Comments on: Claws for Alarm

By: marina urbach

marina urbach — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 21:18:57 +0000

‘I cannot find the beauty, no matter how hard I might try.’

Try again: There are two necklaces: this one ‘Memento Mori’ and
‘Incubus’. The image of ‘Incubus’ is on top of the image of
‘Memento Mori’ on the left side of this ‘page’.

‘I can find little reason to call it fashion, unless fashion includes the vile excrescence of a diseased mind.’

You do not have to call it fashion, you could call it art.

In her book ‘Powers of Horror’, an essay on abjection, Julia Kristeva confronts and examines the mechanisms of the abject.
‘ Why do body excretions, corpses fascinate while repulsing?’
Kristeva analyzes writers who embrace the phenomenon of abjection like Dostoevky, Proust, Artaud and Céline.
‘Looking to biblical history and taboos in primitive societies, she points to the disjunction between the sacred and the profane.
It is precisely in this disjunction where we can locate the work of
Simon Costin.

By: Charly

Charly — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 22:58:53 +0000

I notice you don’t have a photo of the Incubus necklace, but I cannot help but comment. One can wear almost anything you can hang on your body and still walk with, but I can find little reason to call it fashion, unless fashion includes the vile excrescence of a diseased mind. I cannot find the beauty, no matter how hard I might try.

By: marina urbach

marina urbach — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 20:20:26 +0000

‘It is a piece that should not be overlooked, for it has true depth and meaning of why it was created.’

Good point.

Indeed it should be considered in the context of art, literature and
fashion itself.

‘Human sacrifice …. were a way to connect with the Gods’

True, and this does not contradict the spirit of this work of art.

‘Simon Costin’s revisionist history of the early Christians in Britian compliments his lack of originality in his supposedly shocking pieces.’

History is constantly revised and revisited. The ‘new historians’ always know best.
A ’shocking’ quality in itself has no aesthetic value!
Simon Costin’s work is original, personal, peculiar, devine, exquisite,
special, relevant, inspiring, theatical, poetic, oneiric, and just fabulous, as in a fable: the plot of a literary work, a story that is not true, a fictitious story, whose characters are usually animals.

By: Haley Snaily

Haley Snaily — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:17:06 +0000

Poor bunnies!!

By: Alexa

Alexa — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 21:01:09 +0000

I think this is a fabulous piece, it happens to be my favorite in the exhibit. Its amazing how literature, no matter how morbid or strange, can influence one so much to create and design a piece that is used in the fashion world. Without looking at the date, I would have thought this piece was made a lot earlier than 1986. If it were made later, perhaps it would have had more of an effect on the fashion world and others would have a different view of it. It is a piece that should not be overlooked, for it has true depth and meaning of why it was created.

By: Emelyn

Emelyn — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:47:10 +0000

Personally this made me so sad. This necklace killed 3 rabbits and one bird. I’m pretty sure they were baby rabbits by the head size. That’s so sad! Also, who would wear this?!

By: marina urbach

marina urbach — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 04:00:19 +0000

‘for the people that are repelled by it: it might have helped if you have read what the artist have to say about it and open your mind….’

Good point. prábda!

By: cc and sunbun

cc and sunbun — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 21:28:21 +0000

Although I’m sure these creatures did not die of “natural causes,” it’s almost giving them a life after death. By looking at this piece you immediately begin to think about these animals and their place in the world. Able to appreciate the role they play in the circle of life. I’m a proud supporter of animal rights, and yet I find some slight enjoyment in this piece and don’t have as many problems with it as I do fur.

By: Antoniya Ivanova

Antoniya Ivanova — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:55:39 +0000

beautiful work of ART!

great attention to detail and choice of materials and textures. i love the hematite eyes and the boxes each of his pieces is presented in with a story long each one of them.

for the people that are repelled by it: it might have helped if you have read what the artist have to say about it and open your mind………

By: Josey

Josey — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:43:30 +0000

While I enjoyed the concept of the necklace, the sheer dinamics of it were only fair enough. Down in the District, we have museums that have much more sophisticated and employable usages.

Overall Rating: Fair Enough.