally meant something lifted up as an offering to the gods; later, with evolving meanings, it came to mean:

1. to be formally set apart;
2. banished, exiled, excommunicated;
3. denounced, sometimes accursed

"The criterion of action is freedom of movement, timeliness of expression, pleasuring. The value of a moral doctrine is in its freedom for transgression. Simplicity I hold most precious.[..]Ecstasy in satisfaction is the great purpose. Freedom from the necessity of law, realization by the very wish is the ultimate goal."

Austin Osman Spare- The book of pleasure

These drawings…

2010-04-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

And they breathe.. in unison.. each one is a star in night sky.. they look down upon me and I am humbled for I am but the small creator.. and they are the great children.. the dreams i can only imagine to touch.. let them fly forth into this world and all the ones beyond.. let them touch you as they touched me.. let them cause you emotion that spills forth into a chaotic memory that runs deep through channels of tears, laughter, love, silence, hope and endings.. may they cause you to experience a death that will be remembered a death where you will awaken and walk forth.. resurrecting into lands unknown.. beautiful and terrible.. an infinite times more then this world we walk in now…

egyptian life after death..la vie eternelle

2010-04-09T07:28:00.000-07:00

egyptian life after death.. la vie eternelle
(the body or 'a body' must be united with the soul after death, they must recognize each other)

Deep In My Otherworld

2010-03-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

Girls Are Like Butterflies

2010-03-28T23:07:00.000-07:00

www.scottferry.com

L'imaginaire cauchemardesque

2010-03-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

J'ai copie cette partie d'un essaie par Saburô Kawamotot que je pense il as des signifiances dans mon propre travail dans le paye des enfants et des rêves et des cauchemars. - s

"Quand j'etais enfant, beaucoup de choses m'effrayaient.
La pénombre de la nuit, le murmure des arbres,
les gens que je ne connaissais pas...
Mais par-dessus tout, j'avais peur de la mort.
L'enfance est une période ou les terreurs se cristallisent.
Mais lorsque l'enfant grandit, elles tendent à disparaître.
Au fur et à mesure qu'il s'insère dans le train-train quotidien,
il finit par perdre ses peurs primales. Tout au plus,
il ne lui restera qu'un vague reliquat d'angoisses.
Les adultes sont dans leur majorité d'une terribles banalité,
parce que ont perdu ces émotions liées aux peurs infantiles."

(extrait du Essai - L'imaginaire cauchemardesque par Saburô Kawamotot)

layers

2010-03-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

Beyond the event horizon
Beyond the lights of the stars
A place of eternal freedom
The void where all illusions die

- dissection, beyond the horizon

i am tired of illusions... i am tired of the layers... though my life has been primarily focused on playing with them... Can any of you dance with me without many illusions? Can you kiss me in a place of eternal freedom?

- s

Where I Feel The Most Comfortable

2010-03-17T14:35:00.001-07:00

Where I Feel The Most Comfortable
Originally uploaded by Sickly Playthings

Where All Beginnings Arise

2010-03-16T10:18:00.001-07:00

Where All Beginnings Arise
Originally uploaded by Sickly Playthings

Scott Ferry @ Agora Gallery, Cegep du Vieux Montreal Feb 2010

2010-03-07T13:29:00.000-08:00

2010-02-13T15:08:00.001-08:00

Sea Slugs - Nudibranch

2010-02-06T21:24:00.000-08:00

Sea slugs like this have certainly been a big inspiration in some of my recent work.. so beautiful and amazing.

Psychedelic Children...

2010-01-16T22:57:00.001-08:00

Psychedelic Children...
Originally uploaded by Goreth

could not resist posting this... psychedelic world!!

Exhibition : DELIRIUM

2010-01-05T18:33:00.000-08:00

Hallucinogenic paintings, pop-art silkscreens, disquieting kinetic sculptures, erotic etchings, original drawings, trash plush toys, surrealist jewelry other fascinating curiosities will massively take over the space. The exhibition takes place at USINE 106U, 160 Roy E. from January 6th to January 31st 2009, and the opening will be held on Thursday January 7th from 5hPM to 11hPM. Opening hours are Saturday to Wednesday noon to 6hPM , Thursday & Friday from noon to 9hPM.

telephone: 514-728-9349

DELIRIUM presenting the artwork of 31 visual artists: Mark Prent, Eric Braün, Xavier Landry, Adeline Lamarre, Mimi Traillette, Scott Ferry, Yves Milet-Desfougères, Daniel Erban , Sweet Grognasse, Majka Kwiatowska, Winky, Dominique Cantin ...

