Our long-admired colleague Sarah Dopp –a compulsive mover/shaker/go-getter whose Twitter description aptly reads “Gets excited and poops out communities”– has just announced the official launch of Genderplayful, a new venture she’s running with several cohorts. Sixteen months in the making, Genderplayful is an online marketplace celebrating diversity in gender presentation and body types, and it is wonderful.

GENDERFUCKER Etched Copper Necklace, available at Genderplayful.

From their press release:

This is for anyone who can’t easily find what they’re looking for in a typical clothing store, with special support for androgynous, unisex, butch, dapper, femme, gender-bending, gender-transgressive, and gender-fanflippingtastic clothing solutions for all kinds of bodies.

Genderplayful cares about custom solutions, and the marketplace will host a lively community that finds and creates those solutions together. Vendors will include indie designers, crafters, clothing makers, tailors, and people selling things from their closets and local thrift stores. Community members will pool notes on what they’re excited about, and vendors will take cues from buyers on what to create more of. The goal is to create a culture-rich gorgeous Internet bazaar for the playful, the exquisite, and the just trying to get dressed in the morning.

Dopp further states, “It rallies a community to work collectively on the question, ‘How can we build wardrobes we love that fit our bodies well?’, and it offers extra encouraging support for trans, genderqueer, and gender nonconforming folks (an identity set that we define very broadly). The project was inspired by what we’ve learned in our work at Genderfork.com.”

IKE tee by Genderplayful vendor komsikomsi.

Hearty congratulations to Dopp and the entire Genderplayful family. We know how long and hard you’ve worked to put this community/interface together, and it’s really exciting.

Genderfuckery is fun! Let’s go shopping!

Have you ever wanted Tarot card explanations that rejected the gender binary, referenced political movements, and quoted riot grrl music? If so, this deck is for you.

In The Collective Tarot, wands, coins, cups and swords are replaced with magical found objects:  keys, bones, bottles and feathers. The court cards (page, knight, king and queen) are replaced with the Seeker, Apprentice, Artist and Mentor.  While most card names in the Major Arcana remain unchanged, all have inspired new interpretations. Certain cards that contain outdated tropes (for example, “The Hierophant” – when is the last time that metaphor was relevant to your life?) have been replaced with more relevant symbols, such as “The Code” (referencing the hanky code) and “Intermission.”

The deck is designed by 5 core collective members and 25 contributing artists/co-collaborators. Artist Annie Murphy, one of the deck’s creators, said she felt inspired make a new Tarot deck when she found that she and her friends were unable to relate to the Christian, Euro- and hetero-centric symbolism found in many modern decks. In crafting the Collective Tarot, Murphy and other artists wanted to represent “beings and bodies of size and of color … as well as differently-abled, multi-gendered and multi-generational characters.” The card interpretations speak to the problems of modern people – the struggle to complete an art project, negotiate a polyamory agreement, or organize a volunteer group – while remaining rich with magical lore.

The deck has been out of print for two years. Now, the artists are putting out a limited third edition. A Kickstarter (with only 5 days left to contribute!) is going on for the third print run of the Collective Tarot. Those who contribute $30 or more will get a copy of the deck. In addition to a deck, one of the prizes is a T-shirt featuring the Ace of Bones by Annie Murphy, as seen below:

Mollusc’s Condensed Gastropod by Jason Levesque

Recently, the Virginia MOCA premiered “I Like Soup,” a group show inspired by Andy Warhol. Co-curated by Heather Hakimzadeh and Coilhouse contributor Jason Levesque (who also created a piece of art of the exhibit, above), the show features customized soup cans by a score of talented artists. Below is a piece from artist Chet Zar, who was featured in Coilhouse Issue 05.

You can see and purchase the cans on the MOCA website. Proceeds will benefit MOCA’s educational programming and the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia.

Can of Worms by Chet Zar

“The Sinister Game of Paperface” by Richard A. Kirk

Artist and author Richard A. Kirk (who we’ve mentioned twice before on the blog) has just put a bunch of very reasonably priced prints of his recent work into his Etsy store. If you’re shopping for darkly whimsical holiday gifts for your more fae or macabre friends (or just for yourself!) you’ll definitely want to take a look at these intricate, elegant pieces.

Kirk’s phenomenal illustrated novella, The Lost Machine, is also worth checking out– a bleakly beautiful weird fiction story that features ghosts, witches, crows, and enchanted automata. Kirk’s prose is as delicate, finessed and strange as his drawings. Highly recommended.

“The Unaccountable Absence of the Wastrel” by Richard A. Kirk

It would seem that Coilhouse’s favorite power couple, the Joslins, are going for complete and total art world domination in late 2011! These two lovelies have been consistently inspiring, supporting, and contributing to us since the very beginning. Jessica was our biggest feature in Issue 01 of the print magazine, and we just published a lavish interview with Jared in Issue 06. (Which, btw, is still available in our shop… but not for long! Get it while you can.)

