Posts Tagged ‘EGL’

The Theme of Waiting in Theatre of the Absurd of “Lady Eureka and the Lion-Lamb”

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

“Lady Eureka and the Lion-Lamb” references biblical symbolism and the fantasy world of the “Elegant Gothic Lolita” as a performance art piece that is subtitled, Theatre of the Absurd. Whereas traditional theatre attempts to create a photographic representation of life as we see it, the Theatre of the Absurd aims to create a ritual-like, mythological, archetypal, allegorical vision, closely related to the world of dreams.

The critic Martin Esslin coined Theatre of the Absurd in 1961. In the first edition of The Theatre of the Absurd, Esslin saw Albert Camus’ Existentialist philosophy as a life inherently without meaning as illustrated in his work, “The Myth of Sisyphus”. Existentialists hold that there are certain questions that everyone must deal with if they are to take human life seriously, questions such as death, the meaning of human existence and the role of God. In “Lady Eureka and the Lion-Lamb”, there is much parody about life and salvation, life after death in the images of “Hail Mary”, “Salvation” and the “4th Dimension”.

The term, Theatre of the Absurd applies to plays, which are often similar to Vaudeville, mixed with horrific or tragic images. Characters are caught in hopeless situations forced to do repetitive or meaningless actions, dialogue full of clichés, wordplay, and nonsense. Plots are cyclical or absurdly expansive, within parody or dismissal of realism. An example of Theatre of the Absurd is “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Barclay Beckett, an Irish writer, dramatist and poet who was considered one of the key writers of Martin Esslin’s “Theatre of the Absurd.”

The theme of “Lady Eureka and the Lion-Lamb” playfully references the element of waiting as in the ‘Judgment Day’. The theme of waiting borrows from Beckett’s most significant play, “Waiting for Godot”. To amuse herself, Lady Eureka creates different scenes to pass time, from posing with the “Lion-Lamb” and playing with her fan in scenes such as “Confession” and “Love Me Today”.

In the play, “Waiting for Godot”, the two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait for the mysterious Godot expectantly and unsuccessfully to arrive for two days. They claim he is an acquaintance, but in fact hardly know him and admit that they would not recognize him were they to see him. To occupy themselves, they eat, sleep, converse, argue, sing, play games, exercise, swap hats, and contemplate suicide — anything “to hold the terrible silence at bay”.

“Waiting for Godot” was relaunched on April 30th 2009 in London’s West End, at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. The landmark production stars Sir Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart as the two lead roles of Vladimir and Estragon, with much critical acclaim. McKellen and Stewart are both renowned Shakespearean actors at Stratford-upon-Avon, in the West End and on Broadway.

The final reference to the waiting theme is the image of “Lady Eureka and the Lion-Lamb”,  called “Rapture”, the moment prior to judgment on the earth and Jesus’ Second Coming for the purpose of Ascension to the Light of the “Peaceable Kingdom”.

_ascension
“Ascension” 

END NOTES:

http://www.waitingforgodottheplay.com/

http://www.samuel-beckett.net/Waiting_for_Godot_Part1.html

http://www.samuel-beckett.net/Waiting_for_Godot_Part2.html

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Posted in EGL, Elegant Gothic Lolita, Lady Eureka, performance art, theatre of absurd | No Comments »

High art interpretation of Elegant Gothic Lolita in “Lady Eureka and the Lion-Lamb Portrait”

Monday, May 25th, 2009

“Lady Eureka and the Lion-Lamb Portrait” is my photo-media art performance piece. In it I utilize the crafting of period clothing as an inter-cultural exploration about identity, in a distant but analogous exploration to the recent works of William Yang and/or Vanessa Beecroft.

The look and style of ‘Lady Eureka’ images is based on the Gothic Lolita (aka GothLoli), Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL) or Elegant Gothic Aristocrat (EGA); EGL and EGA are subsets of Gothic Lolita, a youthful and feminine look. The sub-cultural styles are popular with Asian women as in past generations their clothing styles were very conservative and modest. Contemporary Asian ‘cute’ fashion may be a reaction to the seemingly overt sexuality of Western women’s clothing.

Lolita in “Lady Eureka and the Lion-Lamb Portrait” is a High Art interpretation of girlishness where “calling a grown woman a girl can imply she’s not complete, mature, or grown-up” (Guerilla Girl, 1995). However, some feminists and Westerners might view Lolita as a fashion father/daughter fetish with reference to the infamous Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita novel (1955) and film (1962 and 1997). However, most  Gothic Lolitas and followers of the fashion do not consider this look sexual or referencing inappropriate or salacious sexual mores.

The Gothic Lolita look is also found in Anime. Anime, like manga (Japanese comics), is extremely popular in Japan and well known throughout the world. Anime has been distributed via television, directly to video, theatrically, online or at Anime festivals where dressing up in costumes is a family-oriented activity (Anime Evolution).

