Curious Creatures at the Congress and Elsewhere

TYWKIWDBI

2011-05-30T12:14:00.001-06:00

Check out "Things You Wouldn't Know If We Didn't Blog Intermittently."

Cat Hair Objects Available for Purchase

2011-05-20T12:45:00.000-06:00

There are a few cat hair creatures available to purchase using Paypal on my web site. I will be adding new items soon. Check it out!

The Agency of Unrealized Projects

2011-05-19T10:49:00.006-06:00

Shurtleff Cat Hair Project Proposal Submitted to The Agency of Unrealized Projects

A description of the AUP project:

"Architects often exhibit their ideas, in the absence of any construction, in the form of design plans and models. Why shouldn’t artists enjoy a similar freedom to display art that is unrealized, and perhaps unrealizable? The AUP seeks to honor and document the artistic agency inherent in the incomplete idea, the partial expression, even the mere intention. The AUP believes that 'whether censored, forgotten, postponed, impossible, or rejected, unrealized projects form a unique testament to the speculative power of non-action.'

The collection of Unrealized Projects will be on display at a temporary AUP office in Basel this June. AUP is a project of e-flux in collaboration with the Serpentine Gallery devised by Julieta Aranda, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Julia Peyton-Jones and Anton Vidokle."

Real Fur Postcards From My Collection

2011-05-02T16:10:00.008-06:00

Rabbit Terrifying Chicks

Bear Hiking

Bear Going to Church

Rabbit on Side of Road

Bear at Sea

Bear Crossing Stream

Bear in the Alps

Black Rabbit with Easter Bunny

Bear with Fox

Atlas Obscura: A Compendium of the World's Wonders, Curiosities and Esoterica

2011-04-30T22:09:00.000-06:00

Has links to curious places all over the world.

Mapping the Marvelous: Itineraries of curious objects and collections

2011-04-30T17:25:00.000-06:00

This site is a good jumping off point for locating the curious.

The Photography of Magnus Muhr: Flughumor

2011-04-30T17:15:00.001-06:00

Man Ray: 1890-1976

2011-04-29T19:48:00.000-06:00

Max Ernst: 1891-1967

2011-04-29T19:12:00.000-06:00

Odilon Redon 1840-1916

2011-04-29T18:45:00.003-06:00

Lisa Wood

2011-04-24T10:26:00.000-06:00

One of the most fascinating people I met (digitally) recently is Lisa Wood. Lisa was selected to show her work at the Congress of Curious Peoples but she was unable to attend. Her web site "Lisa Woods Curiosities" makes me sad we didn't get to meet in person.

More Views of the Freak Bar and Coney Island Museum

2011-04-23T13:31:00.002-06:00

Magic

2011-04-22T16:40:00.002-06:00

This photograph magically showed up in my iPhone camera roll on April 16. The magician (Acep Hale) had been at the Congress the night before. No one could figure out how this happened, but all agreed it was spooky.

2011-04-22T16:28:00.000-06:00

2011-04-22T16:27:00.000-06:00

The Freak Bar and Coney Island Museum

2011-04-22T16:25:00.000-06:00

Fabulous and Exhausting

2011-04-19T15:37:00.000-06:00

Richard and I returned to Boise yesterday after a fabulous and exhausting weekend at Coney Island. I brought back a bad sinus infection and had to go back on antibiotics today. When I'm feeling better I will post some more photos and a description of the Congress. For now let me just say it was curious and we met a lot of curious peoples.