We love these two! Here’s a quick rundown of Jessica and Jared’s various exploits in recent months:

“Devil’s Kiss” by Jared Joslin. Oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches, price upon request.

Jared’s newest oil painting “Devil’s Kiss” is the first in a new series of paintings exploring the high life and thrill of masquerade balls of the 1920’s. Says Jared:

“In this dream-like whirl of frenzied delight, set in a snow globe atmosphere of streamers, confetti and balloons, I intend to explore and depict stolen moments, passionate persuits and secret longings. Moments marked by intense pleasure in a state of high celebration.”

Meanwhile, Jessica’s gorgeous creatures are scampering all over the place! Comet (pictured below) is going to London for the “Wild Life” group show at Stolen Space Gallery, opening tomorrow, Dec 2:
Comet, by Jessica Joslin.

Agate (pictured below), as well as Almond and Silver (shown after the jump) are all headed to Roq La Rue in Seattle. Opening Dec 9, 6-9pm:

Agate, by Jessica Joslin.

ATTENTION, NON-SHOPPERS. Whether you’re purposefully observing Buy Nothing Day or simply opting out of the ravenous corporation-fueled feeding frenzy of Black Friday because you find it all a bit… scary, you can still experience a gawping, consumer hoard horrorshow from the comfort and safety of your own home:

Fresh off the success of their nerdtastic exploration of the Night of the Living Dead cemetary, Cinemassacre decided to visit a certain humble indoor mall located in Monroeville, PA; the very same one featured heavily in George Romero’s original (1978) Dawn of the Dead film.

If you’re familiar with the movie, it’s adorkably entertaining. If you’re not, be sure to click on a corpse below; the photo links to a full YouTube Coilhouse Black Friday 2011 playlist comprised of choice cuts of the original Dawn of the Dead tidbits, and some other fun stuff.

Ya just can’t put a price tag on good, clean, satirical zombie fun!

Well, smack our heinies as we howl, folks, because after the most agonizingly laborious year imaginable, our beloved, beleaguered Coilbaby, print magazine Issue SixSixSix, has finally been born! It is now available in our shop. Big ups to everyone who helped ensure that this remarkable Lithopedion progeny of ours could finally come to pass, so to speak.

Join the black and white and red parade as we march through an angular Constructivist/Futurist/Expressionist landscape where originality and oddity rule.  There are interviews with the ultra well-known and loved, and with the scrumptiously subterranean. There are (literally) sharp and edgy fashion editorials; there’s a never-before-published Bauhuas-era play; there are origami revelations. You’ll view tons of exclusive, made-just-for-the-magazine content contributed by all manner of wondrous human beings. At 113 pages, Issue 06 is substantially longer, bigger and thicker (hurr!) than any previous incarnation of the print mag. Let’s take another look at that die-cut cover, designed by our brilliant art star, Coilhouse Creative Director Courtney Riot:

The design of this issue was heavily influenced by Constructivism, Bauhaus, and De Stijl. We carefully researched the work of Piet Zwart, Jan Tschichold, and El Lissitzky in order to give Issue 06 its distinct look. We were especially inspired, in places, by Merz Magazine, published between 1923 and 1932 in Germany.

With Issue 06 being our biggest to date, it was a good time to bring aboard a talented new designer to help out. Please welcome Coilhouse Art Director Paulina Macfarland! Paulina is a designer, artist, LGBTQ activist, and a magazine publisher in her own right. She and Courtney divided up the articles evenly, working closely together to produce our most complex issue yet.

You can already find “Oblique Stratosphere” in select stores across North America, where it’s selling for $12.99 on the rack. (We’ll post a comprehensive list of locations ASAP.) And as of this afternoon, while supplies last, you can buy it directly through our store. (We especially encourage our international readers to purchase in this way; even with the shipping cost, that’s still cheaper than those crazy overseas store mark-ups.) Just remember, our online stock is relatively small and issues always sell out, so don’t delay. Once again, we’re keeping the $15 price tag on all copies sold online. As with our previous issue, those who order #06 through the web store will get additional bang for their extra bucks – download codes to archival riot grrrl materials from Kathleen Hanna’s personal collection, an exclusive Coilhouse-presented/Purebred-produced music video featuring the world-renowned belly dancer, Rachel Brice, and one-of-a-kind DIY schematics by origami artist Robert Lang. When you order through the site, access to these additional goods will be delivered to your PayPal email addy within 24 hours of ordering. Additionally, while supplies last, our readers will have option to buy into the following deluxe package:

Coilhouse Issue 06 + Molly Crabapple’s Commemorative Coilhouse Birthday Serigraph: $75

It was our 4th birthday last August, and we were in the midst of a fundraising frenzy when our dear friend Molly Crabapple offered up this scintillating serigraph to aid our efforts. It was designed to dovetail aesthetically with our Black & White & Red All Over Ball, the theme of which, in turn, was directly inspired by the palette of Issue 06. We currently have 20 of these incredible collector’s items left in stock. They compliment Issue 06 perfectly. Molly Crabapple’s Commemorative Coilhouse Birthday Serigraph is 19″ x 25″, printed in matte red and semi-gloss black ink onto smooth 100+ paper stock from the deliciously-designed French Paper, with a thick border of white paper to frame the print. It’s a super high quality product with a tiny edition size, and we’re now offering it together with Issue 06 at an astoundingly low price. For those of you who can afford to, and are moved to, here is a wonderful opportunity to support our labor of love a wee bit extra, and receive a loving memento in return.

