#lansig

[britsyankswheels24]

📆 On August 21, 1897, Ransom Olds founded Olds Motor Works after successfully building his first gas-powered vehicle.

⚙️ In its first year, Olds Motors produced just four vehicles. However, after securing an investment from businessman Samuel Smith, the company began mass-producing automobiles using Olds' innovative automotive assembly line. By 1903, Oldsmobile had become the largest automaker in the U.S., though Ransom Olds departed in 1904 due to disputes over the company’s direction. A few years later, Oldsmobile was acquired by General Motors.

🚘 During its nearly century-long run with GM, Oldsmobile pioneered innovations like the automatic transmission and introduced iconic models such as the Cutlass, Toronado, and 88.

[fauxcreche]

The Introverted salesman: The Commodification of Nessie

An Investigation

In Jeff Noon's Solace, the commodification of the protagonist is a gradual process. The question of ethics and morality around the circumstances of their commodification is what a reader is left to dissect by the end of the story.  There are economic factors that favour his commodification but at the cost of his autonomy. When he creates intrigue by sharing the taste of Solace, Nesbit's commercial purpose is fulfilled. But at what cost to his humanity? The question of a human being as an advertising tool is uncomfortable to consider, but in Solace, it explores the ontological split between the product, its genesis and its forthcoming reality. To put this another way, Nesbit gradually loses his humanity in order to sell a product to those in his environment and it does work, until it does not. It is at this point that Nesbit becomes both the commodity and the target audience.

To better illustrate my position, a brief explanation of commodification in relation to a generalised ontological system is needed. Sandlin and Callahan identify that the rise of consumerist ideology has been linked in sociological and consumer behaviour to emotion (2015:83). When considering Nesbit as a commodity, his friendships are his emotional foray into selling ‘Spook’ to his peers. It is evident that these friendships are somewhat motivated by Nesbit’s economic status.

The narrator describes him as “that scrawny little brainbox with the rich parents,” and goes on to detail how Nesbit was the one who first introduced his peers to ‘Spook’, as it was not advertised; one had to already know about it in order to buy it. Within his ontological system, Nesbit is not capable of autonomy as his purpose is to sell ‘Spook’ and he does do this successfully by means of enticing his peers with the different flavour combinations that they then pay him to make for them, as they can’t achieve these combinations of their own.

There is the moral dilemma of where does Nesbit, the non-commodity begin and where does Nesbit the ‘Spook’ advertisement end? In other words, is there an autonomous Nesbit who does not need to sell or buy ‘Spook’ and what are the moral and ethical implications of the answer to this question, as far as his commodification is concerned?

Within his ontological system, Nesbit can only exist if he is preoccupied with ‘Spook’, whether that be the sale or his own purchase of it.

As Eagleton (2003:143) notes in his chapter on Morality, he says:

“Moralism believes that there is a set of questions known as moral questions which are quite distinct from social or political ones. It does not see that ‘moral’ means exploring the texture and quality of human behaviour as richly and sensitively as you can, and that you cannot do this by abstracting men and women from their social surroundings.”

Putting this quotation in context with Solace, it is clear that Nesbit cannot be separated from his ontological system when considering the questionable morality behind his commodification. I’d like to jump ahead in the story to further expand upon this point.

The narrator notes on page 22 (Noon, 2001) that it was not the taste of the flavour combinations that drove Nesbit, it was merely finding the flavours. It begins to consume him, becoming his lifeblood in many ways. As the narrator notes, there came a point where Nesbit was the only person concerned with ‘Spook’ and its different flavour combinations:

“You’d think he’d be happy to just mess with the bottles, but no, he had to drink every single bottle, even the ones that were failed experiments.

By this time the rest of us were growing up, you know. Moving on to the more sophisticated pleasures” (Noon, 2001:21-22).

It is at this point that the commodity becomes the target audience. What critically influences the gradual disinterest in ‘Spook’ in not only the growing up of Nesbit’s peers but his own spiralling, which results in not only a physical deterioration but a moral one within his ontology- it is at this point that a distinct helplessness settles not only over the reader. Nesbit’s commodification not only erodes his own autonomy but goes on to reveal the lack of ethical decisions that preceded his birth and subsequently, his adolescent and adult life. Returning to Eagleton, in order to better explain this conclusion, he explains that ethics are about excelling at being human, and this does not happen in isolation (2005:142).

It deserves mention that Nesbit’s design as a commodification falls in line with the traditional of advertisement and consumerism. The ideology of consumerism correlates with emotion management and relies on both advertising and mass media to elicit specific emotions in consumers that attract them to buy products and experiences (Sandlin & Callahan, 2015:83).

