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EGYPTOMANIA
IN THE NEWS
(notes on the persistent influence of ancient
Egypt on popular culture, fine arts, and other current events)
(please
note
that external links
are not kept updated and that newly-posted stories may appear with
earlier dates)
2009
12 March
In
Egypt, a new law would, if passed, would "prohibit the production of
exact replicas (1:1 scale) without
special permission from the SCA or payment of a fee." Another part of
the new law would affect the commercial use of photographs of
antiquities and tourist sites.
Al-Ahram
12 March
Replicas of objects from Tutankhamun's tomb are on display at the 59th annual Greater Tulsa Home & Garden Show in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Tulsa World
5 March
"Just 3.4kg, the mighty pyramid pc's frame was constructed from laser
cut, black and silver aluminium before acrylic panelling sealed the
system off to grave robbers and historians."
Gizmodo Australia
4 March
"Alberto
Giacometti, the leading Swiss artist and sculptor of the 20th century,
has a previously little known side – he was obsessed with ancient
Egyptian art."
Turkish Weekly
3 March
"This
one might just make you look mummified. In fact, it’s safe to say that
the bandage dress draws its inspiration from Egyptian mummies. But when
the fashionistas of Hollywood are totally sold on it, can you really
afford to ignore the trend?"
Times of India
2 March
In an article about "themed" cinemas: "in an Egyptian-based theme theatre called the Pharoah’s Aisle, pillars
are installed and pyramids are created and designed in variations of
blue, keeping in mind the river Nile. All elements of what is
quintessentially Egyptian has been included, from the graceful sand
stone-finish pillars that surround the perimeters of the theatre —
which support hieroglyphics — to the sand dunes representing the great
deserts. Clutter free, the spirit of ancient Egypt is revived with a
modern twist. The pyramid and floor in the colour of sandstone are in
tandem with the vast deserts of Egypt."
Financial Chronicle
2 March
An Egyptian-themed Mardi Gras fundraiser was held in Visalia, California.
Visalia Times Delta
1 March
The Egyptomania exhibit at the Bolton Museum has produced a "massive increase in visitor numbers."
This Is Lancashire
1 March
Glass artist William Morris's "Canopic Jar (Eland)
was fabricated after an Egyptian vessel used to hold the organs of the
deceased. Morris' modern version features the head of an African
antelope as the lid."
Columbus Dispatch
27 February
A
story about the rennovations and restorations at the museums in Berlin
mentions that the "Neues Museum was built in homage to the artefacts it
was to contain. Egyptian rooms were decorated in rich Cairo kitsch,
with hieroglyphs and pylons, lotus-columned capitals and Osiris-winged
arches."
Financial Times
25-26 February
In
Littleston, Pennsylvania, a veteran crossing guard whose controversial
hats (including a bit of pharoanic headgear that was a favorite of the
children) were banned has regained the right to wear his costumes on
the job.
Evening Sun
UPI
22 February
Yanich Holdip, "narrowly
beat out his nearest competitor [in the St. Louis {Trinidad and Tobago}
Mardi Gras competition] by one point with a costume
entitled, 'Egyptian Sun God', a Stephen Dereck design."
Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday
22 February
When
asked about Egypt as inspiration for his fashion collection,
designer Christian Sirano replied: "It wasn't Egypt literally. It was
through inspirations of color, and these pyramid-shaped sleeves, and
obviously with the styling, and the makeup, and the gold-fringed bangs.
It was my fantasy of what I think Egypt and North African culture is
like, because I've never been there. It's one place I've always wanted
to go, so it's my fantasy."
Huffington Post
22 February
In
1950, in Oak Grove, Louisiana, a "bulldozer uncovered an iron
Egyptian-style coffin." "The lid had a glass faceplate and a [skeletal]
body could be seen inside, " wearing "a Masonic button pin on his
coat." "The coffin was later reburied elsewhere."
The News Star
21 February
The Mardi Gras Krewe of Tut debuts.
Daily Comet
19 February
The partial collapse of Temple Mill in Holbeck (England) (most recently reported here 4 February) is having an economic impact on the area.
Beeston Today
19 February
The
Riverbend Krewe will present "King Tut: The Restoration of the Deities"
in the St. Louis Mardi Gras parade on Trinidad and Tobago.
The Telegraph
18-20 February
The global economic crisis is having an impact on the Egyptian tourism industry.
Financial Times (registration required)
Gulf News
18 February
Egyptian tattoos on hairless sphynx cats is offered by a shop in Russia.
