Alan Moore, the master of the Apocalypse and V for Vendetta.

Alan Moore has been the master of the apocalyptic graphic novel fro the last 30 years. He is a believer in a very british apocalypse and as the time he began in the field of comic strips and graphic novels was the height of the Cold War.

“There is probably some event looming between 2012 and 2017”

Alan Moore.

 

Although Moore is famous for many apocalyptic pieces of work one has caught my eye the most. V for Vendetta isn’t a blatant end of the world, the Earth hasn’t blown up, a meteor hasn’t hit, there are no earthquakes. There is a society crumbling into darkness. The Cold War had erupted even further from it’s position in 1985 and an evil fascist rule was choking Great Britain. V for Vendetta is very much a route of story I would like to take. Humanity is at it’s lowest, a leader has come to power through deception and false promises leading the people to devastation. Sounding much like the beginning of events in the Book of Revelations involving the Anti-Christ.

Here is the film version’s ‘V speech’

and here is the end of the film.

References:

The End is Nigh Magazine.

Interview with Alan Moore on V for Vendetta 

William Blake & the Great Red Dragon.

William Blake (1757 – 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Blake is considered a seminal figure in the history of both poetry and the visual arts of the Romantic Age. The Great Red Dragon Paintings are a series of watercolours, painted between 1805 and 1810. Blake was commissioned to create over a hundred paintings intended to illustrate books of the Bible. These paintings depict ‘The Great Red Dragon’ in various scenes from the Book of Revelation.

“And behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth.”

(Rev. 12:3-4, KJV)

The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in Sun

 

“The poet, printmaker, and painter William Blake combined his literary and graphic skills in four provocative and disturbing images devoted to the Great Red Dragon. For this series—produced for his most faithful patron Thomas Butts, a government clerk—Blake drew on chapters 12 and 13 of the Book of Revelations, an apocalyptic text akin to the artist’s own prophetic writings.

In this narrative the Dragon, identified with Satan, schemes to seize the soon-to-be born Redeemer from his mother. Derived from the Virgin Mary of the Gospels, the figure known as the Woman Clothed with the Sun also stands for Israel and for the Church. Blake’s threatening Dragon displays powerful musculature as well as its monstrous tail, wings, and horned heads. Subsequent scenes reveal the failure of the Dragon’s plan but the emergence of new threats to mankind.”

Inscriptions: Above the image: “A Woman clothed with the sun, & the moon under her feet, and/upon her head a crown of twelve stars; and behold a great red dragon also.” Below the image at right: “Revns:ch:12th: v 4th:”

Below the image: “And the tail of the great red dragon drew the third part of the stars of/heaven, and did cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the/woman which was ready to be delivered for to devour her child as soon as it was born.”

(the Brooklyn Museum)

The Great Red Dragon and the Woman clothed with the Sun

 

This image is similar to The Great Red Dragon and the Woman clothed in Sun but shown from a different viewpoint.

 

The Great Red Dragon and the Beast from the Sea

 

 

The Number of the Beast is 666

The character of the Great Red Dragon and these paintings play a prominent role in Thomas Harris’ Book ‘Red Dragon’ and the two film adaptations. The character of Francis Dolarhyde has an obsession with the painting ‘The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in Sun’ he believes he is becoming the Dragon, he even goes to the effort of consuming the painting.

 

 

 

 

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Blake

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Red_Dragon_Paintings

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/4368

Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Dürer  (1471 –  1528) was a German painter, printmaker and theorist from Nuremberg famous for his series of fifteen Apocalyptic woodcuts which depicts scenes from the Book of Revelation and was published in 1498. It is possible that the publication of the woodcuts was in conjunction with the popular belief at the time that the Day of Judgement was coming in 1500. 

Albrecht Durer’s ‘Dragon with Seven heads’ shows the first of the two beasts, the False Messiah controlled by the second beast, the Lamb.

Albrecht Durer’s ‘The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse’ depicts the White, Red, Black and Pale Horse ravaging the land.