Mike Zohn, Obscura Antiques & Oddities, NYC

2011-04-17T16:46:00.000-06:00

2011-04-17T14:13:00.001-06:00

2011-04-17T14:12:00.000-06:00

2011-04-17T13:50:00.001-06:00

2011-04-17T13:13:00.001-06:00

2011-04-17T12:24:00.001-06:00

Our friend Flint

2011-04-17T12:19:00.000-06:00

Curious Peoples Today

2011-04-17T11:06:00.004-06:00

Pat Muko

2011-04-17T11:05:00.000-06:00

2011-04-17T10:18:00.001-06:00

2011-04-17T10:17:00.000-06:00

2011-04-17T08:20:00.000-06:00

2011-04-16T15:37:00.001-06:00

2011-04-16T15:29:00.001-06:00

2011-04-16T14:26:00.004-06:00

Taxidermy by Katie Innamorato

2011-04-16T14:25:00.004-06:00

Taxidermy by Katie Innamorato

2011-04-16T13:43:00.000-06:00

2011-04-16T12:57:00.003-06:00

Mark Dery, author of “The Pyrotechnic Insanitarium:
American Culture on the Brink,”
a book I have not read.

2011-04-16T11:56:00.002-06:00

John David Rinaldi

2011-04-16T11:54:00.000-06:00

David Drake

2011-04-16T11:51:00.001-06:00

2011-04-16T11:23:00.001-06:00

2011-04-15T15:19:00.000-06:00

Beautiful Day at the Boardwalk

2011-04-14T18:18:00.001-06:00

We arrived in NYC and took a cab to our hotel in south Brooklyn. None of the taxi drivers at JFK could figure out how to get to our hotel near Coney Island so we had to give directions. The cat hairs made it through baggage claim with no mishaps. Our hotel is several miles from Coney Island but it was a beautiful walk through Brighton Beach and Coney Island via the boardwalk. More pictures will be posted tomorrow.

Seen near Coney Island

2011-04-14T18:12:00.001-06:00

The Cat Hairs are Boxed (hopefully I can check them as extra baggage)

2011-04-13T18:21:00.004-06:00

All that remains

2011-04-13T11:31:00.001-06:00

Mentioned in Shecky's NYC Nightlife: The Guide to the Hottest Events in New York City

2011-04-10T09:41:00.003-06:00

I found another nod to my cat hair dolls in Shecky's NYC Nightlife, The Guide to the Hottest Events in New York City:

"Venture to the Colonnade of Curiosities (open 12pm-8pm) where you may find strange items like cat-hair dolls and taxidermied mice (lovely)."

Read the article

Time Out New York

2011-04-09T14:17:00.006-06:00

Andrew Frisicano of Time Out New York mentions the Colonnade of Curiosities in his "This Week in New York" column and lists my "cat hair dolls:"

Read the article

Five things to see at the Congress of Curious Peoples

"The oddball enclave embraces its freaky side during this ten-day long festival. Here’s what you shouldn’t miss."
By Andrew Frisicano

Colonnade of Curiosities
"Pick up an oddball item or two at this kitschy fair; check out Cheryl K. Shurtleff’s cat-hair dolls and custom taxidermied mice by Huckster Fabrication. Coney Island Circus Sideshow Freak Bar, 1208 Surf Ave at 12th St, Coney Island, Brooklyn. Sat 9, Sun 10, Apr 16, Apr 17 noon–8pm; free."

Day of Documentation

2011-04-08T19:22:00.001-06:00

Today was photograph the cat hairs day. My friend Dan helped me set up and get the job done in just a few hours. I will post a few more examples over the weekend of photos that better represent the details of some of the beings that are headed for Coney Island next weekend. My friends Driek and Michael are still saving Hairy Harry's cat hair for me, and Bird and Bob are starting to shed now that the weather is getting warmer. They love being brushed and seem to know they are helping with this project as their coats become shiny and healthy.

Cat Hair Beings

2011-04-08T18:49:00.002-06:00

Cat Hair Names Suggested So Far:

2011-04-05T11:55:00.003-06:00

Pilose B. Orb, Eyevan Van Pelt, Ms. Dee Odde B´awl, Polyphemus Aweirdus, Bob Kang, Lapis Lunata, One-eyed wonder worm, one-eyed Jack (jack of hearts/spades), Jian for one of the winged ones, monocle/ Colonel Klink, Cyclops (Brontes. Arges, Steropes), Graeae (Deino, Enho, Pemphredo), one-eyed king (king of diamonds), monoid, Big Dan T., B.O.B., Catulence, R T. Kataj, Peggy Leggy, and Harry.