USINE 106U, 160 Roy E., Montreal, Quebec

Candy Colored Ice World Mont Royal

2009-12-28T20:02:00.000-08:00

I passed by these candy colored icicles on the way back from the plateau and going up on the west side of Mount Royal. The colors reminded me so much of my current artwork.. the snow cone sticky world of color and sugary sweets and the dark winter forest behind. I went back and took some pictures and then took a walk up onto the mountain following a small snowy pathway. Calling spirits and evoking Runes...

as the year turns.. may special surprises haunt you..

2009-12-23T10:35:00.000-08:00

drawing room spirit
(showing the way into other worlds)
- Scott Ferry

DECOVER magazine Montreal... Scott Ferry

2009-11-04T12:37:00.000-08:00

I will pleasantly be in this issue of DECOVER magazine. (inside 2 page spread) The print version should be coming out today and the online version is currently up. (see below for links and distribution info) I am excited to see it in print.. have only seen the electronic versions.

Decover is a window into Montreal visual arts. Each issue will showcase ten portfolios to discover the creativity of today's artists. Decover to escape, to fill up with wonder, to grow along with rising talents. Our wish is to celebrate urban art with all its diversity, from painting to photo montage, from photography to sculpture, from illustration to graffiti. Decover is a platform for fine local treasures that will pleasure your eyes and spirit.

Decover est une vitrine sur les arts visuels. Dix portfolios par édition pour découvrir la créativité des artistes ici et aujourd'hui. Decover pour s'évader, s'émerveiller et grandir avec les pratiques émergentes. Une ouverture sur l'art urbain dans sa diversité, de la peinture au photomontage, de la photographie à la sculpture, de l'illustration au graffiti. Decover explore des trésors de sensibilité pour vos yeux et votre esprit.

Here is a google map of where the art mag I am in is distributed…
(reseau de distribution du magazine DECOVER / DECOVER magazine distribution network)

Distribution area via Google Map

http://decovermag.com/

http://www.decovermag.com/contacts.php

http://www.decovermag.com/pageArtiste.php?idArtiste=64

Pindemonium 5 - opening night - October 16, 2009

2009-10-19T08:07:00.000-07:00

A few images I took of the Pindemonium 5 opening that i went to Friday night. (unfortunately I believe ;-) there is not any images of me in the shots, just my button creation) This show not only exhibited each artist's button they had created for the show, but also each artist was given a certain amount of buttons to trade with. If I get a chance i will include later an image of the buttons i ended up with in trade.

some of the other artist pins

my pin!

the pin detail was taken from my artwork "Yummy Twisty Poison"

Mimi Traillette's pin Swamp Thing

Winky's pin The Scream

Winky's pin Bile Noir

Sebastian with Mimi's pin on.

opening night

Mimi and Cedric

Wild Things show at Headquarters Galerie October 2009

2009-10-12T10:06:00.000-07:00

Some shots from Saturdays 'Wild Things' show at Headquarters Galerie.

Over twenty five local and international artists exhibit their interpretations of Maurice Sendak's award winning book that has blown minds for over 45 years.

Exhibition is on through the month of October.

HEADQUARTERS GALERIE/BOUTIQUE
1649 rue Amherst, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
H2L 3L4
(514)-678-2923
HQgalerieboutique@gmail.com

trick or treat...

2009-09-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

Beltane/Samhain .. sex and death.. death and sex

2009-09-18T08:11:00.000-07:00

The tangible and visible dance of life celebrated at Beltane clearly grows from the dissolution, the dance of death and transformation at Samhain.

It is Beltane in the Southern Hemisphere, the season of sweet desire for being. That desire which holds all form together and allows the dance of life. In the Northern Hemisphere it is Samhain, the season of celebrating the falling apart of all form, the end of desire which allows death and transformation.

