Diableries, Stereoscopic Adventures in Hell

A devilish 1860s sensation finally unleashed on the 21st century

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Queen’s Brian May reveals plans to open museum for unique Diableries collection

Guitarist, animal rights activist, art collector – is there anything Brian May can’t do?!

Brian May is a man of many, many talents. Not only is he the legendary guitarist of the band Queen, which still tours over 40 years after it was formed back in 1970, he is also a doctor of Astrophysics, a passionate animal rights activist, and a collector of historical artefacts. His Les Diableries collection, a series of stereoscopic photographs that were published back in the 1860s, was recently exhibited in London. As the first exhibition of its kind in 160 years, Brian opened up toHELLO! about his plans to open a museum to house the unique collection.

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Filed Under: Press Coverage

SOME COFFEE-TABLE BOOKS WORTH SAVORING ‘DIABLERIES”

THE BUFFALO NEWS
Life & Arts
8 December 2013 by Colin Dabkowski | News Arts Critic

EXTRACT: ART

One of the more delightful art books of 2013 has to be “Diableries” (The London Stereoscope Company, $60), an exhaustively researched and devilishly engrossing look at the strange, stereoscopic hellscapes that were extremely popular in the late 19th century.

This book is the product of a whole host of twisted minds. (!!) Three of them are from our century: Brian May, the former Queen guitarist and astrophysicist, who spearheaded the project; Dennis Pellerin, a French photographic historian and expert in stereoscopy; and Paula Fleming, an American photo archivist. The rest are largely from 19th century France, where 3-D visions of hell – populated with skeletons and demons in every imaginable configuration and situation, most of them more funny than frightening – were a gruesome form of entertainment.

The book comes with its own fancy Victorian stereoscope viewer, which brings to full three-dimensional life hundreds of stereoscopic images that fill the book, each one with copious commentary on its meaning and history. Anyone with a morbid side or even a mild curiosity about the strange habits and fascinations of Victorians would do well to invest in a copy.

Filed Under: Press Coverage

BRIAN MAY – STYGIAN RHAPSODIES – DIABLERIES & NEW QUEEN TRACKS

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Click for larger image

MOJO
December 2013 p16

WHAT GOES ON – FUNKY HORNS
STYGIAN RHAPSODIES

Brian May raises hell with 3-D book Diableries Plus! Word on those new Freddie tracks

Understanding the cosmos, saving the badger and making prestige repros of his signature ‘Red Special’ guitar – now joining Brian May’s list of extracurricular interests are three-dimensional visions of Hades, made in mid-19th century France in postcard form.

His new book Diableries: Stereoscopic Adventures In Hell presents his collection of 180 macabre, satirical 3D images by sculptors Habert and Hennetier, given three-dimensional depth and the appearance of substance by Brian’s creation The Owl Stereoscope. Co-written with Denis Pellerin and Paula Richardson Fleming, it’s May’s second stereoscopic book, after 2009’s A Village Lost And Found.

Brian tells MOJO he first encountered Diableries while browsing at Portobello Market in 1973, and armed with a list of the world’s stereoscopic card dealers, he set about adding to his collection while touring with Queen. As well as featuring familiar Satanic scenes such as depictions of the seven deadly sins and the Last Judgement, there are less usual panoramas, including Old Nick getting married, presiding over a stock exchange and suffering from a hangover (these, as the book’s commentary explains, were satires on Napoleon !!! and the politics of the day! “I am a compulsive collector!” laughs May, who opines that no onlooker can “fail to be stunned by the ingenuity, the beauty, and the sheer madness of these small works of art.”

Brian’s communicating with other realms elsewhere; he’s reworking 1983 studio tapes featuring the voices of Freddie Mercury and Michael jackson. “We now have all the original tapes from those sessions,” he reveals. “At the time, I don’t think Freddie and Michael had a grand plan. They were just having fun, rolling the tape and possibly thinking, ‘This might be a single’. There were at least three tracks that were started, I’m pretty confident we’ll be able to put theme out at some point. We just have to agree with Michael Jackson’s estate as to exactly how that’s done.”

