Torpid Slivers #43
by Colin Raff
[Ground Floor, continued]
On reaching the western termination of the previous avenue, it is recommended to proceed into the biotic sculpture room, accessible from the western wall, southern side.
Many Coelobonese natural wonders are arranged near the southern transept in a bid to contextualize the current works. At the east is a display corresponding with one on the opposite side of the nave (see below), featuring large potted land jellies and forest bivalves; beside them an immense shore nettle (sic.) cast in resin, and several desiccated salpae, most containing visible specimens of prey trapped at death. Preserved invertebrates in traditional ornamentation, remarkable for their costly and intricate inlays, reappear throughout this section.
Nearing the south entrance, we come upon the Salon’s indisputable main attraction for the second year running: contemporary sculptures formed from living hydroids in aeroponic vessels. Porpulinn Brelpheck has given us a new entry in his “Divergence” series, once again siphoning from the casual viewer’s attention with virtuoso touches, e.g. a zooid perfectly formed into a sea-nymph’s kneecap. Brelpheck’s initial notoriety was for this coaxing of mythological narratives from his compromised organisms, yet “Helle Drowning (after Lucian’s Dialogi Marini IX)” reveals his engineering limits. For at eye-level, where pathos requires a churning Hellespont beneath the translucent toes of a hovering Amphitrite, necessity provides a tepid aquarium scene of polyps feeding.
About the Author
Colin Raff is an American writer and visual artist residing in Berlin.
About the Series
See the preceeding 42 Torpid Slivers in Queen Mob’s Teahouse.