At these cross-quarters "the veil is thin that divides the worlds."

Recent scientific studies indicate that organic life may be born from inorganic matter. Particles of plasma, normally considered inorganic, can undergo self-organization resulting in helical structures that become charged and are attracted to each other, thus taking on qualities of living matter — they are "autonomous, they reproduce and they evolve".

imagine how we wonder and extreme

2009-08-19T08:22:00.000-07:00

"Love seeketh not itself to please,
Nor for itself hath any care,
But for another gives it ease,
And builds a heaven in hell's despair.

Love seeketh only self to please,
To bind another to its delight,
Joys in another's loss of ease,
And builds a hell in heaven's despite."

~ W. Blake: Songs of Experience

TEE HEE LA LA LA LA (Paintings on Usine 106U Gallery outside wall)

2009-08-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

August 8 and 9, 2009 and then on the following weekend August 16 & 17, I took it upon myself to paint some characters from my artwork on the outside wall of Usine 106U Gallery. These are some photos of the result.

These can be seen at the following location:

Usine 106U Gallery
111 Roy E., Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
(inbetween St-Denis and St-Laurent, by Elsie's bar)
www.myspace.com/usine106u
Tel: 514.728.9349

Henry Darger's Room : Intuit Museum Chicago (review & reflections by Scott Ferry)

2009-08-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

HENRY JOSEPH DARGER
(12 April 1892-13 April 1973):

"I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A CHILD AND HERE I AM
A LAME OLD MAN—DARN IT!"

This book is compiled with two series of photographic records: Keizo Kitajima accompanied Inuhiko Yomota to cover Darger’s apartment for the magazine Asahi Journal in 1999, the very last time the room was photographed before its contents were removed. Kiyoko Lerner kindly let us use the old photos from the 1970s, rare images taken when the apartment was being cleaned not long after Darger’s death.

These photos show the apartment where the elderly outsider artist Henry Darger (1892-1973) spent the last forty years of his life, almost until he died on 13 April 1973, a third-floor backroom of a townhouse on Webster Avenue in Chicago.

Henry’s room was on the third floor. It was filled with STUFF from floor to ceiling. There were stacks of newspapers, magazines, and empty bottles of Pepto Bismol. It appeared as though every single thing he had brought into the room in the forty years he had lived there had never left the room. There was hardly any space left to walk around.

Henry looked like a street person. He was very shy and never looked at you when you saw him on street and said “hello”…. Henry did look very dirty and uncared for not to mention the strange look in his eyes. He also always wore the same military overcoat which was greasy-looking and came down all the way to his ankles.

Whomever could have imagined that once he entered his room, this dirty, shuffling old man wrote and painted another world into being? …. None of us could make heads or tails of all this JUNK and the great mystery that we uncovered from Henry’s room.

Kiyoko Larner (landlord)

August 4, 2009
review and reflections by Scott Ferry

Having just returned from visiting Chicago I am left with many deep impressions, but the one that sticks the deepest for me is visiting the Intuit : The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art. (http://www.art.org/ ) I specifically had set in my mind when I was leaving for Chicago that I would specifically go and see the exhibit of Henry Darger’s Room.

I arrived in the city overwhelmed by the vast and monumental Neo Classical style buildings, art deco and Gothic detailing, remnants of Masonic lodges, and White City. I am not an expert in architectural history, but nevertheless I was in awe. The city was a good mix of new and old, gritty and clean. There is definitely a presence in the city, maybe from memories of Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, Dr. Henry Howard Holmes, or the Victorian haunts of Graceland or Rosehill cemeteries. Even if I look at my impressions now of what I felt and saw, there is something with me.. a hauntedness that lingers on.. old cities have this feeling, something that will not let go.

All of this set the atmosphere for the easy CTA ride down to 756 N. Milwaukee Avenue. I was not sure what to expect with regards to seeing Henry’s room recreated in a museum setting, but I knew intuitively I would sense something powerful for sure. When I arrived I had a hard time not rushing to see that exhibit in particular.. so I made myself patient as if I was opening a gift slowly by looking at each of the other outsider artists on display.

