Halloween Make-Up: Oct 30th & 31st

Bookings still available in the afternoon of Oct 30th, and some appointments still available on Oct. 31st.

$1.50 per minute, 10 minute minimum.
Conveniantly located 5 minutes from Lucien L'Allier Metro or 10 minutes from Guy-Concordia Metro.
514-243-4315

News Article about an Italian Eccentric who built secret temples under the country-side...

Eighth wonder of the world? The stunning temples secretly carved out below ground by 'paranormal' eccentric
by HAZEL COURTENEY
Last updated at 09:58 22 November 2007

Nestling in the foothills of the Alps in northern Italy, 30 miles from the ancient city of Turin, lies the valley of Valchiusella. Peppered with medieval villages, the hillside scenery is certainly picturesque.
But it is deep underground, buried into the ancient rock, that the region's greatest wonders are concealed.


Hall of the Earth: An amazing room built on the 'supernatural' visions of its creator Here, 100ft down and hidden from public view, lies an astonishing secret - one that has drawn comparisons with the fabled city of Atlantis and has been dubbed 'the Eighth Wonder of the World' by the Italian government.
For weaving their way underneath the hillside are nine ornate temples, on five levels, whose scale and opulence take the breath away.

Constructed like a three-dimensional book, narrating the history of humanity, they are linked by hundreds of metres of richly decorated tunnels and occupy almost 300,000 cubic feet - Big Ben is 15,000 cubic feet.




Few have been granted permission to see these marvels.
Indeed, the Italian government was not even aware of their existence until a few years ago. But the 'Temples of Damanhur' are not the great legacy of some long-lost civilisation, they are the work of a 57-year-old former insurance broker from northern Italy who, inspired by a childhood vision, began digging into the rock.

It all began in the early Sixties when Oberto Airaudi was aged ten. From an early age, he claims to have experienced visions of what he believed to be a past life, in which there were amazing temples.

Around these he dreamed there lived a highly evolved community who enjoyed an idyllic existence in which all the people worked for the common good.
More bizarrely still, Oberto appeared to have had a supernatural ability: the gift of "remote viewing" - the ability to travel in his mind's eye to describe in detail the contents of any building.

"My goal was to recreate the temples from my visions," he says.
Oberto - who prefers to use the name 'Falco' - began by digging a trial hole under his parent's home to more fully understand the principals of excavation.
Scroll down for more...

Breathtaking: The miles of tunnels enable air to circulate



House of secrets: Below this house is the Damanhurian temple which is one of the largest temple complexes in the world
But it was only as he began a successful career as an insurance broker that he began to search for his perfect site.

In 1977, he selected a remote hillside where he felt the hard rock would sustain the structures he had in mind. A house was built on the hillside and Falco moved in with several friends who shared his vision. Using hammers and picks, they began their dig to create the temples of Damanhur - named after the ancient subterranean Egyptian temple meaning City of Light - in August 1978.

As no planning permission had been granted, they decided to share their scheme only with like-minded people. Volunteers, who flocked from around the world, worked in four-hour shifts for the next 16 years with no formal plans other than Falco's sketches and visions, funding their scheme by setting up small businesses to serve the local community.

By 1991, several of the nine chambers were almost complete with stunning murals, mosaics, statues, secret doors and stained glass windows. But time was running out on the secret.

The first time the police came it was over alleged tax evasion and still the temples lay undiscovered. But a year later the police swooped on the community demanding: "Show us these temples or we will dynamite the entire hillside."
Falco and his colleagues duly complied and opened the secret door to reveal what lay beneath. Three policemen and the public prosecutor hesitantly entered, but as they stooped down to enter the first temple - named the Hall of the Earth - their jaws dropped.

Inside was a circular chamber measuring 8m in diameter.



Hall of mirrors: The hall has a classical Greek feel
Egyptian wall paintings: Damanhurian art is greatly influenced by both Egyptian and Celtic sytles

A central sculpted column, depicting a three dimensional man and woman, supported a ceiling of intricately painted glass. The astonished group walked on to find sculpted columns covered with gold leaf, more than 8m high. Stunned by what they had found, the authorities decided to seize the temples on behalf of the government.

"By the time they had seen all of the chambers, we were told to continue with the artwork, but to cease further building, as we had not been granted planning permission," says Esperide Ananas, who has written a new book called Damanhur, Temples Of Humankind.

