KEMBRA PFAHLER AND THE VOLUPTUOUS HORROR OF KAREN BLACK

KEMBRA PFAHLER AND THE VOLUPTUOUS HORROR OF KAREN BLACK

Kembra Pfahler is a multimedia artist who is an icon in NYC. Her band is The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black. I first saw her perform in the late 90's and I was blown away. It was like sexy Witchy-Poo from Puff'n Stuff meets Night on Bald Mountain from Fantasia. Her look is so inspirational. From the body paint to the black teeth to the 6 wigs covered in glitter to the Wednesday Addams School Girl clothes she is Flawless. When she is joined by the rest of the girls of Karen Black it becomes an unholy stage show of such immense counter cultural gravity that I just want to scream "Hail Satan" at the top of my lungs(think Rosemary's Baby). If you ever have the opportunity to see her, the band, or the girls on stage or in a gallery run, don't walk, to the venue.

ULTRA PLATFORMS

16TH CENTURY CHOPINES

GEISHA IN GETAS

GETAS LIKE THE CHOPINES PICTURED ABOVE WERE INITIALLY DESIGNED TO KEEP THE FANCY OUT OF THE MUD. SOMEHOW THIS NOTION OF VERTICAL SUPERIORITY BECAME AN OBSESSION.

TAYUU GETA

FERRAGAMO 30'S WEDGE

FERRAGAMO POPULARIZED THE PLATFORM SHOE AND INVENTED THE MODERN WEDGE. THE PLATFORM REMAINED POPULAR THROUGH THE MID 40'S.

IN THE LATE 60'S PLATFORMS CAME BACK. BY THE EARLY 70'S THEY WERE SYMBOLS OF ALL THAT WAS GLAM.

7O'S GLAM

HERE'S A LITTLE SLADE...

AND THE SWEET.

THE 70'S ALSO SAW THE PLATFORM EVOLVE INTO A SUPERFLY ICON.







PLATFORM SHOES BEGAN TO SHOW UP AGAIN IN THE LATE 80'S BUT IT WAS REALLY THE MID 90'S WHEN A TOTAL PLATFORM EXPLOSION OCCURRED. EUROPEAN COMPANIES LIKE LUICHINY BEGAN TO OFFER HUGE PLATFORMS IN VERY LARGE SIZES. EVERY DRAG QUEEN WITH CASH AND A DREAM WAS FINALLY IN BUSINESS. LADY BUSINESS THAT IS!

LUICHINY "DRAG QUEEN" LINE OF PLATFORM BOOTS

WOW! VARIETY.

LUICHINY WAS WORKING OVERTIME

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD TOOK THE PLATFORM SHOE TO NEW ELEGANT EXTREMES

WESTWOOD PUMPS

WESTWOOD'S 93 NAOMI CAMPBELL HOBBLERS

FUR AND BRASS BOOTS. TOTAL IGNUNCE

HERE ARE THE LUICHINY BOOTS IN ACTION. OH THE 90'S.

AN ALL TIME FAVORITE...THE LITTLE BLACK BOOT.

TRANNY HOOKER BOUQUET

SPECIAL THANKS TO PLATEAU MIKE FROM GERMANY. CHECK OUT HIS SITE FOR TONS OF PICS AND LINKS TO HIS PLATFORM LOVING FRIENDS. IT IS GERMAN SO BE PREPARED FOR SOME RUBBER OUTFITS AND FLIGHT WORTHY BELL BOTTOMS.

THE LATEST WAVE OF SKYSCRAPING PLATFORM HEELS HAVE TAKEN OFF INTO NEW AND UNEXPECTED EXTREMES. THEY ARE AMAZING WARPED VERSIONS OF OLD CLASSICS AND SOME SURPRISINGLY NEW FORMS.

JUNKO SHIMADA 2008

MCQUEEN 2009

NINA RICCI 2009

GALLIANO 2009

REBORNS

Artificial Intelligence,artificial people, artificial relationships, artificial gender, and artificial identities are subjects of fascination in contemporary society. Perhaps the quest for artificial intelligence and robotic advancement has parallels in our childhood affinity for dolls, puppets, and imaginary friends.

Let us explore the doll as a symbol.For children they can represent responsibility,social status, and adulthood. For adults they can represent childhood, motherhood, and fantasy. Meet Reborns or Living Dolls. Lifelike replicas of newborns and infants. The detail is remarkable. A perfect baby. It never cries, gets soiled, or grows up. The Babies are polarizing. There is an initial sense of amazement that can quickly be followed with confusion and feelings of unease. On one hand it's just a fancy baby doll...on the other it's a life-like ersatz baby. Certain enthusiasts seem to be grounded and into the craftsmanship and "collector's" high. Others seem to have a more emotional relationship with the dolls. Regardless of the response you have to the dolls they are undoubtedly strange, complex symbols of the modern world.

CLOWN SHOES

per⋅vert

  /v. pərˈvɜrt; n. ˈpɜrvərt/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [v. per-vurt; n. pur-vert]

–verb (used with object)

1.	to affect with perversion.

2.	to lead astray morally.

3.	to turn away from the right course.

4.	to lead into mental error or false judgment.

5.	to turn to an improper use; misapply.

6.	to misconstrue or misinterpret, esp. deliberately; distort: to pervert someone's statement.

7.	to bring to a less excellent state; vitiate; debase.

8.	Pathology. to change to what is unnatural or abnormal.

9.	to convert or persuade to a religious belief regarded as false or wrong.

–noun

10.	a person who practices sexual perversion.

11.	Pathology. a person affected with perversion.

12.	a person who has been perverted, esp. to a religious belief regarded as erroneous.

---

Origin:
1300–50; (v.) ME perverten < class="ital-inline">pervertere to overturn, subvert, equiv. to per- per- + vertere to turn; (n.) n. use of obs. pervert perverted

Related forms:

per⋅vert⋅er, noun

per⋅vert⋅i⋅ble, adjective

per⋅vert⋅i⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, noun

per⋅vert⋅i⋅bly, adverb

Synonyms:
2. seduce, corrupt, demoralize. 3. divert. 4. mislead, misguide. 7. pollute, defile; impair, degrade.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.

Wow!
That was descriptive. I always live for the synonym list. I especially like the idea that perversion is diverting, misleading, polluting, defiling, impairing, and degrading. I feel that the sexual connotations are well established and publicized. Let us look at less "safe-word" perversion.
One of my all time favorite artifacts.
The humble shoe.
More specifically- The Clown Shoe.
What makes it a clown shoe? An exaggeration of shape or size that takes it beyond actual human proportions. There are innumerable variations on the theme. Round toe, extra long toe, prow(long upward curving) toe, square or rectangular toes etc.! I'll show you some of my favorites. My problem is I could conceivably find a time and a place to wear any of them.

Here are some offerings from Spears Shoes.

GOLD FOIL PROW TOE LACE UP

YELLOW PROW TOE LACE UP WITH GOLD FOIL KILT-NO TASSLE

Here is Clown So Port

POLKA DOT MARY JANE WITH BOW DETAIL

ROLLER BOOT

DUCK FEET

THE FOLLOWING ARE FROM VARIOUS SOURCES

SUPERFLY PLAID LOAFER

CHECKERBOARD LACE UP

COLLARED BOOT

SPECTATOR BROGUE BOOT

CHARACTER BOOT/SMILEY FACE MOTIF

BEAK TOE MARY JANE

VINTAGE PROW TOE JESTER BOOT-LEATHER PETAL DETAIL

This is a photo of a flower arrangement sent by the folks at Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus for the memorial service of Wayne Scott, a former circus clown who for years made clown shoes.