National Post
18-19 February
A
16-foot-tall Tutankhamun made of Lego building blocks, from the Kingdom
of the Pharaohs Lego theme park in the Czech Republic, was carried down
the Thames to its new home, Legoland in Windsor.
Times
Press Association
Opodo
18 February
"Egyptian-inspired jewelry [...] designed by CFDA accessory design winner Philip Crangi" at New York Fashion Week is mentioned in passing.
Observer.com
18 February
A brief reminiscence of the 1979 Tutankhamun exhibit in San Francisco.
SFGate
16 February
"'A Night in Cairo,' the theme for the fifth annual Hearts for Hospice
gala Saturday night, had patrons browsing through an Egyptian bazaar,
mingling in the pharaoh’s lounge, and putting down their cash for
Cleopatra’s raffle."
Abbotsford News
15 February
Mentioned
in passing: "Bob Mackie’s outfit dressed [Mattel fashion doll] Barbie
as an Egyptian goddess all in gold" for the fashion doll's 50th
anniversary.
Current World News
12 February
Christian
Siriano has designed an Egyptian-inspired line of footwear and
accessories for Payless ShoeSource that will complement is fall 2009
fashion collection: "sculptural yet feminine sportswear that draws its
inspiration from the natural beauty of the Egyptian landscape.
Sophisticated with a touch of drama, silhouettes featuring rich teal
and turquoise recall the waters of the Nile. [...] Each style features
Christian's unique chunky conical heel -- designed to look like an
inverted pyramid. Golden tones, pyramid studs, hieroglyphic fabric and
snakeskin materials..."
PR Newswire
12 February
Snow provided building material for pyramids and a sphinx at Newhall (U.K.).
Burton Mail
11 February
In
Lockport, New York, primary school principal Bonnie Calamita was
wrapped up like a mummy to celebrate the Egyptian-themed Parents as
Reading Partners assembly.
This Is Bristol.co.uk
9 February
Listed as a "cult fashion trend": "Egyptian jewelry—Going back further in time, jewelry makers are
getting inspiration from the golden ages of Egyptian civilization and
making you want to unleash your inner Cleopatra with fantastic works of
art that you can wear. Rustic, as well as extremely hip, these could be
the next big thing in accessorizing."
Manila Standard Today
8 February
Students from the University of Bristol have built a 25-foot-long sphinx out of snow.
This Is Bristol.co.uk
4 February
Temple Mill, a nineteenth-century building in Holbeck (England) modeled on the temple at Edfu, is in danger of collapse.
Beeston Today
2-3 February
A "vase" being used as a garden ornament in England has been identified as a New Kingdom canopic jar.
Telegraph
Daily Mail
24Dash.com
31 January
Mummies inspired the new collection by fashion designer Iris van Herpen.
nu.nl
31 January
Lego
has developed a new line of build-it-yourself board game. "One game,
Rameses Pyramid, involves children building their own pyramid, complete
with treasure buried inside and Egyptian sphinxes. Players have to
collect crystals to climb their mini-Lego character up the pyramid and
claim the prize – the king mummy."
Telegraph
29 January
An interview (in French) with novelist Christian Jacq.
Le Figaro
29 January
A
look at the architecture at Cornell University, including several
paragraphs about the Egyptian Revival building at 900 Stewart Avenue.
Cornell Daily Sun
29 January
The derelict Pharaoh pub in Peckham (England) burned.
South London Press
29 January
One of the top 10 fashion trends forecast for 2009: "3. Well-dressed Goddesses: Fashionistas tell us to go with the flow this
spring — flowy dresses that is. Labeled as goddess or Grecian style,
these dresses use triple the amount of fabric that most dresses would
use. Surely this is against all things environmental. If we’ll be
draped in that much fabric, why are we pressured to work out this time
of year? Yet, you’re likely to see a lot of this style Jan. 28-Feb. 1
during 'SnowDown in Da Nile.' Go ahead, dress like an Egyptian."
Durango Telegraph
28 January
Men's jewelry designer Evan Yurman incorporates ancient motifs, including Egyptian scarabs, into his pieces.
Esquire
27 January
"Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile is a new generation real time strategy game that comes with a 3D look and feel."
Softpedia
26 January
"Over the years, [Dave] Henderson has sculpted thousands of
tons of sand into a variety of designs in the expo center, including
the Statue of Liberty, King Neptune and Chief Crazy Horse. This year's
display of a pyramid, sphinxes and the Nile might not have been
possible without a gift from his wife." That gift was a kidney he required to receive an organ transplant.