For so many of us, this has been a long, tough year… and it ain’t over ’til the Klaus Nomi sings. Thanks so much for bearing with us, comrades. Thank you for continuing to support this passionate, playful love letter to alternative culture. Thanks for taking part with us in sustaining what has become a global community of deeply creative and kindhearted kindred spirits. We hope you like Issue 06, that it was worth the wait, and that our next offering won’t be nearly so long in the making.

We salute you.

INFORM illustration by Zoetica Ebb
As with previous issues, Coilhouse 06 is divided into three sections: INFORM, INSPIRE and INFECT. For each section, Zoetica created original art inspired by the main themes of this issue. The graceful INFORM illustration features a sharp female robot who may very well be a cousin of Maria from Metropolis.

Blixa Bargeld
On the Outer Edges of Sense
A leather-clad prophet of the apocalypse, a cosmopolitan polymath, and an experimental music veteran whose infamous shriek has been compared by friend and colleague Nick Cave to “the sound of strangled cats and dying children,” Blixa Bargeld is being heard across two continents this fall, as his Berlin-based industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten celebrates their thirtieth anniversary as a band with a tour. Back in the 80s, E.N. used to set the stage on fire (literally), drill holes in walls and floors of the venues they played in, and maneuver burning oil and shopping carts to create a musical frame for their ferocious urban rituals. These days, complex structures built of metal barrels and jet turbines become sophisticated musical instruments rather than machines of doom. Earlier this year, Bargeld graciously granted Coilhouse correspondent Olga Drenda an in-depth interview. The article is illustrated with several stunning original drawings by Paul Komoda.

Transformers
Eva Nyiri / Clayton James Cubitt / Flaviana Matata
Inspired by “ancient samurai armor and today’s shiny Transformer-type robots,” Eva Nyiri crafted the Transformers collection with a primary goal: rethinking the traditional woman’s jacket. Brooklyn, Budapest, and the Shinyanga region of Tanzania collide in this collaboration between Nyiri, photographer Clayton James Cubitt, model Flaviana Matata, and makeup artist Katie Wedlund.

El Lissitzky
Naughty Squares, Musuem Maps, and Commie Propaganda ; A Looming Pedagogical Portrait
1920s Soviet artist El Lissitzky has been with Coilhouse since the very beginning.  Samples from his famous self-portrait, The Constructor, serve as the page background for this site.  The art movement that Lissitzky was involved in, Constructivism, greatly influenced every aspect of this issue. In this article, artist/performer Lucas Lanthier presents an informative biography, imagining a fanciful exhibit to illustrate the scope of Lissitzky’s work, and treating readers to lessons learned from the life and work of the artist in a cheeky propaganda slogan format.

Kathleen Hanna
Don’t You Stop, We Won’t Stop
Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill is considered one of the founders of the riot grrrl movement. She recently donated her archive (early ‘zines, hand-written lyrics, guitar tabs, contact sheets, and artwork) to the Fales archive in New York. Coilhouse was granted unprecedented access to Hanna’s archive, various facets of which are presented in this article in a frenetic collage format. Kathleen sat down with journalist Christina Kelly – best known for her acclaimed editorial role at Sassy, the legendary ‘90s teen magazine – to discuss music, feminism, and personal history.

Klaus Nomi
He Came From Outer Space to Save the Human Race
A tenderhearted open intergalactic letter penned to and about the iconic, eccentric, and tragically short-lived singer Klaus Nomi. Written by Meredith Yayanos and featuring the puppet-like pattern collage art of Hormazd Narielwalla, with auxiliary graphic design by Julia LePetit.

INFORM illustration by Zoetica Ebb
Zo’s robust INSPIRE illustration takes a cue from Soviet propaganda art, features a goggled revolutionary, cheerfully wielding a giant hammer.

Primary Constructs
Fashion Editorial by Helen White, Amelia Arsenic, Zoog
Piet Mondrian, Wassily Kandinsky, El Lissitzky: three artists who shaped the art world of the 1920s and ’30s. With a style that exalted geometry and venerated structure, they were at the forefront of the Constructivist, Suprematist, De Stijl, and Bauhaus movements. In this tribute editorial, Australian photographer Helen White worked with industrial music duo Angelspit’s Amelia Arsenic and ZooG to create a microcosm bursting with exuberant primary colors and bold shapes. What began as a one-off promotional shoot for Angelspit developed into a narrative wherein fearless latex and origami super-heroines defend their paper universe, ready to take on any challenge that comes into view.

