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I'm a PhD student researching the role of the archaeological dead in contemporary British society. Think of this as a scrapbook of all the interesting links, snippets of information and random bits and bobs I come across pertaining to death, dying and the dead. Enjoy?!

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    Catholic blood exhibition opens in Londonderry A controversial contemporary artist from Russia will open his exhibition Catholic Blood at the Void gallery in Londonderry on Saturday. Andrei Molodkin, who intends to boil human cadavers for future exhibitions, has already signed up volunteers who will donate their blood for the unusual installation. The pumps are already popping in the basement room of the Void Gallery in Derry, circulating blood around his replica of the rose window at Westminster Abbey. The window is seen by Molodkin as a Protestant symbol. In the adjoining room he has created a sculpture based on the rose window at the Houses of Parliament. According to the artist’s interpretation of the British constitutional tradition, a British prime minister must be Protestant, a tradition he hopes to highlight, and query. Mr Molodkin has chosen to pump blood donated solely by Catholics through these symbols to illustrate the point. (Source: BBC News)

    Catholic blood exhibition opens in Londonderry

    A controversial contemporary artist from Russia will open his exhibition Catholic Blood at the Void gallery in Londonderry on Saturday.

    Andrei Molodkin, who intends to boil human cadavers for future exhibitions, has already signed up volunteers who will donate their blood for the unusual installation.

    The pumps are already popping in the basement room of the Void Gallery in Derry, circulating blood around his replica of the rose window at Westminster Abbey. The window is seen by Molodkin as a Protestant symbol.

    In the adjoining room he has created a sculpture based on the rose window at the Houses of Parliament.

    According to the artist’s interpretation of the British constitutional tradition, a British prime minister must be Protestant, a tradition he hopes to highlight, and query.

    Mr Molodkin has chosen to pump blood donated solely by Catholics through these symbols to illustrate the point.

    (Source: BBC News)

    Dipped in the blood of beheaded French king: Scientists use DNA to confirm gourd was a VERY gruesome memento from the execution of Louis XVI Two centuries after handkerchiefs were dipped in the blood of the beheaded French king Louis XVI, scientists believe they have proved one such rag kept as a revolutionary souvenir contains his bloodstains. For years researchers have been trying to verify the claim that an ornately decorated calabash contained a blood sample of the king, who was guillotined in Paris on January 21, 1793. On that day Parisian Maximilien Bourdaloue joined the crowds as dipped a handkerchief into the blood left at the scene of the decapitation. He is then believed to have placed the fabric in the gourd, which has been in the hands of an Italian family for more than a century, and had it embellished. Two years ago, analysis of DNA taken from traces of blood found inside the gourd revealed a likely match for someone of Louis’ description, including his blue eyes. But it was never able to be proved beyond doubt as at the time the team did not have DNA of any royal relation. You can read more here!

    Dipped in the blood of beheaded French king: Scientists use DNA to confirm gourd was a VERY gruesome memento from the execution of Louis XVI

    Two centuries after handkerchiefs were dipped in the blood of the beheaded French king Louis XVI, scientists believe they have proved one such rag kept as a revolutionary souvenir contains his bloodstains.

    For years researchers have been trying to verify the claim that an ornately decorated calabash contained a blood sample of the king, who was guillotined in Paris on January 21, 1793.

    On that day Parisian Maximilien Bourdaloue joined the crowds as dipped a handkerchief into the blood left at the scene of the decapitation.

    He is then believed to have placed the fabric in the gourd, which has been in the hands of an Italian family for more than a century, and had it embellished.

    Two years ago, analysis of DNA taken from traces of blood found inside the gourd revealed a likely match for someone of Louis’ description, including his blue eyes.

    But it was never able to be proved beyond doubt as at the time the team did not have DNA of any royal relation.

    You can read more here!

    arpeggia:

    Angela Strassheim - Evidence

    Evidence is a group of photographs taken at homes where familial homicides have occurred. Long after the struggles have ended in these spaces, despite the cleaning, repainting and subsequent re-habitation of these homes, the “Blue Star” solution activates the physical memory of blood through its contact with the remaining DNA proteins on the walls. The black and white images are long exposures – from ten minutes to one hour – with minimal ambient night light pouring in from the crevices of windows and doors, capturing the physical presence of blood as a lurid glow.