At the entrance to the room is one of Darger’s original panoramic works. In close-up viewing you can feel the raw edge and power he poured into his creations. All that thought, nightmare and reason. I lingered in the small corridor where they had pictures of the original room and writing about his life, recollections from people who knew him, and observations.

One thing I have noticed in studying Henry Darger is that you have to really delve into it to gain a complete pictures and understanding of his world. One overview, video or a book is definitely not enough. Most of the writings have not been published, so the comprehension we have to go with his images are scattered and fragmented and leave a large mystery left only to the researched who can truly dive into them. For most people, our vision of Darger is screened and filtered by the presentations we are given. That is unfortunate. Nevertheless I am heavily grateful for when new presentations of his life and work appear. It is exciting and we gain a new glimpse.

I turned to my left and there was the recreated room, everything but the floorboards were original. A couple of the Vivian girls hung in frames around an alter of statues and photos surrounding a fireplace. The Catholic images mixed with little girl photos and pictures. The first impression I got from the Vivian girl portraits was not the childlike quality at first, but rather the commanding looks. These were not simple little children, but in this room they were gods and they seemed to hold power over everything they gazed upon. This impression lends me to feel that Henry Darger in his stories was really torturing the children as a way to build them into martyrs and then immortal gods holding sway over the largely Catholic greater world. Here was his sense of justice, but also a spiritual rising above the suffering for his immortalized angels. I would have loved to know what he was saying in his room to these creatures of his imagination and importantly what did they say back.

The room is very well presented, stacks of paints, cutout images, magazines (notably National Geographic), and images on the walls that represents his inspiration, fear and also motivation. The museum chose interestingly enough to put a set of image of a tornado (bad weather) on the wall, considering he was obsessed with the weather. The old typewriter, or one of them that he used to type his legal size single spaced stories, was sitting on a table. I could feel the presence of this man who was largely neglected all his life and lived through another world. This world seeming to reject him and the other world where he was basically god and servant, a perfect battleground for his tortured conscience.

I spent some time there dwelling on the whole experience and trying to find clues to match the missing pieces of what I knew of the artist.

The girl who was sitting at the gallery was courteous enough to give me some extra information which I hadn’t previously known and gave me even more urge to search out what I could of Henry’s world. The museum apparently had placed both books, The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion and Crazy House: Further Adventures in Chicago, on microfilm. The girl at the desk had read some of the stories from that and gave me some detailing. One thing she mentioned stuck out in my mind and gave me greater impetus to search out what I could find and hopefully one day, if graced by events I can actually read it, was the details she gave about her impressions of reading Crazy House.

Now if you don’t know the story, Crazy House is the second book Darger wrote in Chicago. It contains over 10,000 handwritten pages. Written after The Realms, it takes that epic's major characters—the seven Vivian sisters and their companion/secret brother, Penrod—and places them in Chicago, with the action unfolding during the same years as that of the earlier book. Begun in 1939, it is a tale of a house that is possessed by demons and haunted by ghosts, or has an evil consciousness of its own. Children disappear into the house and are later found brutally murdered. The Vivians and a male friend are sent to investigate and discover that the murders are the work of evil ghosts.

Her impressions of reading this were that it scared her badly. She said the descriptions of tortures are much more graphic then the first book and the haunted atmosphere makes the story even more chilling. This utterly fascinated me. Hopefully one day they can publish more of the works, even in edited form it is better then nothing at all which is what most of us are left with.

On leaving I purchased the Henry Darger Room book, published by 2008 by Imperial Press. A good document of what I had just seen.

The artists I would mention at the museum that were of interest were William Hawkins (1895-1990) and Elijah Pierce (1892-1984), plus works by lesser-known artists Mary Borkowski (1916-2008), Mary Frances Merrill (1920-1999), visionary Morris Ben Newman (1883-1980), David Pond (1940-2001).

I would highly recommend if you are in the area of Chicago or are stopping through to go see this exhibit.

- Scott Ferry

(August 4, 2009)
www.scottferry.com

Maypole dance - Floralia

2009-07-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

The beginning of May was a very popular feast time for the Romans. It was devoted primarily to the worship of Flora, the goddess of flowers. It was in her honor a five day celebration, called the Floralia, was held. The five day festival would start from April 28 and end on May 2. The Romans brought in the rituals of the Floralia festival in the British Isles. And gradually the rituals of the Floralia were added to those of the Beltane. And many of today's customs on the May Day bear a stark similarity with those combined traditions.

a curious series .. Victorians and .. body snatching, cemeteries, crypts..

