Curiouser and Curiouser
(Written for Aura Magazine)
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A compelling compilation of curiosities
House of Dreams
Eccentric, eclectic and undeniably enchanting, the House of Dreams is a rainbow feast for your eyes. Created by artist and former textile designer Stephen Wright, who once sold his designs to the likes of Liberty and Harrods, the House of Dreams in East Dulwich is a culmination of Wrights thoughts, dreams, loves and life. Inspired by outsider art, before you’ve even stepped over the threshold you’re hit with a sea of multi-coloured mosaic tiles adorning the pathway and walls accompanied by a slightly unsettling number of dolls and their limbs and an endless array of bottle tops stuck on the front door creating a kaleidoscope of colours. A tongue in cheek sign on the door states ‘Please note, I decided to go for the minimal look’. Upon entering, you’re met with a psychedelic explosion of found and donated objects ranging from wholesomely childlike plastic gems stuck on the walls, to majestic Madonna statues arranged in a shrine like way. Along with the handwritten boards of diary style notes stating things such as ‘I’m sad (and frightened)’ and ‘I’m 45 years of age now. I wonder where this journey is taking me’, the House of Dreams is not only a jovial collection of random items, but is also a gateway into Wrights mind and the raw emotions that it harbours.
Highgate Cemetery
Vampire hunting, grave robbing and the paranormal are just some of the few scandals that linger over Highgate Cemetery. Opened in 1839, the infamous cemetery gained its sinister status over the years due to it being the location for horror films, at the centre of a vampire hunting scandal involving two magicians, and the unfortunate hunting ground for grave robbers who would leave corpses staked and beheaded – once even leaving a headless corpse in an unsuspecting man’s car. Whether you’re a scare junkie, or just want to appreciate some eerily beautiful architecture, then Highgate is the place to visit.
Tina Yu
Tina Yu is a Chinese artist living in New York who creates sculptures which she describes as “whimsical, creepy, fairytale figurines.” Made out of polymer clay, painted with sickly-sweet coloured acrylic and often adorned with glitter and crystals, her sculptures make you question whether you should be enchanted by their beauty and delicacy or slightly terrified by their seductively dark details. At first glance, her sculptures look sweet and innocent, but have a closer look and you’ll notice the menacingly blacked out eyes or the tiny ants unsuspectingly crawling all over them. A sculpture of an intricately detailed mermaid named Kainalu even depicts her eating a slice of her own exquisitely embellished tail garnished with a slice of lemon – if I looked that good I’d want to eat myself too. Yu also sculpts tiny decorative custom hands which double up as pendants. Despite all being incredibly dainty, the hand designs range from being inspired by fauna and flora, to bleak blackened fingers with blood red nails clearly inspired by something much more sinister. Follow her on Instagram at @tina.yu.artist to enjoy daily doses of her ethereal work and join her army of 237,000 followers who she often turns to for advice and suggestions throughout her creative process.
Museum of Witchcraft and Magic
If you’re a fiend for the occult, then the spellbinding collection of witchy objects at one of Cornwall’s most popular, and by far the most mystifying, museums is the place for you. The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic is home to over 3000 curiosities ranging from a waxen cursed doll to a black mirror used to foresee the future. Opened in 1961 by Cecil Williamson, the small Cornish village of Boscastle is the perfect place for this mystic attraction. Williamson himself even states ‘all around us in this quiet corner of England there is a strange feeling that we are not alone and that the shadows of persons passed on and over into the world of spirit are very close’ making this bewitching experience all the more authentic.
The Phantom Atlas
The Phantom Atlas brings you maps of the world, yet not as it is, but as it was once thought to be. This book presents to you a world full of fantastical civilisations and islands which were all believed to be real at one point in time with remarkable stories of monsters, heroes, tricksters, myths and more that go along with them. From stories of the famed lost city of Atlantis and the giants of Patagonia which some travellers claimed to be 9ft tall, to the Garden of Eden plotted on an 18th century map and the Mountains of Kong which spanned across Africa and were drawn on many maps – until they were proven to in fact not be real at all. Some of these mythical places were even included on maps which were published in the 21st century. This atlas of mythical geography includes maps dating back to the 1400’s along with illustrations to accompany the captivating stories told by Edward Brooke-Hitching and is the perfect read for all of the travellers, book worms and cartophiles amongst you.
Gods Own Junkyard
Hidden away in a warehouse in Walthamstow is a neon paradise which goes by the name of Gods Own Junkyard. A showcase of owner Chris Braceys own neon light designs as well as the hundreds that he’s collected and restored over the years, Gods Own Junkyard is rainbow-hued haven. With signs from Soho sex clubs, giant religious statues, a disco ball so big you could ride it Miley Cyrus style and neon props Bracey created for movies from Captain America to Eyes Wide Shut, this otherworldly psychedelic display is a fluorescent experience like no other. If this feast for your eyes gets you feeling a bit peckish, there’s even a cafe there called the Rolling Scones where you can grab a cuppa and a slice of cake. Sadly, Bracey passed away in 2014 but his luminous Aladdin’s cave is still being run by his family and is open to the public Friday-Sunday.