Historic TUBE ad

As seen at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

WIRED Mag: Feb 2011 issue

When I glimpsed the headliner of the February 2011 issue of WIRED magazine on the shelf, I had a little quiver of excitement.  The mention of anything "underworld" will do that for me.  

But the quiver was momentary.  As I bee-lined to the mag rack to further inspect, I fully assumed that the issue would be dedicated to, well, I don't know, graphic novel underworlds (perhaps a worthy thing to look into actually) or some random issue with the code name "underworld" that I had no clue about.

Lo and behold.  

Lo and behold.  The Feb. 2011 issue was really, indeed dedicated to real issues of the "underworld."  Not just the physical underworld, my typical arena of focus, but societal underworlds too.  Profiles of historic con artists of varying talents, some rather explicit deconstruction of drug trade secrets, a profile of the burgeoning cyber criminal "industry" in Romania and more.

Then there is the  Q & A with photographer, Taryn Simon, whose work perhaps can be described as the result of pointing her lens directly on the subconscious of society. 

And the piece by writer Erin Biba and photographer Christoph Morlinghaus which, to my mental delight, is focused on the physical underground and provides a nice spectrum of photos to virtually visit various undergrounds on the globe. 

Underworld geeks, check it out. 

Artful Nudes + Underground Metro Scenery

Source: stylefile.fr

 Google "Jam Abelanet" and "Fantasies Souterraines" and prepare for a rich and artful spread of nudes +  metro photography work.

Link to Jam Abelanet's official Fantaisies Souterraines page 

Fantastical Underworld

Fantasy and science fiction films are fertile breeding grounds for the imaginings of how the 'Underworld' appears and how humans make use of the underground in, typically, near and distant futures.

My jaw dropped several times in seeing Pan's Labyrinth for the first time. Not only is the film absolutely gorgeous and disturbing at once, it is compellingly dense with mythological allusions. Some of Ofelia's (the main character) key moments- both harrowing and exhilirating, occur in the underworld. Her first challenge of finding a key occurs in the earthy root system of a tree. Her second challenge brings her to the banquet which she must not touch (and possibly before one of the creepiest creatures ever depicted on film). Like Persephone, who having been taken into the realm of Hades, was permitted to leave under the condition that she ate nothing while down there, Ofelia is under similar instructions. Both fail, Persephone with the fated pomegranate seeds and Ofelia with the allure (and consumption) of the grapes. Yet Ofelia's fate is not quite sealed yet and her escape is necessary to bring her full circle to the space of her true belonging.

In the end though, Ofelia's efforts, and apparent rebellion, result in a tragic and quick departure from Earth, as she knew it. They also culminate in her arrival home. She is reunited with those who she descended from and the depiction of this underworld "kingdom" is truly breathtaking.

I for one would like to request a Part II. Ofelia's Beautiful Dark Kingdom.

Book Nook: Waiting for the End of the World, by Richard Ross

Images of beautifully designed earth sheltered homes as well as rather stunning fully underground architecture are not difficult to find. The photos in Waiting for the End of the World are the subject of a decidedly different bent. They draw quick attention to the near apocalyptic tone and genuine concerns about a nuclear winter which trigger a good deal of discussion on (and construction of) underground shelters.

Images by Richard Ross from Waiting for the End of the World

Published in 2004, the book is mainly a visual spread of photographer Richard Ross's documentation of shelters worldwide. Atmospheres of grim abandonment alternate with thoughtfully lit, inhabited spaces that look- well downright cozy. Ross's photos offer an intriguing spectrum of shelters and their varying uses (or non-uses) today.

Among the features are gorgeous, epic hallways of the Moscow subway system, whose stations doubled as shelters in WW II; a sterile, well maintained and very presentable Swiss shelter, open for the tourist experience; tunnels of Beijing's Underground that alternate, intriguingly, from barren and unoccupied to ornate and inhabited.

Also in the spectrum of shelters spread across the planet are a wildly colorful St. Petersburg nightclub, an Israeli tunnel complex that has served as shelter for both Muslims and Christians and a well maintained, spacious community shelter complex for a group of residents in Montana.

They're all here. They're all underground. And they all feature varying levels of human occupancy, from nil to highly trafficked.

The array and style of fall out shelters portrayed is staggering. The uniformity of subject as shelter makes for a fascinating visual study of the different uses and levels of preservation of these spaces worldwide. Even the person wholly disinterested in the very idea of bomb shelters will look twice and those already drawn to the idea may very well glean some design tips.