While it may have been preferable for better ethical decisions to have been taken on behalf of Nesbit, his ontological system favoured his commodification rather than his autonomy due to his parent’s poverty and their want to improve their economic position, rather naively believing that the premature sale of their child would not be detrimental to its future.

Furthermore, in becoming the target audience, his search of Solace falls in line with the emotive experience sold to him by the makers of ‘Spook’, as Nesbit knows that such a combination is possible from his previous experimentations- the narrator cites the following as evidence,

“Instead, in this really clear voice, he told me that has was searching for the solace. […] Solace. He said it might take him years to find the right way to twist the bottle cap, but he was determined to get there, even if he died doing it” (Noon, 2001:23).  

His compensation is also bittersweet, as he does not have to work but he spends a lot of that compensation money on buying ‘Spook’.

In the absence of morality and ethical direction within this ontological system (although it can be argued that there is some morality within this system), by dedicating his life to finding Solace, despite how bleak his existence may seem to the reader, the experience of this search is how Nesbit finds a meagre sense of autonomy.

However by the end of the story, a new want for ‘Spook’ is subtly planted. The narrator’s interaction with Nesbit at a pub, he tells his listener about the experience of seeing Nesbit combine the six flavours and tasting Solace: He describes the scene:

“It was like watching an expert at play, like a magician or something. I tell you, I was frozen in space, as these six streams of colour[…] all started to appear in the clear liquid,”

By the end of the story, the narrator speaks of the taste of Solace with fondness. And thus, Nesbit fulfils the original purpose of his design. He is born a human commodified from an unfortunate absence of the ethics and the morality that were not possible due to an unequal distribution of power and an opportunity to further consumerism in a more insidious fashion.

Reference List

Eagleton, T. 2003. Morality (in After Theory). Penguin Books Ltd. London; England.

Noon, J. 2000. Solace (in Pixel Juice: Stories from the Avant Pulp). Anchor. Lansig; MI.

Sandlin, J.A. Callahan, J.L. 2009. Deviance, dissonance, and détournement: culture jammers use of emotion in consumer resistance. Journal of consumer culture, 9 (1):79-115.

[yakotta]

[Image description: the first image is a screenshot of a news article from The Washington Post. The headline is “Michigan GOP candidate says he tells daughters to ‘lie back and enjoy it’ if rape is inevitable.” The story preview reads “Robert Regan, a Republican favored to win a seat in the Michigan House, made the comments while trying to make an analogy about abandoning efforts to decertify the 2020 election.” The article is by Mariana Alfaro. There is a photo of a pickup truck flying an American flag as it drives in front of the state capitol building in Lansig, Michigan.

The second image is a screenshot of the same article. It reads: “Robert Regan, who is running to represent Michigan’s District 74 in the state legislature, made the comments during a Facebook live stream Sunday. The discussion was hosted by the Michigan Rescue Coalition, a conservative group that supports former president Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. The Justice Department found no evidence to support Trump’s baseless allegations.

During the discussion, fellow panelist Amber Harris, a Republican strategist, told the group that it is “too late” to continue challenging the results of the 2020 election, suggesting that Republicans should instead move on and focus on future races, to which Regan replied: “I tell my daughters, ‘Well, if rape is inevitable, you should just lie back and enjoy it.’ ”

Regan then moved on to other comparisons, drawing a parallel between his recent victory in the Republican primary and the biblical story of David and Goliath.

A shocked Harris, however, tried to”

The screenshot cuts off the last sentence I. The middle.

End image description ]

And then dude goes on to say he wants to decertify the election results in Michigan! “During the discussion, Regan also said that, if elected, he’d push for the decertification of the results of the 2020 election in Michigan. Under both state and federal law, a state can’t decertify an election.”

Like those two statements contradict each other!! What the fuck!!

[art7vandelay]

Grace Kelly

Joi Lansig

Audrey Hepburn

[branza]

in a surprise twist that absolutely no one could have predicted at all, chris brown was actually a depressed 22-year old woman from lansig, michigan

this woman on catfish thinks she’s been talking to Chris brown for the last three years but he won’t video chat her

*surprised pikachu face*

[vfdarkness]

AVFD S1E5 - Another Time, Another Place

On the morning of October 31st, 1978 - four-hundred and eight people woke up in the small, Northern California town of Palomar.

At dusk, parents and children throughout the community engaged in Halloween activities - trick-or-treating, passing out candy, attending costume parties.