2009-07-06T09:59:00.000-07:00

The fear of death for Victorians seemed to be really meshed with resurrection and afterlife ideas.. the idea that burial was not what is should be or seemed created alot of fear it seems..

there are 3 parts to this series.. (though i wish it was more in depth and alot longer..

Some interesting finds..

2009-06-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

Found some interesting photos and carte de visite last weekend at the Marche au Puce in St-Michelle area (Montreal). Some of these photos are odd looking.. not even pretty in the conventional sense of features.. but interesting and a bit haunting. Some of these are more the Victorian period.. one of them is from it looks like around 1930s.

this photo.. which looks 1930s a bit.. is an overlapped photo.. accidental.. but it gives such an interesting effect!

Mae Nak

2009-06-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

In my research on Thai spirits and possession i ran across this article on the Mae Naak which was quite interesting.

-s

There is no Thai who does not know Mae Naak. While mentioning her can make young children run and scream hysterically in the "Nang Naak game", mothers invoke Mae Naak's name to quiet their crying infants; otherwise, the ghost might break their necks and eat their heads with chilly sauce. The gothic tale of Mae Naak Phra Khanong has been filmed more than twenty times; moreover, every one of them is a box-office hit. Thai youths grow up watching her ghostly tale on television.

Whether Nang Naak was a real person or just a fabrication is still as mysterious as the myth itself. There is no historical evidence of her existence. However, most Thais tend to believe her story is genuine, or at least some parts are. Popular legend tells that she was born in the Phra Khanong area of Bangkok about a hundred and thirty years ago during the later period of King Rama IV (1851 - 1868) and died of childbirth complications some eighteen years later in the early part of King Rama V's regime (1868 - 1910). Others assume that she lived during the reign of King Rama III (1841 - 1851). Some believers even date her presence back to more than two hundred years ago in mid-eighteen century Ayutthaya.

article continued here.. http://www.thailandlife.com/thai-culture/nang-nak-a-thai-ghost-story.html

Also more info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae_Nak

The Threshold HouseBoys Choir - part 1

2009-06-15T12:42:00.000-07:00

I found this video today.. i had in part heard some of this from Peter Christopherson.. but this music including the video put me instantly into a peaceful and hypnotic state.. inducing a subtle to deep trance state.. the pull of rythme cause me to expand outward... touching all i knew from when i was younger to now... everything links.. and it all sways slowly.. serpentine..

- S

The Threshold HouseBoys Choir part 1
Peter Christopherson's, a founding member of Coil, new project.

recent creation.. Sweet Affections of Another Kind

2009-06-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

Sweet Affections of Another Kind

~ in this one i included my obsessions with neon slugs (nudibranches) .. japanese pink moths.. and weaved Baron Samedi vevey into it.. The effect of falling apart but always resurging.. constant youthful play (sweet and strange).. these are the interesting parts of what they used to call hell.. but in reality it is simply our experience in this existence. A chaotic haunted soup .. ever expanding .. ever enclosing.

http://www.scottferry.com/

Pictures at HQ Gallery Saturday

2009-06-08T06:40:00.000-07:00

I arrived at the opening on Saturday around 7:30pm.. and it got progressively more packed as the night went on. The pictures taken were not the best, but i managed to dig out a few to post here. There actually is a picture of me (surprise 0_0), also of Mimi Traillette, and a few other I knew who came to the show.

This show will be on until the end of June, 2009.

Headquarters Galerie & Boutique

Tel: 514.678.2923

1649 Amherst, Montreal, QC

HQgalerieboutique@gmail.com

http://www.hqgalerieboutique.com

http://hqgalerieboutique.blogspot.com

Acrobate - Opening Thursday June 4th 5PM to 11PM

2009-06-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

ACROBATE

June 3^{rd to June 30th 2009}

Opening Thursday June 4th 5hPM to11hPM

USINE 106U

160 Roy E., Montreal

514-728-9349

Hallucinogenic paintings, pop-art silkscreens, disquieting sculptures, erotic etchings, original drawings, trash plush toys, surrealist jewelry other fascinating curiosities will massively take over the space.

