Make Friends With The Ultimate Weirdness

Charlie Jane Anders — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:00:00 PDT

The New Weird, the awesome new anthology edited by io9 contributors Ann and Jeff Vandermeer, has its own MySpace Page. That means you can make friends with a whole literary movement, which focuses on urban settings and visceral, disturbing imagery borrowed from horror. The anthology follows the genesis of the New Weird school, starting with writers like Michael Moorcock and China Mieville, and covers the theory of New Weird writing. And then it moves us into the future of the sub-genre, with a shared writing exercise based on a piece by Paul DiFilippo. The book's MySpace site includes a free download and podcast of Jay Lake's bizarre story "Lizard of Ooze," plus music and images. [The New Weird on MySpace]

The Insect Brain of a New Analytical Computer

Annalee Newitz — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:20:21 PST

Mike Libby uses the carapaces of real insects to create tiny, mechanical works of art. They look like they could be part of a new insect-driven A.I. Not only does Libby's work adorn a new anthology of speculative writing from Tachyon Press called The New Weird, but he has upcoming shows you can check out in Boston and Philly. A few more bugs (and one arachnid) lurk below.

These remind me of the clockwork insects in Guillermo Del Toro's movie Cronos. Libby works in a studio he calls "Insect Lab," and he describes it thusly:

Insect Lab is an artist studio that customizes real insects with antique watch parts and electronic components. Offering specimens that come in many shapes, sizes and colors; each insect is individually adorned, each is one of a kind and unique.

Insect Lab [Artist's Site]

io9: the new weird

Make Friends With The Ultimate Weirdness

The Insect Brain of a New Analytical Computer