    (via lostinhistory)

    Cooking with blood Black pudding is the only food in traditional British cuisine to be made with pure animal blood. Is Halloween a time to embrace other ghoulish blood-based dishes? Ever tasted ox-blood soup? How about starting the day with blood porridge or a blood pancake? Does chocolate and blood pudding appeal as dessert perhaps? These sinister-sounding dishes are reminiscent of childhood horror stories. Black pudding is increasing in popularity in the UK, but that’s almost as far as it goes in terms of blood-enriched foods. Animal blood is actually eaten by many cultures around the world, but could the British diet benefit from a bit more blood? “In northern Europe they have breads where they use blood. They make blood pancakes; they use blood in lots of different things,” says Jennifer McLagan, the Canada-based Australian author of Odd Bits: How to Cook the Rest of the Animal. For many, the thought of eating blood is inseparable from Eastern European myths of blood-sucking vampires feasting on animals and humans alike. But for those who are brave enough to try it, blood brings a surprising “richness and a creaminess to the dish”, says Ms McLagan. Read more here!

    Cooking with blood

    Black pudding is the only food in traditional British cuisine to be made with pure animal blood. Is Halloween a time to embrace other ghoulish blood-based dishes?

    Ever tasted ox-blood soup? How about starting the day with blood porridge or a blood pancake? Does chocolate and blood pudding appeal as dessert perhaps?

    These sinister-sounding dishes are reminiscent of childhood horror stories.

    Black pudding is increasing in popularity in the UK, but that’s almost as far as it goes in terms of blood-enriched foods.

    Animal blood is actually eaten by many cultures around the world, but could the British diet benefit from a bit more blood?

    “In northern Europe they have breads where they use blood. They make blood pancakes; they use blood in lots of different things,” says Jennifer McLagan, the Canada-based Australian author of Odd Bits: How to Cook the Rest of the Animal.

    For many, the thought of eating blood is inseparable from Eastern European myths of blood-sucking vampires feasting on animals and humans alike.

    But for those who are brave enough to try it, blood brings a surprising “richness and a creaminess to the dish”, says Ms McLagan.

    Read more here!

    • Posted 6 months ago
    • November 2nd, 2012

    1 Likes & Reblogs

    theholyprepuce: Happy Holy Foreskin Day The Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord is celebrated throughout Christendom on the 1st of January.  Christians celebrate the Circumcision as the first time the blood of Christ was shed, beginning the process of the redemption of man.  The circumcision was a demonstration that God was fully human, and of his obedience to Biblical law.  The Holy Foreskin is particularly important to Christians as it was the only part of Jesus that remained on earth after he left for Heaven. For centuries, on the 1st of January, the Holy Foreskin was paraded through the Italian town of Calcata.  This practice continued until 1983, when the Holy Prepuce when stolen.   Painting: “Circumcision of Christ” - Friedrich Herlin of Nördlingen -1466, detail from Twelve Apostles Altar (Zwölf-Boten-Altar).   A day late, but just too good not to reblog!

    theholyprepuce:

    Happy Holy Foreskin Day

    The Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord is celebrated throughout Christendom on the 1st of January.  Christians celebrate the Circumcision as the first time the blood of Christ was shed, beginning the process of the redemption of man.  The circumcision was a demonstration that God was fully human, and of his obedience to Biblical law.  The Holy Foreskin is particularly important to Christians as it was the only part of Jesus that remained on earth after he left for Heaven.

    For centuries, on the 1st of January, the Holy Foreskin was paraded through the Italian town of Calcata.  This practice continued until 1983, when the Holy Prepuce when stolen.  

    Painting: “Circumcision of Christ” - Friedrich Herlin of Nördlingen -1466, detail from Twelve Apostles Altar (Zwölf-Boten-Altar).  

    A day late, but just too good not to reblog!

    (via drtuesdaygjohnson)