Naming the Cat Hairs

2011-04-04T19:20:00.005-06:00

Okay, so these guys should have better names. If you would like to suggest names for any of them, leave a comment and I will consider your suggestions. Remember, there are 60 creatures in all, so send in as many names as you can.

Chubby

2011-04-04T19:13:00.000-06:00

Mothy on Black

2011-04-04T19:12:00.001-06:00

Wonder Green

2011-04-04T19:10:00.000-06:00

Baby

2011-04-04T19:08:00.001-06:00

Blue Fly

2011-04-04T19:05:00.001-06:00

Green Fly

2011-04-04T13:41:00.001-06:00

Spring Break

2011-04-03T17:49:00.000-06:00

Spring Break ends today. It was a productive week in the studio getting ready for the Congress of Curious Peoples. There are 60 new cat hair creations, each installed in a Riker specimen box (on satin!) and ready to pack up for the flight to JFK airport. I hope they all don't make the return flight to Boise and that some of them end up in collections of oddities. I have grown quite attached to them however, and will just haul them all back to Boise if I have to. They all need to be photographed before traveling to Coney Island, so that's my next challenge.

Some of the people attending the Congress that I hope to meet include Lady Aye (the world's only Ivy League-educated, Jewish female sword swallower), Joanna Ebenstein (the creator of Morbid Anatomy), D.B. Doghouse (he looks interesting on his Facebook page) and Erin Deth (I like the name).

Rapture

2011-04-03T11:34:00.003-06:00

Baby Pink and Blue Dragon

2011-04-03T09:28:00.001-06:00

Flamboyantly attired for Coney Island.

Red Hairy and Knotty Blue

2011-04-02T21:59:00.004-06:00

New Critters

2011-04-01T08:45:00.003-06:00

I will be posting a few photographs of the cat hair ruffians going to Coney Island with me. Check back for the pictures sometime this weekend.

Flying Cat Hair Guy Going to Coney Island

2011-03-31T15:45:00.005-06:00

Banner for Colonnade of Curiosities

2011-03-23T09:47:00.008-06:00

Thanks for your help Pete (Boise State Sign Shop)

Some Notables Attending the Congress

2011-03-22T20:50:00.011-06:00

More details are emerging about events at the Congress of Curious Peoples. Participants include Mark Dion, Artist, Elizabeth Stephens (author of "Anatomy as Spectacle: Public Exhibitions of the Body from 1700 to the Present"), Evan Michelson and Mike Zohn, owners of Obscura Antiques in New York and stars of TV's "Oddities", and many more. Check out the list of scholars scheduled to present at the Congress for Curious Peoples symposium, sponsored by morbidanatomy.com.

http://morbidanatomy.blogspot.com/2011/03/congress-for-and-of-curious-peoples.html

Click on image to view poster by Lord Whimsy

2011-03-19T19:54:00.001-06:00

http://www.coneyisland.com/congress.shtml

Curious Cat Hair Creatures

2011-03-19T11:43:00.003-06:00

The Congress of Curious Peoples invited me to bring my Cat Hair Creatures to this year's event. I will be showing and selling my work in the Colonnade of Curiosities.

As described by the organizers, "This year’s Congress will feature, for the first time, a bevy of odd and attractive objects. We’ve scoured the earth for strange and unusual vendors and purveyors of goods. Come by and take advantage of this amazing gathering of talented and interesting entrepreneurs." Other artists invited include "James Taylor (of Shocked and Amazed! fame), Lisa Wood, Terraria by Twig, Lucien Shapiro, Huckster Fabrications, the Gemini Company, and many others."

The Creatures

2011-03-19T09:01:00.001-06:00

The Cats

2011-03-19T08:38:00.003-06:00

BOB

JUNE MOON YOUNG (RIP)

HAIRY HARRY

BIRD

ZEUS (RIP)