Retrospective permission was eventually granted and today the 'Damanhurians' even have their own university, schools, organic supermarkets, vineyards, farms, bakeries and award-winning eco homes.

They do not worship a spiritual leader, though their temples have become the focus for group meditation. 'They are to remind people that we are all capable of much more than we realise and that hidden treasures can be found within

Bread & Puppets!! Tonight!! Montreal!

I am so tickled pink with excitement!! Tonight "Bread & Puppets" are playing only two blocks from my house!! Free show tonight (Oct. 17, 2009) at Concordia University's D.B. Clark Theatre, in the Hall Building at 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W. at 8 p.m.

I love Bread & Puppets, they are historic, utilizing old world arts, giant puppets, and other theatrical & circus skills, they come with a message. During the 1960's they were a group of artists from many disciplines who banded together to stand up for our rights, to bring awareness and promote change. Through out the sixties they were at many major protests and other activist efforts.

"The name Bread & Puppet derives from the theater's practice of sharing its own fresh bread, served for free with a strong garlic aioli, with the audience of each performance as a means of creating community, and from its central principle that art should be as basic to life as bread. Some have heard echoes of the Roman phrase "bread and circuses" or the labor slogan "Bread and Roses" in the theater's name as well, though these are not often mentioned in Bread & Puppet's own explanations of its name." (Quoted from Wikipedia)

History

"The Theater was founded in 1962–1963 in New York City. It was active during the Vietnam War in anti-war protests, primarily in New York. It is often remembered as a central part of the political spectacle of the time, as its enormous puppets (often ten to fifteen feet tall) were a fixture of many demonstrations. In 1970 the Theater moved to Vermont, first to Goddard College in Plainfield, and then to a farm in Glover where it still resides. The farm is home to a cow, several pigs, puppeteers and chickens, as well as indoor and outdoor performance spaces, a printshop, store and large museum showcasing over four decades of the company's work. The Bread & Puppet Theater has received National Endowment for the Arts grants and numerous awards from the Puppeteers of America and other organizations."
"Our Domestic Resurrection Circus - Mid 1980s"

"Until 1998 the Bread & Puppet hosted its annual Pageant and Circus (in full, Our Domestic Resurrection Circus), in and around a natural amphitheater on its Glover grounds. In the 1990s the festival became very large, drawing crowds in the tens of thousands of people who camped on nearby farmers' land over the summer weekend of the pageant. The event became unmanageably large and less and less concerned with the theater's performance. In 1998 a man was accidentally killed in a fight while camping overnight for the festival, and director Peter Schumann subsequently cancelled the festival.[2] Since then the theater has instead offered smaller weekend performances all summer long, and traveled around New York and New England, with occasional tours around the U.S. and abroad. In New York City, Bread & Puppet annually performs at Theater for the New City during the holiday season." (Quoted from Wikipedia)

Experimental pages from my new book....

"From Above"... "there's a murder of crows..."

Music feeds my soul, but so also does silence but I have been in the working buzz so I thought I would share a little of what I am listening to these days.

I love the music of Jess Hill. I originally was listening to "Tarran the Tailor" on myspace, but then needed new music and found Jess Hill. I really love this song and the video is extremely interesting.

New Book! ...Updated Oct. 17th...

This is my 1st book and it will be a small run of books printed off as orders are placed (either by the person or a store), or if I have an exhibition or show.

Do you want to order a book?

Early bird special: $25 if you pay for your order before November 1st, that's $10 off and it will be numbered & hand signed.

Early Release for the book is Nov 1st, 2009
(tentative; will let you know when I get the confirmation from the printer, right now the printers are processing my posters, postcards & cards,so I have to wait until that is finished before I can hand the book in).

Official Release is Nov. 20th, 2009

You will be the 1st to know when the books are printed and in my hands!

About the book:
52 page saddle stitch book, full colour and glossy; approx. 9"x12".
This will be an over-view of my work from the past 13 years, including both my fine arts and the transition into the body arts. There will be small stories about each artwork, or related poem or thought. There will also be an interview included, along with information about my collaborators such as the photographers.

A very unusual flight...

This is awesome.... I wish this guy would be the flight attendant when I go to Hong Kong! Why aren't all attendants as awesome as this guy?