Albrecht Durer’s ‘St. John Beholding Seven Candlesticks’ depicts the event of St. John being shown the events of Revelations by God.

Albrecht Durer’s ‘Woman of Babylon’ or ‘Whore of Babylon’ depicting the false idolisation of the first beast. also shows the decent of the four horses.

 

As well as Albrecht Durer’s woodcuts being interesting depictions of the Book of Revelations. The fact they are linked with a possible prediction of the world ending in 1500 just goes to show that the idea of the apocalypse is always a powerful one and that people are always predicting the end.

 

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse_(Dürer)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albrecht_Dürer

Richard Ross: Waiting for the World to End.

The photographer Richard Ross has taken and compiled an interesting collection of Survival Shelters. He explores this paranoid yet fascinating world of protective structures all built just in case. One thing I learnt from studying his work is that in Switzerland every citizen is required to have a bomb shelter by law. His collection spans the ages and the world descending into “disturbing yet strangely beautiful spaces”. 

Charlie Hull’s Shelter in Emigrant, Montana, USA was a communal shelter built by followers of Elizabeth Clare Prophet, members of ‘the Church Universal Triumphant’ in western Montana. 

“Each of the ninety families for which the shelter was built chose their own spaces and equipped them with what they deemed necessary for their transition from pre- to post-apocalypse.”

The rest of the collection can be found here 

 

References:

http://richardross.net/index2.html

‘Waiting for the End of the World’ By Richard Ross. Princeton Architectural Press NewYork 2004

The Institute for Human Continuity.

“The IHC’s comprehensive research has confirmed with 94% certainty that in the year 2012 cataclysmic forces will decimate our planet and much of it’s inhabitants.

Though many will not survive, we at the IHC believe it is our duty to do what we can to prepare. By investing in preparatory and escape initiatives, we can guarantee the survival of a small population of the human race.

Furthermore, we believe that every man, woman and child left on Earth should know how to provide for their own safety. The IHC has committed resources to education and knowledge sharing to ensure that those who cannot escape our planet will understand the threats they face in 2012 and how best to prepare for them.

We see hope in the future.”

 

Now I found this website through a link from the 2012 film website and I have to say I’m not 100% on it’s authenticity. Their take on the end of the world is a positive one believing that this may be the end but is also the beginning for mankind.

 

“In November 1978 a small group of the world’s most powerful business leaders and former government officials convened a summit in Timaru, New Zealand to assess possible threats to humankind.

Top scientists outlined their research indicating that in the year 2012, a series of factors would align, resulting in the destruction of the the entire world.

Those at the summit agreed to invest significant resources in the formation of an international committee with two goals: to continually monitor the threat of 2012 and develop plans to guarantee the survival of the human rac. This covert network became known as the Institute for Human Continuity (IHC).

For the next 30 years, the IHC operated in secret, organising research initiatives in hundreds of field locations around the world.

In 2004 IHC scientists confirmed with 94% certainty that in 2012 cataclysmic forces will decimate the planet and much of it’s inhabitants. Yet the governments of the world refused to listen.

In 2008 the IHC agreed to go public, to educate the global citizenry of the threat and invest in emergency initiatives that would guarantee the continuation of the human race beyond 2012.

Though many will not survive 2012, the IHC has always sought to ensure the end of the world is just the beginning for mankind.”

 

http://www.instituteforhumancontinuity.org

 

UPDATE: In researching a little further into the IHC I have found that it is infact a viral design in conjunction with the 2012 film. Although this may seem disappointing the IHC is still a brilliant example of Design for the end of the world even if it does not actually exist.

reference: http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/11/15/roland-emmerichs-2012-viral-institute-for-human-continuity/

Thisistheend.com

It seems even celebrities are getting in on the End of the World. Woody Harrelson has created a character called Charlie Frost who posts video blogs on the website www.thisistheend.com discussing the 2012 prophecies, the forthcoming apocalypse and what we are doing about it. He’s not taking it too seriously and has created some animation explaining the theories behind the 2012 prophecies.

THE END IS NIGH!