Queen diehards will be thrilled to know that there are other Freddie audio materials that may yet see release. “There’s more in there than we thought, in the Queen source archive,” says Brian enthusiastically. “We’ve found some Freddie vocals, some demos. If we find an analogue 24-track of Freddie singing something that never got finished, the first thing we do is transfer it into the digital domain. We make a copy at the highest resolution that you can. Then we start weaving our tapestry … I’m a little nervous of saying there’s an album there, but there’s certainly a few tracks. So at the moment we’re working on spinning some new music around those, which is what we did for the Made In Heaven album, which was possibly the best Queen album we ever made. It has so much beauty in it. It was a long, long process, painstakingly put together. A real labour of love.”

Ross Bennett

Diableries: Stereoscopic Adventures In Hell is published by the London Stereoscopic Company, RRP £40.

Filed Under: Press Coverage

“DIABLERIES” IN MAIL ON SUNDAY CHRISTMAS ROUND-UP

“Diableries: Stereoscopic Adventures In Hell” featured prominently in last Sunday’s Mail On Sunday’s Event Magazine, in the books recommended in their Christmas round-up.

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Filed Under: Press Coverage

FULL HOUSE AS BRIAN MAY DELIVERS PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY LECTURE

Brian May, Paula Fleming, Denis Pelerin at DMUDE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY
NEWS RELEASE
08 November 2013

PHOTOS HERE

VISION: The audience wore 3D glasses

Legendary Queen guitarist Brian May visited De Montfort University (DMU) last night to launch a new book which uncovers the hidden history of stereoscopic photography.

Dr May wrote ‘Diableries: Stereoscopic Adventures in Hell’ jointly with DMU PhD student Denis Pellerin, of the university’s internationally-acclaimed Photographic History Research Centre and Paula Fleming, former archivist at the Smithsonian in the USA.

It details the stories and images of Diableries, tiny tableaus of costumed devils. The scenes made satirical and salacious comments on politics, society and life in 19th century France. These scenes were printed onto cards which appeared in 3D when seen through a stereo viewer.

More than 240 people packed into the Hugh Aston building last night to hear the authors deliver a fascinating lecture on their book and the years of research behind it. Amazingly, the book is the first time anyone has ever written about these cards. They could only find one reference to these cards before, in a Victorian photographic journal.

The audience were asked to wear 3D glasses so they could see the special effects as each of the stereo cards were shown.

Dr May, who holds a PhD in astrophysics, said: “It’s a real pleasure and a privilege to be here. We have never given this lecture to as informed an audience. Stereo cards are more thrilling that Avatar in my opinion. We all felt this was worthy of proper attention and research, and six years later here we are.”

PHRC PhD student Denis said: “These cards tell the history of France. The creators put hidden messages inside the cards and created caricatures of Napoleon III and his wife to make political protests and show opposition to the regime. Every time you look at them you see another detail,” said Paula. “They are just incredible objects of art.”

Dr May, a lifelong collector of these stereo cards, was put in touch with Denis through Paula. “It was meant to be,” he said. “We shared this passion and it has sustained us through six years of writing this book. We are conscious that we are something of stereoscopic crusaders, to reclaim these works of art for the 21st century.”

He also praised DMU Emeritus Professor Roger Taylor who is a close friend and with whom he has collaborated on his photographic research.

The event was a showcase for the work of the academics in the highly-regarded PHRC. Launched two years ago, it is a centre for international scholarship and world-renowned research and writing.

Elizabeth Edwards|, director of the PHRC, who introduced the lecture, said: “It’s impossible to find any field since the 19th century that has not been profoundly influenced by photography. I am incredibly proud that people are beginning to refer to the “DMU way” of photographic research. It is a testament to the reputation and standing of the centre in the academic community.”

It has a thriving hub of MA students and a community of PhD scholars. The PHRC has a growing number of strategic alliances and its current partners include the British Library; Metropolitan Museum of Art; National Gallery of Art, Washington; National Media Museum, Bradford; The Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford and the Societie Francaise de Photographie, Paris.