The popularity of the GothLoli styles in Asia is based on an interest in the nineteenth century Victorian era. It is not equivalent to western street-style Goth, but rather it’s the aesthetic of the Victorian gothic horror novels, my area of expertise/interest/scholarly research. It is an elegant mixture of romance and innocence.

The images of “Lady Eureka and the Lion-Lamb Portrait” include a hand-sewn lace curtain, with the lace motif repeated in her stockings. GothLoli is a kind of kinder Goth look of childhood as it emphasizes Victorian-style and Edwardian girl’s clothing imitating the look of Victorian porcelain dolls. The basic GothLoli look is usually all in black, or combines black with minimal accents of white. A petticoat or crinoline underskirt created the bell-shaped silhouette, under a basic circle skirt, as worn by Lady Eureka.

In addition, the Gothic Lolita wardrobe includes demure items such as high–collared, long–sleeved shirts and dresses. Heavy white or black stockings or knee–high socks compliment large platform shoes such as child-like shoes or boots called Mary Janes for a classic schoolgirl look (also worn by Lady Eureka). Frilly, ruffled or lace-trimmed Victorian blouses are also popular with Gothic Lolitas and designs are usually modest, sometimes with long lace-capped sleeves and high-necked Peter Pan blouses. In the “Lady Eureka and the Lion-Lamb Portrait” images, Lady Eureka is wearing a hand-sewn peasant top. In the predominantly female Gothic Lolita sub-culture, home sewing and other DIY crafts are commonly practiced.

The final Gothic Lolita, EGL or EGA accessory of importance is a headdress, headband, or hair clips with bows, ribbons, and ruffles on them or a mini top hat. Other GothLoli accessories include capes (hand-crafted and worn by Lady Eureka) handbags, small backpacks and purses, sometimes in the shape of bats, coffins, and crucifixes. In the case of the Lady Eureka series, she is wearing rosaries with the icon of the Virgin Mary. Teddy bears, stuffed animals and lap dogs (referenced by the “Lion-Lamb”) are also common, as well as Super Dollfie or other ball-jointed dolls with matching outfits to the GothLoli wearer.

The subtext could be interpreted that by wearing girlish clothes, Asian women are telegraphing the weakness or helplessness of a child. However, in Asia, Japanese culture in particular places a higher value upon extremely youthful appearance and behaviour, and some adult women buy large amounts of consumer products, such as Hello Kitty goods, (typically marketed only to children in the West). GothLoli is a visible extension of this phenomenon of infantalizing women. “Lady Eureka and the Lion-Lamb Portrait” is a performance art piece that reveals the divergent inter-cultural perspectives of a contemporary Asian-Canadian women’s identity and plays with her interpretation of ‘cosplay’ sexuality in a High Art genre which references painting and novels of the nineteenth century, as well as contemporary popular fashion of Japan.


Lady Eureka and the Lion-Lamb Portrait 

END NOTES:

http://www.avantgauche.co.uk/

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

http://www.guerillagirls.com/

http://www.morbidoutlook.com/fashion/articles/2002_07_gothiclolita.html

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

http://www.vanessabeecroft.com/

http://www.williamyang.com/ 

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

http://www.animeevolution.com/

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Posted in EGL, Elegant Gothic Lolita, Lady Eureka, high art, performance art | No Comments »

Mana, Nurse Deisel and Lady Eureka as Elegant Gothic Lolita Performance Art

Saturday, November 8th, 2008

I love the designs by Mana of moi-même-moitié Elegant Gothic Lolita Designer. It was founded in 1999 and blends the innocence and cuteness of lolita with the darkness and mystery of gothic styles. The label’s name is a portmanteau of the French words “moi-même” (myself) and “moitié” (half), although the expression “moi-même-moitié” does not exist in French.

Everything about moi-même-moitié is exquisite, yet timeless. I have a few of my favourite moi-même-moitié Elegant Gothic Lolita here. You can read more about elegant gothic lolita as a style and performance art at gothic lolita article on www.Goth-Style-Secrets.com.


This is one of my favourite styles and photo with Nurse Deisel in an adaptation of Elegant Gothic Lolita, with a bit more sensuality and a western edge. In Western cultures, Goth ranges from the Victorian-inspired influences for Romantic Goths, to the bondage-inspired styles of Industrial Goths, to the futuristic elements of rave fashion for Cyber Goths. However, Gothic Lolita, EGL and EGA styles are becoming a greater influence for gothic fashions in the West. Ironically, Gothic Lolita, EGL and EGA originally borrowed from the West, with elements of Victorian, Rococo and Baroque styles. Fashion recycles not only from history, but cross-culturally. And here it has gone full circle with EGL and EGA ideas for the holiday season. Read more about how to dress goth for the holidays, with Nurse Deisel, gothic model for Goth Style Secrets.