Paul Pope
Reinventing the Wheel
Comics creator Paul Pope reinvented the Batman mythos with a fierce cyberpunk critique of dystopian society in Batman: Year 100,  and his speculative fiction epic, 100%, quickly became known as a modern masterwork. He has collaborated with the fashion brands Diesel and DKNY. His sporadically released sci-fi adventure story, THB, first published in 1995, continues to evolve and to astound. The 2007 PulpHope retrospective monograph covers every aspect of his work so far; intriguing women, strange machines, enigmatic castaways, and sprawling metropolitan vistas merge into a mystifying art colossus. Late last year, Pope hung out in a NYC bar with writer Ales Kot and a bottle of wine to discuss, among other things, art, music, empathy, and dreams.

Rachel Brice
Time Is On Her Side
Although she’s one of the most accomplished and well-traveled performers in her field, Rachel Brice describes herself simply: “I belly dance. I collect old junk. I am in love.” Aficionados have nicknamed her The Snake Charmer. World-renowned for her innovations in a dance form called Tribal Fusion, Brice has indeed mastered serpentine arm work, along with gravity-defying backbends and astounding abdominal muscle control – all markers of the indomitable substance beneath her fine-tuned aesthetic. Last year, on a rainy green evening in Portland, Oregon, Brice welcomed Meredith Yayanos into her home for a warm and candid conversation about belly dance, joy, and self-acceptance. Our cohorts Jason Mitchell and Stacey Ransom of Purebred Productions shot incredible Coilhouse exclusive photographs and video for this feature, building an entire set around the aesthetics of Issue Six for Brice to inhabit. Here’s a sneak peek of the music video (available in full as a digital download to everyone who buys through the web store).

Jared Joslin
A Time of Such Exquisite Plumage
Jared Joslin’s paintings are gilded portals to the sensual past. Exploring his work, we encounter thriving pockets of nocturnal Weimar nightlife, Dust Bowl era carnivals, and glittering pre-code Hollywood nightclubs. Joslin has said that what fuels his vision is “the feeling that you don’t necessarily fit within your own time. You’re drawn to the past in ways you can’t quite understand, but feel the pull of it and want to take on [its] dreams.” His creations truly do seem timeless, and they are dreamy indeed, but his fascinating answers to Mer’s queries about his artistic process convey a sharp and lucid intelligence.

Terry Gilliam
Enjoy Living In Brazil
Few luminaries of cinema have as many pages dedicated to their process as Terry Gilliam. No doubt, there are directors with thicker tomes, but most, if not all, have the distinct advantage of being dead. Mr. Gilliam’s abiding vigor is a handicap for which he can hardly be faulted! As it stands, the life’s work of Monty Python’s sole American member remains a fascinating point of interest, owing both to his unique filmmaking process, and to his quixotic endurance in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. A few months back, Nadya Lev caught up with the affable expat to discuss film, how hard it is to break up with the United States, and the primal thrill of building tall, unwieldy structures of whimsy… and then watching them burn.

INFECT illustration by Zoetica Ebb
Zoetica’s starkly elegant INFECT illustration features a witchy German Expressionist siren of the silver screen.

Richard Elfman & the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo
Brave Adventures in The Forbidden Zone
In cahoots with a gang of fellow creative abnormals – most conspicuously his little brother Danny – director Richard Elfman and the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo presented demented, biting satire from the Hollyweird footlights from 1972 through the early eighties. Their gleeful shtick took cues from (and liberties with) Max Fleischer cartoons, German Expressionism, the Three Stooges, Cab Calloway, Frank Zappa, Spike Jones, various flapper and vaudeville legends, and the like. Presenting Gong Show-winning performances that combined old-timey traditions with more sharply modern slapstick, they were equal opportunity destroyers of taboo. Even from an outréphile’s standpoint, in subterranean sects where just about anything went, their antics dropped a lot of jaws. And that was before they made their “WHAT IS THAT I DON’T EVEN” opus, The Forbidden Zone. This feature is about that movie, and the (Elf)man(s) who made it happen. Written by Meredith Yayanos.

Lothar Schreyer
The Paper Mache Mystic of German Expressionism
We are honored to publish this feature on the intriguing Expressionist artist and Bauhaus theater personage, Lothar Schreyer, written by the incomparable Mel Gordon– a writer, a professor, a lector, a New York Actor’s Studio alumni, a historian, and author of the books Voluptuous Panic: The Erotic World of Weimar Berlin, The Seven Addictions and Five Professions of Anita Berber, The Grand Guignol, and Hanussen: Hitler’s Jewish Clairvoyant, among others. Unflinching and thorough, with a dizzying knowledge of theatre, art, Jewish history, and the sex trade, Gordon has made it his life’s quest to expose (and scratch) all manner of underbellies. Much like his biographer, Schreyer was a professor and professional troublemaker possessed of feverish vision and intelligence. The feature includes a short, never-before-published play of Schreyer’s, translated into English by Gordon.