By the end of that autumn night only nine people would be left alive.

Every other soul in Palomar was gone. Left in their places, jack-o-lanterns with detailed carvings of the missing.

[Intro Music Fades in]

This is A Voice From Darkness.

[Intro Music plays, fades out]

Hello, this is Dr. Malcolm Ryder, parapsychologist. Normally I’d be in the studio taking your calls to help you with your supernatural problems. But not tonight.

Tonight I’m in Palomar, California. Tonight I’m going to tell you the tale of the worst case of the jack-o-lantern murders in American history. What happened in Palomar stands alone - not only in the quantity of people affected but also in a few details that do not occur in any other case.

Palomar is situated roughly 30 minutes South on the highway from Six Rivers National Park. Like many towns in this region, Palomar owes its origins to the Gold Rush. The town never grew large - at its height in the early 20th century it’s population boasted a mere 900-some residents. But unlike other Gold Rush communities, it never transformed into a ghost town. At least not until after Halloween night of ‘78. 

The town exists today, though merely as a museum. A place to honor all those lost that tragic night. Throughout the town - year round - jack-o-lanterns carved to resemble the missing are placed where they were found on November 1st.

I spent the better part of today traversing the town, taking in the pumpkins - learning their stories... honoring the dead. We’re recording this broadcast from Palomar’s former AM radio station. And so we’ll start our story here.

Just after 7:00pm on Halloween night the Monster Mash played. The DJ, a man named James Essig, stopped the song midway through the second chorus. He delivered the following message:

“The station’s been given an emergency warning - stay away from Emerson street. Do not take your children trick-or-treating there. We don’t know what’s happened at this time. We’ll keep you up to date as we learn more.”

Essig then played the Monster Mash again - starting the song over from the beginning. 

Twenty-some minutes passed.

Essig interrupted another song. He gave the following message:

“If you’re hearing this - stay out of the east side of town - anywhere east of Lansig Street is what we’re being told. Evacuate if possible. Otherwise barricade yourselves and your family in your homes. We still haven’t been given any information about what’s happening… though it appears to be spreading.”

Across town, on Banker Ave - two streets away from Lansig, twelve-year-old Sarah Glenwald and her friends were trick or treating. She gave the following account to authorities: 

“I was dressed as Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz. My best friend Jenna was Glinda the Good Witch, and another friend of ours, Becky, was The Wicked Witch of the West. We made my little brother Nick dress up as a flying monkey and come with us. He wanted to go as Batman, and complained the whole night - about how itchy and warm his costume was. About how Batman could beat up all the witches - we just ignored him.

“After we got candy from the Mitchell’s house, we heard sirens. Police cars were at the far end of the street yelling at us to run to them. We had no idea what was going on. But there were jack-o-lanterns all over the street. They hadn’t been there when we approached The Mitchell’s. I think Jenna realized what was happening before I did. Under her breath she kept saying, “No, no, no… Not this…” Her grandparents - four years before - had been taken by the jack-o-lantern murderer.

“Jenna and Becky sprinted towards the police officers. I turned around to grab hold of Nick. But he wasn’t there. I called out for him. Screamed. But he didn’t reply. Down the street - back towards the Mitchell’s - there was a carved pumpkin in the middle of the street. Next to it was a pillowcase with candy spilling out. Nick’s pillowcase. The jack-o-lantern was lit. People say that the jack-o-lantern murderer carves the likeness of his victims into pumpkins. But that’s not right. If you ever saw one up close and lit - you’d know. There’s too much detail. It wasn’t an artistic rendering of Nick etched into the pumpkin. It was more like he’d been stolen out of a moment of time - and a snapshot of him was left across the pumpkin’s surface.

“I grabbed Nick’s pumpkin. When I turned back around, Jenna and Becky were no longer there. Neither were the police. There were only jack-o-lanterns up and down the block. I walked past them all - saw all their faces - Jenna’s, Becky’s, - others I recognized - my friends and neighbors. The street was silent except for the small sound of candles flickering in dozens of pumpkins.”

Sarah wandered the jack-o-lantern filled streets until she arrived back at her home. Her parents missing. Pumpkins left in their place - the candles still burning.

After midnight, on November first a horse galloped down her street. There was a knock on the front door. Three slow rasps that shook her house. She was still in the kitchen with her family of jack-o-lanterns. She did not get up - terrified to leave them. The front door creaked open and heavy footsteps came toward her.