– See more at: HERE

Filed Under: Press Coverage

QUEEN GUITARIST BRIAN MAY IN LEICESTER TO TALK ABOUT HIS GHOULISH CARD COLLECTION

LEICESTER MERCURY
8 November 2013

brian talks to Leicester Mercury

Brian May meets Leicester Mercury reporter Peter Warzynski to talk about his latest book Diableries

Rocker Brian May made a cameo appearance in Leicester yesterday to showcase his unique collection of 19th century depictions of Hell and damnation. The Queen guitarist visited De Montfort University to give a joint lecture on Victorian stereo cards – 3D images looked at through a special viewer.

The pictures, all showing macabre representations of the underworld, are comprised of two, two-dimensional images set side by side, to create a 3D image when viewed through a stereoscope.

Dr May, who holds a PhD in space science, spoke about the niche collectables yesterday after the launch of his book on the subject.

He said: “They’re wonderful works of art. They’ve become something of an obsession – something which occupies my days and the times in between when I can’t sleep.”

To write the book, the musician joined forces with De Montfort University doctoral student Denis Pellerin and Paula Fleming, former archivist at the Smithsonian Museum, in Washington. The trio co-wrote Diableries: Stereoscopic Adventures in Hell – based on a set of stereo cards printed in France in the 1860s.

The images show 3D representations of Hell populated by skeletons, devils and satyrs.

Although stereo cards paved the way for current 3D technology, they have never been equalled, said Dr May.

“The Victorian experience is still the best,” he said. “We’ve all been to the cinema and seen Avatar, but this is still the most pleasurable type.”

Stereo cards were developed by Sir Charles Wheatstone, in 1838.

Yesterday’s joint lecture explained the history of the cards, their place in society and how they developed.

Paula said: “Magazines and newspapers couldn’t reproduce photographs very easily, so these were really people’s windows on the rest of the world.”

Denis said: “We take for granted being able to see pictures of anything we want, but in the 19th century these images could transport you to a far-off land.”

Dr May’s collection, which he jointly holds with Denis and Paula, is comprehensive, but incomplete. The original set is made up of 182 ghoulish pictures. The trio have only located 180.

“There are still two out there,” said Paula. “If we could find them, it would be amazing.”

Originally, the cards were produced to warn people about the dangers of sinning and show them images of hell, said Denis. However, over time they became more lighthearted.

Dr May said: “At first, people were taught to fear Hell and these showed the fire and brimstone, so Hell was exactly what you saw. But then they developed humour, too. Every now and then you find one with one skeleton biting another – they started out very serious, but became quite satirical over time.”

Paula said: “Eventually, they showed that life in Hell wasn’t all that bad – in fact, it was quite enjoyable.”They had huge dinner parties and regattas – the images showed people having fun.”

Filed Under: Press Coverage

DIABLERIES TALK – LEICESTER DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY

Brian MayBRIAN TO INVESTIGATE VICTORIAN 3D IMAGES AT DMU!

Brian May is best known as a founding member of Queen, a world-renowned guitarist, songwriter, producer and performer.

But he is also a life-long collector of stereo cards, which are one of the earliest examples of 3D imagery, popular in Victorian times.

This passion led him to unite with fellow stereoscopic experts Denis Pellerin, who is a doctoral researcher at DMU’s Photographic History Centre, and Paula Richardson Fleming, to investigate Diableries, a 3D view of the underworld hugely popular throughout the 1860s.

They have produced a new book DIABLERIES: Stereoscopic Adventures in Hell, which brings together all but two of the Diableries cards in existence.

At this EXCLUSIVE DMU lecture and book signing, held on Thursday 7 November at 4.30pm in the Hugh Aston Building, the three authors will take you on a dark journey to a fantastic imaginary underworld of devils, satyrs and skeletons and explore the intricacies of 19th century political and cultural life through the magic of stereoscopy.

The lecture will last approximately one hour and will include a question and answer session with the three authors. The book signing will follow the lecture. Books will be available to buy on site.

If you would like to attend, please come to Clephan 0.30 to sign up and collect your exclusive lenticular ticket by no later than midday on Tuesday 5 November.

Filed Under: Press Coverage

A Trip to Hell in a Phone Box

stereoscopic-adventures-in-hell1At 2pm on November 6th Brian May will unveil an exhibition of stereoscopic 3D photographs that will allow visitors to the Gallery on the Green, Settle, to take a trip to the imaginary world of hell and the underworld. These photographs belong to a series created in France during the 1850s and known as the Diableries. These carefully crafted theatrical tableaux reveal a fantasy world of skeletons, devils, debauchery, that delight the eye and hold the attention of the viewer.