Magnificent Specimens
56 Entrants at the 2009 World Beard & Mustache Championship
In the spring of 2009, photographer Dave Mead traveled to Anchorage, Alaska to attend the annual World Beard & Mustache Championship. “Only taking time for one bathroom break and a slice of pizza,” Mead spent eleven straight hours shooting thousands of pictures of men sporting some of the world’s most elegant, creative and elaborate facial hair. These unique and wonderfully expressive men captured by Mead’s lense are magnificent indeed.

Print to Fit: Robert Lang’s Origami
Hex Twist Resch Bump Tessellation
Rather than closing the issue with paper dolls, we’ve decided to close it in the spirit of Issue 06’s angular, architectural style: with a custom origami folding pattern created for Coilhouse by one of the most renowned origami artists of our time, Robert Lang. Robert Lang’s work sits at the intersection of mathematics, origami, and science. A former NASA engineer and physicist with over forty patents, Lang can transform an uncut sheet of paper into an impossibly complex three-dimensional shape: a scorpion, a pond turtle, a rock climber, a Black Forest cuckoo clock. In lieu of paper dolls, and closely in keeping with Coilhouse Issue 06’s angular, geometric theme, Robert Lang has specially crafted a piece known in the genre of abstract origami as a tessellation: a repeating set of folded pleats and twists.

Comrades! Greetings from the bowels o’ Brooklyn. This missive comes to you directly from B&W&RAOB Headquarters, aka the Red Lotus Room in Crown Heights, where roughly two dozen devoted volunteers (we love you guys so much) have been working steadfastly for many, many hours to make sure everything is PERFECT tomorrow. The party is so close, we can taste it (mmm cinnamon and sleep dep with a touch of thunderstorm)! Everything is coming together. Everyone is delirious, and hopeful. We truly hope to see you here tomorrow from between 5pm and midnight, either in the flesh and dressed to transgress, or via one or more of our “internet party portals”: the Coilhouse room on Turntable.fm, the Ball’s livestreaming webcast (link to be announced tomorrow), or our auction site.

Speaking of that auction, we’re beside ourselves with delight to announce the three final, breathtaking listings that were just added into the Coilhouse International Fundraising Silent Auction (which you should really check out in full, if you haven’t already). First:

An astonishing Glow-in-the-Dark Fabric Painting – Donated by Diamanda Galás Yes. Really. THAT Diamanda Galás. The one, the only, the mighty. Featuring mysterious and ferocious organic shapes painted on a thick piece of black fabric and adorned with a bright prism, this textural, luminescent 11.5×24.5″ fabric painting was created by the incomparable and legendary avant-garde performer, composer, artist and activist. [See listing for more detailed photographs.] Ms. Galas express-FedExed it to us yesterday to make sure it arrived in time.  She was also kind enough to donate a second listing– The “Litanies” Lot, which consists of an autographed vinyl pressing of her masterful debut album, The Litanies of Satan album, as well as a size S tee shirt featuring her timeless and lovely face, autographed in gold permanent ink.

But wait! More exquisite feral beauty entreats you to stay, and marvel, and BID. Behold, our final, phenomenal entry into the Coilhouse Black & White & Red All Over Ball:

“She never sleeps but still dreams” PUREVILE! necklace – Donated by Wren Britton Wren made this exquisite piece expressly for our auction. You may recall that Coilhouse recently raved about Wren and his gorgeous, one-of-a-kind, “Post Apocalyptic Victorian accessories” and “clothing for Time-Traveling Dandies and Femme Fatales.”  Wren promptly returned the favor by blogging about us in a way that made everyone over here a little misty-eyed. It is an honor and a joy to enter “She never sleeps but still dreams” as our final listing.

Folks, you have until 11pm EST tomorrow, Aug 21st, to bid on these and all of our other breathtaking auction items. Best of luck, and as always, thank you for your kind support of Coilhouse Magazine + Blog: A Love Letter to Alternative Culture.

More last-minute party announcements tomorrow. Stay tuned!

As you’ve surely noticed, the Coilhouse blog has been preoccupied with this big fundraising push in NYC, lately. This must be frustrating for everyone who’s too far away to feel included or helpful. But we’ve been wanting to tell you something verrrrrrrry exciiiiiting. That Silent Auction we’ve been mentioning, the one that’s going to be physically based in NYC at The Black & White & Red All Over Ball? It’s INTERNATIONAL. YES! Absolutely anyone, anywhere in the world with reliable internet who takes a look at the following donated items and falls in love with one or more of them (we know we have!) can bid on any of these incredible listings, donated by a dream team of contributors and supporters. And anyone who wins something after bidding remotely will immediately have their item shipped to them, insured, anywhere in the world.

We <3 the future! We’re giddy that in addition to gathering together friends in distant cities to Turntable.fm DJ portions of the event, and livestreaming the party so anyone can poke their head in, we’ll be able to honor silent auction bids from as far away as Japan, Australia, or Alaska. And we sincerely do hope you bid! Even if you don’t, we would like to ask you, our cherished readership, a small favor: it has taken longer than anticipated to get this huge promotional post about the auction up and running. We MUST start loudly, aggressively getting the word out online to start drawing eyes to the auction list! Please, pretty please, immediately Tweet, Facebook, Tumblr, blog, email or otherwise get the word out about this auction and link here. Time is running out, but we are counting on getting a lot of international eyes looking this way, and hopefully, BIDDERS. We want to honor all of the wonderful people who generously donated by keeping this a very lively auction. More bluntly, we are keen to keep Coilhouse Magazine + Blog strong and healthy during a difficult time.