Usine 106U Gallery is glad to invite you the opening of the colossal exhibition ACROBATE presenting the artwork of 31 visual artists:

Mark Prent, Eric Braün, Mimi Traillette, Karine Allard, Danielle Hébert, Yves Milet-Desfougères, Jean-Michel Cholette, Daniel Erban , Sweet Grognasse, Majka Kwiatowska, Xavier Landry, Alexandra Cuellar, Scott Ferry, Clara, Adam Norris, Kirsten McCrea, Winky, Jean Pronovost, Dominique Cantin, Jean-François Montagne, Enthytez, Jean-François Labelle, Simon Lepage, Jasmin Guimont-Fortin, Dantë, Stefannie Larichelière, Rob Kenter, Andrea Day, Liam, Maud Rabau and Sebastien Gaudette.

The exhibition takes place at USINE 106U, 160 Roy E. from June 3rd to June 30th 2009, and the opening will be held on Thursday June 4th from 5hPM to 11hPM.

Opening hours are Saturday to Wednesday noon to 6hPM , Thursday & Friday from noon to 9hPM.

post-mortem dolls

2009-05-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

Post-mortem photography, particularly of children seems to retain a sense of mystery and a doll like atmosphere. There is a sense that the body has become a material to be recreated and dressed much like they would have liked to have seen the child in life. A sort of nostalgic recollection etched into memory.. more real in death then in life. Many comments have been made on the subject.. some related to the fact that these are just dead children.. and that is all.. no sense of putting an atmosphere around it that wasn't there. This is true in a sense.. it is nothing more then that for some people living today (much like an actual haunted house is no more then a house), but back then in the 19th century there was a very big search and quest to see and speak with the dead.. to touch the spirits that seemed to live with us yet separate. Living with the dead was something that was seen by all to be a part of their lives.. and something not to be parted with or thrown aside.. a keep sake... something to hold dear.. There was a sense that the dead bodies retained some sense of soul.. some sort of spirit and atmosphere... a haunted feeling.. a similarity in part to dolls possibly..

- s

(most of these images may have been seen over and over.. but i picked out certain ones to pinpoint the look and feeling of how close the reference is to : a doll, the look of the living compared to the dead, angelic, a sense of a presence within the body, a haunted atmosphere)

(in this one the girl on the left is dead, the right one is alive)

Waverly Hills Sanatorium

2009-05-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

Would be interesting to visit this sometime... i was discussing old abandoned places with some friends this last weekend.. also known haunted places...
- s

During the 1800s and early 1900s, America was ravaged by a deadly disease known by many as the “white death” --- tuberculosis. This terrifying and very contagious plague, for which no cure existed, claimed entire families and sometimes entire towns. In 1900, Louisville, Kentucky had one of the highest tuberculosis death rates in America. Built on low, swampland, the area was the perfect breeding ground for disease and in 1910, a hospital was constructed on a windswept hill in southern Jefferson County that had been designed to combat the horrific disease. The hospital quickly became overcrowded though and with donations of money and land, a new hospital was started in 1924.

The new structure, known as Waverly Hills, opened two years later in 1926. It was considered the most advanced tuberculosis sanatorium in the country but even then, most of the patients succumbed to the disease. In those days before medicine was available to treat the disease, it was thought that the best treatment for tuberculosis was fresh air, plenty of nutritious food and lots of rest. Many patients survived their stay at Waverly Hills but it is estimated that hundreds died here at the height of the epidemic.

While the patients who survived both the disease and the treatments left Waverly Hills through the front door, the majority of patients left through what came to be known as the “body chute”. This enclosed tunnel for the dead led from the hospital to the railroad tracks at the bottom of the hill. Using a motorized rail and cable system, the bodies were lowered in secret to the waiting trains. This was done so that patients would not see how many were leaving the hospital as corpses. Their mental health, the doctors believed, was just as important as their physical health.