The exhibition is being opened to coincide with the publication of the lavishly illustrated book Diableries which reveals the historical and cultural context of this extraordinary group of images. For Brian May, and his fellow authors, Denis Pellerin, and Paula Fleming, “It has been a labour of love for us all, and has taken us to places we never dreamed of. We hope, in these pages, to share this voyage of discovery with you.”

For those who cannot make the opening there will be a stereoscopically illustrated lecture and book signing at the Victoria Hall, Settle at 7:30pm when the authors will reveal the mysteries and delights of these ghoulishly fantastical, photographs!!

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Filed Under: News, Press Coverage

BOOKS – THE DEVIL IS IN THESE 3D TALES

Brian May
Brian May: A self-confessed ‘dedicated collector of the arcane‘

Brian May:

“What the hell are Diableries? You might well ask. No one in the 21st century, bar a handful of dedicated collectors of the arcane like me, had seen these extraordinary treasures – until now. They are, as the subtitle of our book Diableries suggests, “Stereoscopic Adventures in Hell”. And the best word in the English language that we have to describe them is “Devilments”. Created in France by a small band of artistic geniuses, they were the subject of a huge craze in France and Victorian England from around 1860 until the turn of the century. More than 150 years later, they are now making a return appearance, in our fiendishly stereoscopically-enabled book.

I had my first demonic experience early one icy Saturday morning in Portobello Road Market in 1969. I was hoping, as always, that I’d get lucky and find a stereo viewer or some stereo cards. Among a pile of cards for sale by one street trader, I spied something which would trigger a lifetime’s fascination: a French tissue card depicting lifelike skeletons, devils, ghouls and even Satan himself, in a place where they seemed to be raising the roof. The two similar images printed side by side on a card always look quite flat, unless you can “free-view” them to make the 3D magic happen, or you have a suitable Stereoscope at hand, with which to view the card in 3D.

I acquired the habit of free-viewing as a kid, collecting 3D Vistascreen cards from Weetabix packets, so I was instantly able to see the skeletal inmates of this parallel universe in glorious solid relief – it was as if I could reach through the stereo window and touch them.

That’s the experience that, for more than 40 years, I’ve dreamed of sharing with the modern world. It’s not been easy. Diablerie cards are hard to find, and, being tissues, by their very nature very delicate, so even if one is lucky enough to find them, they’re almost always in bad condition.

I’ve personally spent thousands of hours digitally restoring them for our book; and, using my unique OWL stereo viewer (supplied with the book), they can be enjoyed in glorious 3D, just the way they were intended.

My co-author, Denis Pellerin, the world’s leading expert on the French history of stereo photography, has discovered and revealed the hidden meanings of these scenes – and what is revealed in this book about France under Napoleon III is funny, dangerous, and at times quite shocking.

We’ve all seen the splendid 3D of Avatar, but this is 3D the way Victorians knew it. When I hear the first “Wow!” as people suddenly see the images in our book in 3D, I know we achieved our mission: the old devilish magic still works!”

Click image for larger cutting!

‘Diableries: Stereoscopic Adventures in Hell’ by Brian May, Denis Pellerin and Paula Fleming is out now, £40 (londonstereo.com)

PUBLISHED: INDEPENDENT Sat 2 November 2013

Filed Under: Press Coverage

A CUPPA WITH . . . BRIAN MAY

Lovely interview – with acknowledgement to Photography Magazine.. PHOTOGRAPHY MONTHLY

Musical legend, astrophysicist, animal activist and 3D photography expert, Brian May is under Jessica Bracey’s microscope talking about his latest book
Diableries: Stereoscopic Adventures in Hell and why photography has been a long-life interest

Q: First and foremost, people know you for your music but you’re quite the imaging enthusiast too, tell me about how that first started.