The auction starts right now and ends at 11 EST, Sunday night. Click here to view all the auction items. Major credit cards and PayPal are accepted. A brief description of each item follows below. Happy bidding, comrades! As always, thank you for your support.

“Dark Siren” Original Art Piece – Donated by Nicole Aptekar. After successfully selling out almost every piece in her expansive “New / Paper / Explorations” show (which only debuted last Friday), Nicole set about the task of creating a custom piece that reflects the color and theme of this party and Issue 06. 11×15″ in its permanent frame, “Dark Siren” is laser-cut from red, white and charcoal grey paper, and arranged into a unique piece of “dimensional graphic design”. The work is completely one of a kind, is not part of any edition, and was created exclusively for this fundraiser. Read more about Nicole’s artwork on Coilhouse. Starting bid: $310. Market value: $500.

“Vessel” Giclee Photographic Print Donated by Kate O’Brien “I shot this image in 2010 with the amazing Isabelle. This concept was strongly influenced by Steampunk and the game Bioshock and took me such a long time to put together. One of my personal favorites!” Giclee print is 30×24″, framed. Kate O’Brien’s dreamy, yet hyper-detailed photography was featured in Coilhouse Issue 02. Starting bid: $70. Market value: $150.

“Girl and Octopus” serigraph donated by Molly Crabapple. A serigraph of one of Molly’s most detailed and whimsically tentacular illustrations, this 15″ x 22 1/2″ piece features a Victorian showgirl, an octopus wearing a top hat, and bubbles. Limited edition. 100% cotton Magnani Revere silk paper with deckle edges, printed in navy & shimmering gold inks. Signed and numbered. Molly, as previously mentioned, has been a kind friend and contributor to Coilhouse from the very beginning, and her work was featured in Issues 02 and 05. Starting bid: $83. Market Value: $150.

Four separate item listings have been donated to the auction by Matthew Borgatti of  Sleek and Destroy. There are Guy Fawkes Earrings and Guy Fawkes Cufflinks (“We do not forgive. We do not forget. We are stylish.”), a Courage Wolf Pendant (“Wear Necklace. Death learns to fear you.”), and, of course, everyone’s favorite friendly and precocious ursine internet celebrity, represented by a naughty, metallic Paedobear Pendant. Starding bids: $12-15 (depending on item.) Market value: $15-23.

“Little Red Riding Hood” Hand-Painted and Framed Print – Donated by Dame Darcy. From alternative cartoonist and artist Dame Darcy (previously featured in Coilhouse Issue 04): “Little Red Riding Hood, the iconic story to warn young women of the dangers of becoming a woman (the red cape symbolizing her first period) drawing the wolf to her (symbolizing the newly found attraction to her now womanly self).” Starting bid: $12. Market value: $25.

Three lots of beautiful books and artwork have been donated by Thomas Negovan from Century Guild! (Holy cow… we’re speechless, guys. Definitely click through to take a closer look at the HUGE glut of gorgeousness included.) There are three lots: the “Sea Lot”, the “Witches, Freaks and Fractures Lot” and the “Hope and Sadness Lot”. Beautiful books, posters, art prints, postcards, comics, apparel and other items. Autographed contributions from Dave McKean, Gail Potocki, Chris Mars, Jeremy Bastian, Dan Brereton, Stephanie Leonidas. Extremely rare, limited editions. Starting bids are between $90 and $190 on these lots, which retail for between $200 – $400 depending on the lot. (By the way, Thomas will also be performing at the event, accompanied by drummer Brian Viglione and our very own Mer!)

“Invasive Species II” Signed Archival Print and Accompanying Autographed “Waldkammer” Book donated by Madeline von Foerster. Achival print made on 340 gsm Cotton Rag paper. The additional full-color catalog-style book tells the story of each of the forty-five plant and animal species depicted in this series of paintings, with a forward by the artist and an introduction by Nancy Pick and printed on 100% recycled paper. Madeline’s work has been feature many times on Coilhouse blog, as well as Issue 02 of the print magazine. Starting bid: $95. Retail value: $170.

Framed “Blind Love” print & Framed “Blixa Bargeld” print [two separate listings] both donated by longtime Coilpal Paul Komoda. “Blind Love” [pictured] is an infamously sexy illustration of Paul Komoda’s character Courtney Claveloux and her tentacled friend. It was originally published on the cover of “Cthulhu Sex” Magazine. Print is 8 1/2 x 11″, framed dimensions are 14 1/2 x 11″. Paul’s second donation [click here to see, do it, do it now!] is a scintillating, textured print of young Blixa Bargeld, a founding member of Einstürzende Neubauten (who just so happens to be featured in our upcoming Issue 06). Blixa print is 10 1/2 x 6″. Framed dimensions are 14 1/2 x 11 1/2″. Starting bids: $65 on both items. Retail value: $165.