Gothic Lolita, Elegant Gothic Lolita and Elegant Gothic Aristocrat

Gothic Lolita. Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL) and Elegant Gothic Aristocratic (EGA) styles from Japan are becoming a greater influence for gothic fashions in the West. These styles are a mixture of romance and innocence, representing a kind of kinder and gentler Gothic look that borrows from childhood symbolism, while still maintaining a dark edge. My Lady Eureka outfits are considered romantic goth and elegant gothic lolita. I’m an elder Goth, but with a girlish figure so lace, corsets and pouffy skirts to give me a more curvaceous appearance while maintaining a refined style. See the top 10 guidelines for gothic lolita performance art at www.Goth-Style-Secrets.com.

ENDNOTES:

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

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Posted in Elegant Gothic Lolita, Lady Eureka, Mana, Nurse Deisel, gothic designer, moi-même-moitié, performance art | 1 Comment »

What is goth and gothic art?

Monday, March 12th, 2007

I’m starting a new art project on the gothic look and style - photographs at my art studio with professional lighting and gothic makeup, as well as wild hairstyles and dark formalwear. The lighting is a blue filter set against a white canvas, to contrast the black eye makeup and attire, while creating an ethereal mood. 

My mentor for Goth Style Secrets is Mark Stoffels from Internet Marketing Centre who is great to work with as he is a veteran in the internet marketing industry, which for me created a high credibility factor. He provides structured weekly assignments and in between our conference calls, he provides email support within 24 hours. He also gives motivational tips that helps me to stay focused on the big picture of moving from being an employee to earning multiple internet income streams.

We researched the art and paintings market which is very competitive for keywords so we strategized on using my love of the Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL) ‘cosplay’ performance art to attract targeted and relevant traffic, which would result in international exposure for my art in general.

Since I wore punk / goth / new wave styles back in the eighties, EGL was a good fit and gothic-inspired styles have been making its way back into fashion for the past few years. The gothic subculture which began in the early eighties has infiltrated mainstream society: the most recent pages of Vogue magazine includes strong gothic / fetish elements such as PVC, latex, see-through fabrics and silver. By 2008, the gothic look and style will trickle down into streetwear and I believe you soon see a new generation of “goths” who are into the scene for the aesthetics. In this photo shoot, I have three layers of sheer white foundation, black liner, eyeshadow and burgundy lipstick. I’m wearing a vintage 80s prom dress with an overbust, black lace gloves and a rhinestone ring. You can click on the image and download a larger desktop screensaver size. My new website is called Goth Style Secrets at Goth-Style-Secrets.com.

Trafalgar I

The Origins of Gothic Style

There is a lot of justified confusion about this term. It originally referred to some of the German tribes that would ultimately participate in the sacking of Rome. The term “gothic” became a synonym for uncivilised and barbaric. (The term “vandal” also comes from a German tribe name.)

In the Middle Ages, large and ominous cathedrals were built in the Ogive style. Baroque historians would later refer to the style as “gothic” to indicate that they found it unrefined and tasteless. However, the joke never got off the ground. Instead of changing popular perception of the architecture, they succeeded only in changing the popular definition of the word. People assumed “gothic” meant “dark and ominous” because that’s what the Ogive style evokes.

Next, we arrive at the macabre and mysterious literature of the late 19th century (Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, for example). The term “gothic” was extended to it because of the ominous imagery associated with the churches. This expanded its meaning further to include the macabre.

When a number of punk bands in the late 1970s and early 1980s began taking a more stark, somber, and ethereal direction, the British music press extended the term to the music, again, because of the associaton with the architecture and the literature.

The gothic term was applied to the people who listened to the music - not because of any properties they had, but just out of association. There are things that many Goths like that are not gothic (Industrial or Classical music). There are things that are gothic that many Goths dislike (vampires, interest in death). There are things that some people think are gothic that are not gothic (bands like Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails), and there are things that do not call themselves gothic even if they are considered gothic by most people (bands like Sisters of Mercy and Dead Can Dance). It’s an ambiguous label with many people using it and often have many different definitions.

Finally, gothic applies to art. Gothic paintings first appeared about 1200. The transition from Romanesque to Gothic is very imprecise and it was the beginnings of a style that is more somber, dark and emotional than the previous period. Fast-forward to the 21st century and gothic paintings have continued to flourish among the goth subculture with a preference for the darker side of life and themes of death. As Lady Eureka’s paintings represent the after-world (”Soul Journey”, Vision Quest” and “Acension” series, eBay members have used her gothic style art images to promote the Ann Rice Vampire novels online.

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Posted in EGL, Elegant Gothic Lolita, cosplay, gothic, gothic art, performance art, what is goth | No Comments »