A: Photography has always been a passion of mine because my dad was a photographer, not by profession but by hobby. He taught me how to take my own pictures and develop them in the darkroom which was great to see, so it was an early thing that fascinated me. As for stereo photography I stumbled upon it because of Weetabix really; when I was a boy you used to get all these toys in cereal packets, it used to be so exciting, and one of them was a 3D card. It was a tiny card and it looked very ordinary with two pictures that looked the same, but then you sent off one and sixpence for your stereo viewer, put the card in and suddenly these two little drab pictures turned into this sort of window that you could walk through. It was magical to me. I just thought ‘if this is the way that photography could be done then why doesn’t everybody do this all the time?’.

Q. How did you first find the Diableries?

A. I was on Portobello Road looking for little treasures and there was this yellow stereo card and I was immediately astounded and intrigued because there were all these skeletons and devils doing strange things, having fun, and I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. The funny thing is that no one else did either – even the experts in the stereoscopic industry couldn’t tell me anything about these Diableries – so it became a passion and I started collecting them from all around the world. So I would be playing in Chicago, Detroit, Brussels, Australia, looking for a stereo dealer in the city, and occasionally I would find these cards. The detail is extraordinary and each of them tells a story. Sometimes they’re quite religious, warning people what happens in hell if you’re a bad boy, some of them start to become funny because they see hell as a fun place, but there’s a whole undercurrent of satire because really this was a political instrument as well. They were using these to make fun of Napoleon III, his wife, his mistress and the government at the time, and it was completely illegal. Every single card that we could find, 180 in total, have all been restored for the book. And because this device is in the book as well, my special unique patented Owl viewer, you can see them in 3D exactly as they were seen in Victorian times. It’s something I’m very proud of. It was always a dream from the very first days when I saw my first skeleton through the stereoscope, I wanted to make this book.

Q. How was it making the Owl?

A. Well this is something of analogue technology. Victorian stereoscopes were beautifully made out of walnut and mahogany, you couldn’t possibly do that these days – if people are going to see this in stereo as is intended, how is it going to happen? So I had to actually invent this, and I was lucky in finding a little company that helped me transfer my plan into a mould. And this Owl is fully focusable, which is a big deal.

Q. Was there anything that particularly surprised you when researching the Diableries?

A. Loads of things surprised me, and I’m still finding things which surprise me. The whole satirical undercurrent surprised me, I didn’t realise how seditious these things were – it’s a wonder how they got away with it. What surprises me still is that we managed to get them in book form where they work very well, we’re also producing cards too.

Q. As this is your second book, there must be quite a following.

A. It’s not mainstream, this is never going to be Harry Potter, but thereis a growing band of appreciators. The previous book was very quiet and peaceful, it was based on scenes in a little village in the 1850s. This is not gentle, this leaps out and grabs you and shocks some people, makes some people laugh, some people feel a little uncomfortable about it, which is valid because there are some pretty heavy things discussed.

Q. What I love when looking at the book, although it explores the Victorian era, you also show that 3D images can be achieved on a smartphone.

A. The iPhone is quite good at it and there are a few apps that you can download which help you, so it’s really easy to do. You can then print out your pictures, mount them in the Owl viewer and you’ve got stereoscopic pictures of your family, friends and things that are going on around you. You can photograph the moon and the stars, which is what I do, it’s just endless what you can achieve.

Q. What’s the feedback been like on the book so far?

It’s been very well received. It just feels good. It has been a labour of love because of the time that has gone into it, you can’t do this type of thing if you want to make money, and luckily I don’t need to make money. I have spent hours in Photoshop restoring every picture in this book. I tend to be transparent, I want the artistry of the people to shine through.

—

Diableries, by Brian May, Denis Pellerin and Paula Fleming, published by The London Stereoscopic Company Ltd, £40
For events with Brian May & co authors www.diableries.co.uk/events

Diableries Book details

3 views

Taken from the Diableries book, Brian May and his team hand-restored all 180 stereoscopic cards for the publication of the book. It has been said that the
images represent social and political connotations from the Victorian era, and has been a passion of Brian May’s for the past 40 years. Watch the full
interview on Photo TV at www.photographymonthly.com/phototv

Sal de Jeu

Card and OWL viewer

Bal Chez Satan

Don’t Miss...
Read about how stereo photography played an important role while on tour with Queen and how photography and music make perfect harmony for Brian May in the next issue of Photography Monthly.

Filed Under: Press Coverage

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