Framed Neil Gaiman Poster donated by Allan Amato A portrait of the critically acclaimed, powerhouse author Neil Gaiman by one of Coilhouse’s most prolific staff photographers, Allan Amato! Allan has contributed to every issue of Coilhouse since Issue 01. This image was part of the shoot Allan undertook for our Coilhouse Issue 05 feature interview with Amanda Palmer and Gaiman. Framed dimensions: 18×24″. Starting bid: $15. Retail value: $35.

Framed “Unicorn Chaser” print donated by Jason Levesque, featuring Xeni Jardin. A high quality, one-of-a-kind print featuring a delightful illustration by Levesque (aka “Stuntkid”). This art was originally created for our article on Xeni in Coilhouse Issue 03. Framed dimensions are 20×24. Starting bid: $55. Retail value: $150.

“Black Magick Shaman’s Neckpiece” Necklace – Donated by Asha Beta. A beautiful, unique necklace, crafted by Nicomis Blalock, owner of jewelry company Asha Beta. The Black Magick Shaman’s Neckpiece is a talisman worn to deflect and dispel the effects of Black Magick directed at the individual. It contains a variety of organic elements believed by primitives to provide certain “prophylactic virtues”, thus providing essential protection to the Shaman during necessary journeys to the “spirit world” or “land of the dead”. Materials: bronze, brass, quartz crystal, black jade, human hair, hand-carved horn, ebony, and ivory. Starting bid: $99. Retail value: $200.

Dancing With Invisible Light print donated by Audrey Penven An image of aerialist Mike Estee from Penven’s 2010 photo series. Estee, who also assisted in the shoot, explains the process behind Penven’s concept: “A computer graphics technique called “Structured Light” [was used] to build a depth map of the field of view, [allowing an] Xbox Kinect camera to discern shapes and ultimately build a skeletal model of the person standing in front of it […] projecting a grid of tiny infrared dots across the room, and reading the position of those dots with another camera. […] Projected against a person, they create interesting contours and patterns.” Read more about these haunting images here. Starting bid: $100. Market value: $180.

Autographed Strange Nature art book donated by Jessica Joslin. A signed collectible edition featuring all manner of Ms. Joslin’s delightful brass and bone beasties . Hardbound. 152 pp., 140 full-color plates! Publication date: April 2008. Jessica Joslin’s feature was the biggest piece in print mag Issue 01. Since that time, she has contributed many articles and blog posts to Coilhouse. (More ‘Haus love for Jessica here). Starting bid: $55. Market value: $85.

“Rudolph Valentino” Framed Illustration donated by Jared Joslin. This stunning, two-sided color illustration by our dearly loved friend, artist Jared Joslin, features the legendary Rudolph Valentino as both a dashing military man, and as a wistful, colorful clown. This is a one-of-a-kind, INCREDIBLY rare piece from Jared! He would normally sell it for upward of $600. We are presenting this original art lovingly in a freestanding, double-paned and double-sided frame. Starting bid: $240. Market value: $600.

Black Serpent Rouge Belt donated by Rachel Brice. The incomparable Rachel Brice, a world-renowned innovator in the field of Tribal Fusion belly dance, has generously donated one a one-of-kind, meticulously and lovingly handmade belt of her very own. This breathtaking piece, crafted from countless different antique, vintage, and impossible-to-duplicate materials, was exclusively worn by Rachel during the sold-out 2010 Serpent Rouge tour of her dance troupe, The Indigo. Whenever Ms. Brice sells them herself, pieces like these regularly sell for anywhere between $500 and $700 dollars. Starting bid: $345. Approx. market value: $650.

Coilhouse Magazine, Issues 01-05. Rare, out-of-print first editions of our previous five issues. 96 pages each and produced over the last three years, these are physical copies of And Other Curiosities (01), Beauty Is A Choice (02), The “Hold My Gold” Issue (03), Onaim, Perantes, Rasonastos (04), and Let All the Children Boogie (05). Starting bid: $155.00. Market value: $200.

Ganymede Signed Advanced Reading Copy – Donated by Cherie Priest. Cherie Priest, “the high priestess of steampunk” and a longtime friend and supporter of ours, is donating a signed copy one of her advanced reading copies of Ganymede, the fourth book in her award-winning, wildly popular Clockwork Century series. The book won’t officially come out until end-of-Septemberish. Starting bid: $18. Market value: $20.

Dr. Grordbort’s Righteous Bison Indivisible Particle Smasher – Donated by Sir Richard Taylor of Weta Workshop. The Righteous Bison is no ordinary raygun. Far from it. Where traditionally manufacturers in the Wave Oscillation genre have (some say lazily) gone down the well charted route of heft and mass, the Righteous Bison has been designed with the handler in mind. Portability and wieldability have been the guiding lights for the ground breaking team of young talent that’s been put in charge of this whimsical undertaking. It is furthermore an eminently suitable accessoire to your pseudo-Victorian attire for weekending in the country or impressing your peers at parties or other large gatherings. The Righteous Bison can take a fair amount of man-handling. And even more woman-handling! Starting bid: $45. Market value: $99.