A tall, thin man - without any hair on him - dressed in a black suit entered the kitchen. He and Sarah looked at one another for a moment. Sarah asked him who he was. He did not answer. But he stepped forward. She flinched and closed her eyes. One by one he opened the tops of the pumpkins and blew their candles out. She did not open her eyes again - fearing the worst. A deep voice whispered in her ear:

“Another time. Another place.”

Her eyes didn’t open until she heard the horse galloping away.

Back at the radio station just after 1am on November 1st, Essig played no music. He allowed dead-air to fill the radio waves. Occasionally he interrupted the silence with his pleas. The last message he gave to his phantom listeners was the following:

“I can no longer reach the police station. No one is answering there or anywhere else. I’ve called my wife... She’s not picking up. Please. Please... If anyone else is left in Palomar, call into the radio station. All lines are open. Please let me know I’m not the only one.”

But no one called in. There were only eight other survivors in Palomar, and none were tuned into Essig’s show. And so he abandoned the station.

He drove slowly through the small town’s streets. At the intersection of Main and Church there were multiple car crashes. In every vehicle -  jack-o-lanterns.

A large grey stallion stood in the middle of the road. Nearby a giant of a man dressed all in grey. The grey giant approached Essig’s car, gesturing for him to roll down his window, then told him:

“Another time, another place.”

He then disappeared on his horse.

All nine survivors claimed to encounter a tall man dressed monochromatically. Always with a horse. Always stating the same phrase:

“Another time, another place.”

Seven of the nine survivors are now presumed dead. Over the intervening years, each has disappeared. Jack-o-lanterns that resemble them have been found at all their last known locations.

Sarah Glenwald and James Essig are the only two remaining survivors of Palomar. Their current whereabouts are currently unknown - though it’s widely believed both were placed in some form of witness protection.

In all cases of the Jack-o-Lantern Murders, Palomar stands alone in multiple respects. No other instance saw the same quantity of disappearances. Thirteen people disappeared and were replaced by jack-o-lanterns at a Colorado cabin in 1947. That’s the second highest number of disappearances to date.

And in no other case have there been survivors who’ve encountered strange giant men who travel by horse and give cryptic, threatening messages. In no other instance of the jack-o-lantern murders have there been any survivors - period.

Several conspiracy theories have risen out of Palomar - that it wasn’t a true case of the jack-o-lantern murders - but a government experiment gone wrong. That aliens abducted most of the town. That the giants were the horsemen of the apocalypse and they began the rapture that very night - and whenever James Essig and Sarah Glenwald disappear from the earth, the end of days shall commence.

Personally, I believe whatever happened in Palomar was a case of the jack-o-lantern murders - plain and simple. That whatever causes these disappearances is stranger and more powerful than we’ve given credit. But perhaps I’m wrong and the end of the world is nigh.

With those thoughts, I believe we’ll end our show for the evening.

The next time you hear from me, I’ll be back in our Chicago studio - ready to take your calls. However, that will not be soon. A number of you who’ve called into the show or left voicemails need my help. I’ll be traveling the country over the next month aiding a few callers with special problems. That said - Amanda, if you’re listening - please call. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. Please tell me you’ve taken my advice and haven’t approached The Traveling Salesman. That you haven’t opened the door.

Until next time… this has been A Voice From Darkness.

[Outro Music]

[acubellspastorindependent20-blog]

Questions we explored

SPACE (indoor and outdoor)

How does it influence your work? Light? “feeling overwhelmed in the studio light”

 Where did you work back in Lithuania? And now in Brighton?

 Brighton. ‘forced’ to decorate your space

 Working on an opened studio: being observed-feedback from fellow classmates

 Different room sizes

 Florence: working outdoors. (no walls) did it mean a transition in your work? Or you always on transition process?

 Shopping centre painting- different atmosphere.

YOUR WORK (Lithuania- Brighton)

 Materials you use (constructional-mixing yourself)

 From acrylic to oil paint

 Colour for mood  influence of colour theory

 Transparencies and absorbing paint

 THEMES explored: female figure, reflections (mirrors), dreams…etc Any themes stayed throughout?

 Painting from photographs….became ‘too staged’

 Adapting work from other artists

INSPIRATION:

 Name artists that inspire you. (Plinio Nomellini, Maria Lansig, Katherine Bradford, Schiele...)

 Playing piano (influence of music) “composing from paint”.

LIFE

A bit of background

 Artists in family (dad-painter//mum-violinist)

 influence from my dad (leading to decide your degree on painting and why)

 anecdote: selling paintings (warm+cold colours vs warm+cold countries)