The buildings and land that made up Waverly Hills were auctioned off and changed hands many times over the course of the next two decades. By 2001, the once stately building had nearly destroyed by time, the elements and the vandals who came here looking for a thrill. Waverly Hills had become the local “haunted house” and it became a magnet for the homeless, looking for shelter, and teenagers, who broke in looking for ghosts. The hospital soon gained a reputation for being haunted and stories began to circulate of resident ghosts like the little girl who was seen running up and down the third floor solarium, the little boy who was spotted with a leather ball, the hearse that appeared in the back of the building dropping off coffins, the woman with the bleeding wrists who cried for help and others. Visitors told of slamming doors, lights in the windows as if power was still running through the building, strange sounds and eerie footsteps in empty rooms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waverly_Hills_Sanatorium

http://www.therealwaverlyhills.com/

We Are 3! exhibition at HQ Gallery (Montreal)

2009-05-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

I will be having some of my artwork at HQ Gallery this June. Come by see to the show and say hi to me if you are in the area.

- s

See Map

We Are 3!

A three-year anniversary party featuring a floor to ceiling group art exhibition

Come celebrate with us at our annual massive group exhibition featuring the work by more than 25 different artists. Art will be covering the walls from floor to ceiling, with everything from screen prints and original paintings to photography and woodburnings, existing in perfect harmony.

The opening night is Saturday June 6th, 2009 from 6pm-11pm. Music will be provided by our resident DJ Garry Vickers, drinks will be had and art will be coveted. Participating artists include:

Stella Im Hultberg
Tim Barnard
Rupert Bottenberg
Kristen N. Brown
Aya Kakeda
Jen Storey
James Kerr
Furni
Elaine Ho
Mimi Traillette
Matt M. Cipov
Scott Ferry
Fred Noel
Genevieve Jodouin
Sarah Guidon
And a whole heck of a lot more….

Headquarters Galerie & Boutique has been ushering in new artistic talent since June 1st 2006. Featuring new artist exhibitions once a month this 2 level galerie/boutique concept store aims to draw out the curious and reward the faithful. New clothing, accessories and homeware designers are added to the store roster often, and the contents of the store are constantly changing. Focusing on independent design from around the globe, the mix of art and product design meld in glorious harmony.

HQgalerieboutique@gmail.com
http://www.hqgalerieboutique.com/
http://hqgalerieboutique.blogspot.com/

http://www.myspace.com/84193417

Tel: 514.678.2923

1649 Amherst, Montreal, QC
See Map

Pictures from Wierdo Playground show at Glamort - April 2009

2009-05-15T06:09:00.001-07:00

(Scott Ferry, Mimi Traillette, Cedric)

Retrospective pictures from the Wierdo Playground exhibition at Glamort gallery, Montreal.
(April 2009)
Oh, ya.. i included some of myself in these images finally. ;-)

(Life on the Other Side by Scott Ferry)

(Luc Poudrier, Mimi Traillette, Scott Ferry)

(Scott Ferry)

ectoplasm.. sweet dreams

2009-05-13T09:13:00.000-07:00

doll artist tari nakagawa

2009-05-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

I really happy to stumble upon this japanese doll artist.
The work seems to contain many levels of experience and a deep haunting feeling.

http://pygma.exblog.jp/10886342/

http://kostnice.blog105.fc2.com/

Subterfuge opening.. Usine 106U gallery... Roy street, Montreal

2009-05-11T11:54:00.000-07:00

a few pictures from the Usine 106U Subterfuge opening last Thursday.. I ended up not in these as I was taking them..

Small Article in Le Voir (journal - Montreal)

2009-05-09T19:35:00.001-07:00

A small article commenting on the show Subterfuge at Usine 106U was in Le Voir (a montreal french journal). They incidently chose one of my pictures to include. :-)

http://www.voir.ca/publishing/article.aspx?zone=1&section=20&article=64337

Living Dolls

2009-04-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

Living Dolls Death Dolls... falling, playing.. around & around...

sweet, playful, and never growing up

2009-01-20T12:07:00.000-08:00

spirit photography

2008-09-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

Amityville - the killings of the Defeo family and the haunting of the Lutz family

2008-08-25T08:43:00.000-07:00

This is by far the best I have found so far of complete documetaries on the subject.

victorian haunts...

2008-07-10T11:13:00.000-07:00