Cyberia - The City of Ladies

The traditions
within the city
continue throughout the ages
old sits comfortably
alongside new

Heather Blakey - March 2008

Christine de Pizan at Her Computer
Illustration by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

–submitted to the City of Ladies by Genece Hamby

The Apotheosis of Homer is a marble carving which since 1805 has been kept at the British Museum in London. The carving was discovered in the 17th Century on the outskirts of Rome in the historic precinct where goddess groves and grottos were once the scene of processions and seasonal rituals. The work is by a sculptor, Archelaos, who was born in Priene in the Ionia in Asia Minor, who worked in the second and first centuries BC. It was commissioned by a poet who wished to thank the goddess and her priestesses for his success in a poetry competition. This means to us that we have a glimpse of the relationship between Roman poets and the goddess beliefs, and also a record of the way the Romans pictured the workings and theology of a goddess temple.

Laws:

1. Follow Nature

2. First know, then act. Real knowledge exists in the triangle composed of seeing, feeling and understanding.

3. Use only one vessel, one fire, one instrument. The person who takes the chosen path may succeed, while the person who attempts to walk on many paths will be delayed.

4. Keep the fires burning constantly.

(copyright Heather Blakey 2006.)

(From Soul Food Alphabet Project, Letter “A”.)

skisies

drink

smoke

gown

the gown 2

On stumbling across some good information online regarding Lord Byron’s daughter, Ada Byron Lovelace, from his short marriage to her mother, I read about her connection with Charles Babbage, the Victorian era father of the modern day computer. It’s worth reading the transcript shown on the link to Charles Babbage, because it shows an interesting shapshot of life in the mid 19th Century, when an explosion of ideas came forth. (It’s very long, and most of the parts can be skipped over according to interest.) The way these ideas were spread, prior to the days of television, radio, podcasts, and other modern communication methods, was the soiree.

Are soirees considered out of date? Ada Lovelace met Charles Babbage at one of his soirees, held to spread awareness of his scientific ideas. I suppose these days there are expos and field days and the like, but nothing as glamorous as swirling silks, elegant style, men in full evening dress, the romance of gaslight and chandeliers, and sumptuous furnishings and art.

I tried to imagine the excitement of conversations at these soirees, with so many great minds mingling with each other. It was interesting, then, to think about other soiree settings: J.S. Bach attended many soirees to showcase his music, Rossini must have discussed every opera and libretto with the minds that attended his famous musical soirees, and the celebrated painter, Lord Leighton, was well known for holding his lavish soirees. A soiree is literally “an evening party”, which could be specialised under a theme, such as a “musical soiree” which has the sole purpose of listening to music. These evening parties were usually held at a private residence.

Is the original soiree gone for good? The best we can have is a glimpse back in time, and imagine what it was like back there, when all was new, and people were excited by ideas. Though, there was some later backlash, where Babbage wasn’t always entirely happy with what happened to his inventions, but I can’t help imagining that nothing could have happened if rampant idealism hadn’t dominated those times.

The soiree is seems a dignified way of showcasing ideas, and sharing them in a relaxed setting. I wish the soiree wasn’t “dead”, but in a world of circles, perhaps the concept is only just sleeping…

(copyright Imogen Crest 2007.)

The Villa of Dreams is sometimes visited by Dream Seed Enchanteur from the Mouseion…

(copyright Heather Blakey 2007.)

It blocks the rumble of the city with the sound of constant running water, and in keeping with my general state of whimsy the turtle and the gargoyles have gravitated toward this epicentre of my outdoor world. The small daisies I find along the park side after the grass has been cut and I just can’t bear to leave them to be pounded underfoot.

The spirit finally just took possession of me last night, must be the magic of Mayday, and I painted furiously between eleven and three in the morning. I am not unhappy with the work so far, and I am ecstatic to have finally painted again. hanks to all of you who’ve expressed your confidence in me that I would paint again, those little nudges go a long way to keeping me on track. For those four hours I felt no pain, no miseries of any kind, it was wonderful.

aletta