kickstarter | The Barbed Pentacle

Happy Krampusnacht! It’s our favorite day of the year here at the Barbed Pentacle. If you’re not familiar with Krampusnacht, we have a whole section devoted to the festivities in our archive section (look right and scroll down). Tonight is also the last night of Hanukkah.

This year seems to have been the year of Krampus projects. While all of these projects have expired, the artist involved I’m sure still have products for sell and would appreciate some clicks to their sites.

Project 1: Krampusnacht Edmonton: http://krampusnachtedmonton.wordpress.com/

Edmonton, Canada will be holding their second annual Krampusnacht tonight at 8pm. If you want to be Krampus are a Pertchen, they are still looking for volunteers. Or if you just want a little taste of Krampus’ switch, I’m sure somebody in the holiday entourage will oblige you.

Project 2: Krampus Hoodies and Cards by Benjamin Holdredge : http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1636647854/holiday-krampus-hoodies-and-cards

Benjamin wanted to jump start his graphic design business and start a seasonal Krampus merchandise site. Unfortunately, his kickstarter campaign was unsuccessful. It’s a shame because his hoodies are really kick ass. They may or may not be available still for purchase.

Project 3: Project Krampus by Aramis September: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/project-krampus

This project was brought to our attention by a reader. For this project, Aramis wants to start printing and selling Krampus cards, his first solo project as an artist. Indiegogo runs their projects differently than Kickstarter, so although this project was successful and has ended, you can still contribute if you want–in essence ordering a product.

Happy Krampusnacht!

These folks will last eight nights for you too!:

Mystic Artisans: https://www.facebook.com/mysticartisans

Passion And Soul: http://passionandsoul.com/

Tonia Brown: www.thebackseatwriter.com

No Hide Floggers: http://jinglepets-nohide.blogspot.com/

Leave your shoes out tonight to see if St. Nick leaves you some gold.

I like watching documentaries. They preserve the odd and ends of our society. They allow us to into worlds that often times we never knew existed. Vicarious living on the cheap. Documentarians fill the role that village elders use to have–preserving and perpetuating cultures.

Brian Cottingham, of DaggerVision Films (http://www.daggervisionfilms.com/), is working on a fund raising campaign for his documentary House of Oddities: The Story of The Atrocity Exhibition. According to Cottingham’s Kickstarter page, “House of Oddities: The Story of The Atrocity Exhibition is a feature length documentary detailing the behind the scenes madness that goes into creating Pittsburgh’s annual underground celebration of the weird and bizarre, The Atrocity Exhibition; now in its 5th year.

The Atrocity Exhibition brings a truly 360 degree artist collective bringing together the best in dark burlesque, cabaret, performance art, and fine art from across the nation. Each year is a themed show in which on stage performers fuse their own talents with the theme to create a truly unique show.

This film goes behind the makeup and costumes to expose the behind the scene workings of the event. This includes interviews with Macabre Noir and Dr. Morose, founders of The Atrocity Exhibition, members of Kabarett Vulgare; a Pittsburgh based side show and performance art troupe that represents the core performers of The Atrocity Exhibition, traveling performers that bring their own unique gifts to the show, and the collection of dark artists that make up this immersive art collective.”

With the money raised, Cottingham hopes to have the film printed to DVDs and to have online distribution. He also has hopes of submitting his film to the SXSW Film Festival (South by South West) and the Coney Island Film Festival, and for the film to be distributed to independent theaters with ample promotion.

So, why is this project important? It’s important because it chronicles an annual exhibit of the dark and twisted, things that secretly fascinate many of us. It’s important because it preserves for the future the ritual and ceremony of the carnival, something that’s being lost in today’s society. Being part of a carnival is very much like being part of a coven. You’re a member of a closed society that others long to join, others deride, and you’re privy to secret information that seems extremely mysterious to the outside world but in reality is deceptively simple. All the coven players are there: the petitioners, the new initiates, the maiden, the summoner, the bevy of second degree priests and priestesses, and of course, the high priest and priestess. You, the audience, are the special guest worshipers that have been invited for select esbats and sabats. There is even cakes and ale at the concession stand. And don’t forget about the sacred hootchie-cootchie Hiero Gamos!

If you can’t give to the Kickstarter campaign (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bcottington85/house-of-oddities-the-story-of-the-atrocity-exhibi), at least consider lighting a real or virtual candle to St. Expeditus (http://nshrine.com/shrine/st_expeditus) for the film. If nothing else, go to the Kickstarter site and watch the trailer for the film. The fund drive ends August 2, 2013.