“Jill Tracy Care Package” – Donated by Jill Tracy. LAST in the limited edition series! Songstress Jill Tracy handmade doll by October Effigies. Autographed by both Jill Tracy and cult-hero dollmaker Kerry Kate. Autographed copy of J ill Tracy’s CD, “The Bittersweet Constrain.” Exclusive pre-release copy of Projekt’s brand new compilation, “A Dark Cabaret 2.” (This will not even be in stores until Sept 24!) Plus: photo postcards, “The Fine Art of Poisoning” stickers. Starting bid: $40. Market value: $65.

Ossaserpia’s Opus alchymicum CD, Hardback Book and Poster donated by Madeline von Foerster. Pressed CD in paper sleeve with impression; 16-pages A5 hard-bound book with impression on the cover, equipped with flyleafs at the front and the back including printed alchemical symbols; 6 alchemical graphics by Madeline von Foerster with an overlays; A3 poster with explanatory text to each alchemical graphic, and impression again; embossed CD sleeve-jacket.  Limited edition of oversized hard-bound book. VERY rare print (audio/bibliophilia) for all occult fans of musick & alchemy! Starting bid: $45. Market value: $70.

There are, on this staff, any number of people who are, without a doubt, more well spoken and better qualified to comment on this subject than me. Many of them are in possession of the biological equipment that this product is, uh, aimed at. One of the staff has even commented on this brand’s questionable advertising only a few weeks ago. I must apologize in advance then. In the end you are not getting the insightful, well-reasoned and well-informed commentary that you, the loyal and erudite Coilhouse reader, deserve. Instead you are getting the blathering of the Catacombs’s most puerile and juvenile prisoner occupant.

“Hail to the V” is a new commercial for Summer’s Eve “cleansing wash and cloths”. It features an authoritative sounding voiceover by a woman with an authoritative British accent. (Which is redundant, really, because as any American and, of course, Summer’s Eve knows, a British accent is, by its intrinsic Britishness, authoritative. That is why it is in this commercial.) Anyway, this voice leads us through a number of different “historical” scenarios meant to illustrate just how gosh darn important vaginas are. Especially your vagina. Yes, you there, miss.

So, first we are shown a Neolithic woman, clothed in the skins of animals, holding aloft a neonate (also clothed in animal skins) while British Lady intones stoically about the cradle of life. Flashing forward in time, we are presented with another woman, costumed in order to suggest Egyptian royalty. Looking out over her subjects, she throws up her arms in a massive V (like the one in vagina) and British Lady refers to “it” (also, your vagina) as “the center of civilization”. Do you see where this is going, ladies? Do you? “It” (or, your vagina) is pretty damn important. But how important? Relax, we’re getting to that.

Now we come to the longest part of the ad. We find ourselves in a bamboo forest. There are two Asian gentlemen in this forest with us. One has a sword, while the other has a long, rubbery looking staff. They are fighting in a manner that Americans associate with Asia. There is also an Asian woman in the background, looking on, dressed in a manner that Americans associate with Asia as it was long ago. British Lady begins to pontificate on how, throughout history and all over the world (hence the excursion to Asia), men have “fought for it”. Quickly, we cut to Medieval Europe. There are knights on horses. They are jousting. They drive their horses towards one another, their immense, phallic weapons undulating angrily in front of them. There is a woman here, too, looking on. Some men, British Lady informs us, breathlessly, some men have even died for it. One of the knights falls, which pleases the woman who has been watching. As the victorious knight raises his visor to look at her, British Lady concludes with “One might say, it’s the most powerful thing on Earth,” which is true, I suppose; one might say that. But, then again, one might say all sorts of things when trying to market douche.

Finally, we are approaching our terminus, the payoff for this weird trip through time and space. We have, at last, been returned to the present. Inside a store, a woman is thoughtfully pondering a Summer’s Eve product. She nods her head and mutters to herself, presumably to signal her agreement with that last line from British Lady when, suddenly, American Lady — familiar, jovial, and friendly — cuts in and gets to the point, saying, “So come on ladies, show it a little love,” which, again, is something you might say when trying to market douche.

I’m just not sure it’s something you should say. I’m not sure how comfortable I am with a full minute of advertising that repeatedly references disembodied genitalia. “It” is the cradle of life, but isn’t “it” attached to someone? “It” is the center of civilization, but “it” isn’t the one throwing up its arms. But the strangest, most uncomfortable section is that last part, the longest part, the part where men are fighting for “it” — killing to possess “it”. That section is really weird because what I get from that section is that men have made war upon one another for your vagina. They have killed each other for your vagina. They have leveled cities and razed the land for your vagina.

The least you could do is ignore those damned health warnings and make sure it doesn’t smell.