Palm Beach Post
26 January
Mentioned
in passing: "[Stephen] Lee Heung brought out his first [Carnival] band
in 1946 out of San Juan, Two Ten Carmen, which featured Egyptian
costumes."
Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday
26 January
"Tulane
Stadium came down in 1980, made obsolete by the Superdome, but not
without one last surprise. In a tiny room beneath the bleachers were
found two mummies, one man and one woman, stored and forgotten from a
long-ago display. | Got Thothi Aunk and Nefer Atethu are the only
Egyptians from 900 B.C. to ever attend a Super Bowl."
10connects
26 January
Several stories about the Emory University production of Philip Glass's opera, Akhnaten, including an interview with the composer.
Emorywheel.com
Emorywheel.com
Emorywheel.com
21 January
At
300 Veteran's Drive in Thomaston, Georgia, one can see "around a dozen
large Egyptian statues in the front lawn of the old VFW building." They
have been placed there by the current renter, who holds religious
services at the site: "The Nuwabian teachings are a mixture of
Christianity, Islam, Judaism,
ancient Egypt, and the Nineteenth plane of a different universe."
The Thomaston Times
19 January
"Luxor Quest" is a new game for mobile phones.
PocketGamer.co.uk
14 January
"King
Tut" is one of two brands of peanut butter being recalled in the United
States "because of possible contamination with salmonella."
Dallas Morning News
14 January
A
"rifle butt carved into the portrait of an ancient Egyptian queen" is
one "of the works Iraqi artists are making from weapons of war."
Reuters
14 January
An
antiques question-and-answer column takes on the case of a column
purportedly removed from Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles
(full retail value determined to be $300-500).
Examiner
13 January
Pharaoh's Pizza, of Grandview Heights, Ohio, has gone out of business.
Columbus Dispatch
13 January
A theme park proposed for Pyla, Cyprus, will include pyramid-inspired architecture for some of its buildings.
Cyprus Property Magazine
13 January
Mentioned
in passing: "In 2006, the city [of Clearwater, Florida] fined what was
then an Egyptian-themed restaurant named Piramida for etching large
hieroglyphics onto its building on Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard. The
restaurant's owner successfully appealed in court."
St. Petersburg Times
12 January
Actor Victor Purdom, who played Sinuhe, the title character in The Egyptian (1954), has died at the age of 85.
Variety
11 January
The Eugene Masonic Cemetery in Eugene, Oregon, which features an Egyptian Revival mausoleum, is open to the visiting public.
OregonLive.com
9 January
Preservationists
have saved the Austin Nichols building, an example of 1915 Egyptian
Revival architecture described by one city councilman as a "nondescript
white box," in Brooklyn. (See another report 31 December 2008.)
New York Times
9 January
The
children's room of the Hudson Public Library in Hudson, Massachusetts
has put out a call for Lego building blocks, to build a giant Lego
pyramid to fit in with its 2009 summer reading theme, "Egypt."
WickedLocal
6 January
"Jewel of the Nile" is the theme of the 55th annual Jewel Charity Ball, to be held 10 January at the (Egyptomania.org notes appropriately named) Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall in Fort Worth, Texas.
Star-Telegram
4 January
"Cleopatra: A Queen's Destiny" is a new game for the Mac.
prMac
4 January
"A Tale in the Desert IV (ATITD) for Mac is a massively multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG) set in Ancient Egypt."
Palluxo
4 January
A review of the Cheesecake Factory in Kansas City, Missouri mentions the restaurant's "campy, neo-Egyptian lobby."
The Pitch
3 January
A $20 million mummy-themed amusement park ride will be built in Singapore.
HometownAnnapolis
2 January
Among
the decorative items in the Paris apartment of the late designer Yves
St. Laurent was "Ptolemaic Egyptian sarcophagus wedged between a
matching pair of Louis
XIII-era armchairs, just what you'd see in your average Parade of
Homes. It's difficult to imagine living in such inspired surroundings."
StarTribune
2 January
At
Gary Riggs Interiors in Dallas (Texas): "Where else can you find under
one roof a massive zebra-framed mirror, antique Vuitton trunk (price
tag: $22,000) and custom side table inspired by King Tut's tomb, of
carved wood lions hoisting a burled walnut top. 'We do a lot of things
people would normally shy away from,' Riggs says with no trace of
shyness."
Dallas Morning News
2 January
Featured
in the 2009 Junkanoo parade held in Freeport (Grand Bahama) was the
"Swingers presentation, titled the 'Mystical Burial of the Boy King
Tut.'"
The Freeport News
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