“Welcome to the official magazine for the chronicle of end times, the anthology of Armageddon, the depository of doom, the collection of catastrophe, the encyclopedia of eschatology”

http://www.endisnigh.co.uk/

Tanya Gold, Life After the Apocalypse: Survival Guide

Here is an article showing us some handy tips to help us survive a possible crash in society and the end of the world.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jan/29/apocalypse-survival-guide-tanya-gold

 

she annoys me.

John Martin: Biblical Illustrations.

John Martin (1789-1854) created a series of biblical scenes. From the Garden of Eden to the Apocalypse.

The Fallen Angels Entering Pandemonium, from `Paradise Lost’, Book 1. 1841. Oil on canvas

The Great Day of His Wrath  1851-3. Oil on canvas.

“Martin specialized in apocalyptic subjects, which reached a huge audience through prints.This painting belongs to a group of three ‘judgement pictures’, inspired by the final book of the New Testament: the book of Revelation. It closely follows the biblical account of events leading up to the Last Judgement:There was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood. ….every mountain and island were moved out of their places.”

The Last Judgement  1853. Oil on canvas

“This is the central painting of Martin’s three ‘judgement pictures’. It illustrates the main event in the book of Revelation. God sits enthroned in the heavens, surrounded by the four-and-twenty elders. At lower right the forces of evil, led by Satan, are defeated and tumble into a bottomless pit.To the left is Mount Zion, where the good, already in ‘the plains of heaven’, are waiting for their call to appear before the throne. Among them are numerous artists and poets. Martin published a chart to accompany the picture and identify them, as well as many of the evil characters.”

 

Reference:

http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ArtistWorks?cgroupid=999999961&artistid=371&page=1

ARK-INC by Jon Ardern.

ARK-INC Design Solutions for Post  Crash Civilisations.

By Jon Ardern.

 

According to Ardern it is too late to fix the damage human beings have inflicted upon the earth and on society. Better to cut our losses and adapt to the changed conditions. It is on this premise that he has built the ARK: “A cultlike investment in post-crash life is doing well.” Based on the assumption that the traditional economy will be rendered useless by a cataclismic upheaval of social structures. It came out of a sense of frustration that the mounting body of scientific evidence, about the dangers inherent in continuing with our 

current lifestyle, was (and in-part arguably still is) being ignored or denied for fear of impeding the current economic paradigm.ARK-INC provides a range of products, from manuals and books to film and radio broadcaststhat keep users informed of external events, such as war. It also mediates the transition to a post-crash civilization with services such as holidays in apocolyptic landscapes.

 

“Despite repeated warnings that we are fast approaching a point of no return, the world’s governments (and ourselves) pay these issues little more than lip service”

 

Products:

 

 the ARK RADIO, looking not so out of place on a living room table. The radio is designed with three functions. 1. Insert and turn one key to listen to the ARK RADIO SHORT-WAVE worldwide paradigm index broadcast 2. Another key to listen to your local collectives FM transmission and 3. When the time comes, the third key will permanently change its appearance and add the additional functionality of encrypted transmission and reception of audio and data allowing two way communication with collectives and ark members.

The radio also has inlaid solar PV cells in its back panel, so that if or when our main communication and utility networks fail, the owner of the radio has the ability in conjunction with a few other Ark products to set up their own ad-hoc network.

 

Disaster Tourism: 

 

Simply the reasoning that a disaster is not the event itself but the impact that the event has. By adjusting to the forthcoming events now, your lifestyle will not change as the world does. ARK-INC has services such as holidays in apocalyptic landscapes, consolations to help you adjust, and evaluations allowing you to gauge how well adjusted your life has become.

 

Books:

 

Such as “Learning to Love the Crash, Staying Positive in the Face of Adversity” designed to help mediate your response to ‘disaster’. As well as many more ‘sedate’ products simply designed to help you live with less and certificate your ability to do so.

 

References:

http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2008/elasticmind/#/15/

http://www.jonardern.com/projects/ark-inc/index.html