Please note this is NOT a ZOOM Lecture but an in person lecture at our museum – tickets include a complimentary glass of Devil’s Botany Absinthe
Doors open at 6:30pm and lecture starts at 7pm
Austin Osman Spare and the Funambulatory Way with Michael Staley – LIVE
“I become the potentialities where I made effort . . . the funambulatory way between ecstasies . . .” Zos Speaks!, p.220.
“Did I not show you the eclectic path between ecstasies, that precarious funambulatory way?” Zos Speaks!, p.273.
Funambulatory is defined as “performing in the manner of a tightrope walker; narrow, like a tightrope”. Spare’s remark was subsequently taken up by Kenneth Grant and is considered in several of Grant’s works, both published and unpublished.
The funambulatory way is perhaps best exemplified by the lightning flash and the convulsive ecstasy of epiphany. As such, it is at the heart of Spare’s mystical philosophy. In this talk, illustrated with examples drawn from art predominantly by Spare but also by others, the speaker considers how the funambulatory way developed from Spare’s earlier work, what he meant by it, and what it means for us.
Michael Staley
Michael Staley has had a life-long fascination with the occult, and in 1986 founded Starfire Publishing. Now living in north-west London, he has been immersed in Spare’s work for many years. In 2011 he published two early bookworks by Spare as Two Grimoires, and is planning the future publication of a number of Spare’s sketchbooks from the 1950s. He is particularly interested in how Spare’s work resonates with other mystical and magical traditions.
We are unable to give refunds for in person events with less than seven days notice in any circumstances
Devil’s Botany is London’s first absinthe distillery, founded by Directors of The Last Tuesday Society’s Absinthe Parlour & Cocktail Bar.