An Interview with Several Members of The Future Dead Collective
We talk about their latest release, Collage Macabre: An Exhibition of Art Horror.
Art mixed with horror is a concoction so rife with potential that one would think it would have led its own burgeoning subgenre. Yet a cursory Google search of “art horror” only leads to a list of A24 films.
The writers of The Future Dead Collective have set out to explore this somewhat neglected niche with the release of their recent anthology Collage Macabre: An Exhibition of Art Horror. In this collection you will find eighteen original tales accompanied by horrific illustrations, each story exploring a different medium of art and expression. I interviewed a handful of the writers about their stories and origin of the collective.
Julie Sevens, “Lady Widow”
Collage Macabre was created by members of a collective known as The Future Dead. From the formatting and marketing and cover design to the writing itself, members had a hand in the creation. What can you tell us about the collective and the process? Was it ever like herding cats?
Our process was designed from the start to be very cooperative! Jessica and I signed on to be project managers to get our book into the world and I think we were very lucky-- every time something needed to be done for the book, someone stepped up to do it. I don't think it's a very common structure to have so many people decide to do this together. But I thought it was incredible!
How did the collective decide on art as a theme for the anthology? I don’t think I’ve seen it as a theme before, but there are lots of possibilities there to explore that it’s kind of a wonder it hasn’t been done more often.
We came together around the theme (rather than the 18 of us figuring out a theme to do). So I think all of us had an enthusiasm for the theme. I totally agree—I'm surprised we don't see it more often. This intersection of art and horror has so many angles.
Your story explores a unique medium of art and a historical figure. Can you tell us about the setting and inspiration?
My process for this story actually involved the concept of an artist creating sculptures with blood before I planned to write a piece inspired by Elizabeth Bathory. In my research though, I found out that she really was maligned and betrayed by people who were meant to take care of her after her husband's death. I'm always a fan of correcting one of those "history is written by the winners" injustices. Girl got a bad reputation because they wanted her land! And suddenly she's "the most prolific serial killer in history".
Ryan Marie Ketterer, “The Children’s Ball”
Can you tell us about the event that inspired your story in Collage Macabre? Have there been other random happenings or observations that have inspired you for different stories?
One day I was walking home from the train station in my city of Malden, MA. Just as I'm exiting the main road to the parking lot, I passed by a fenced off area, bunch of trees, weeds etc. I think it's technically the train company's property there. There was this massive painting just laying there, behind the fence, and I was like, what the actual heck? That's creepy. The kids looked creepy. The thing was all dirty. I was creeped out by whoever (or whatever?) left that thing there, and immediately shared the pictures of it with a group of horror friends. We all agreed I was probably haunted now.
As time went by, I couldn't stop thinking about that painting, and what it meant. My mind does this thing, over time, where it slowly morphs some seemingly innocuous minor event into something crazy. When the group of writing friends that later became known as The Future Dead Collective were discussing doing an anthology of art horror, I figured it was time.
I didn't have a place in mind when I started writing, I just let the story take me. I'm really proud of how it turned out!
Have there been other random happenings or observations that have inspired you for different stories?
As for other random happenings, honestly, yeah, a lot of my stories come from those. One time my husband and I were on a roadtrip, and the highway bent basically into a perfect half-circle, just to go around this cute little town we could see on the map. I wondered, what might happen in a town like that, right off the highway, but also apparently special enough to have the highway bend? That's how "East Marion" came to be (you can read it in Eerie River's The Old Ways, Volume One, an anthology of folk horror).
And one other one (my family is going to hate me for this!): One time I was visiting my parents, we were grilling up some burgers, my brother and sister were there, my grandma, etc. It was a wonderful day, lots of laughs and no drama at all (seriously, I promise!). But I thought... what if something absolutely terrible happened right now? Something out of the control of all of us? Well, that thought was well-timed, because I was soon to submit to the Howls from the Wreckage call for disaster-themed horror stories. And thus, "The Richardson Family Reunion" was born! You'll be able to read that story when the anthology comes out on June 15, 2023!
Ai Jiang, “Breathe, Blow, Burn”
Your story involves the art of sugar blowing. I was unfamiliar To those that have stumbled upon this interview, could you describe this process? Do you have any personal experience sugar blowing?
I haven't done sugar blowing personally, but it's something familiar to me growing up because as a child, I'd see street vendors make sugar blown candy animals and had always wanted to purchase one myself. But it's meant to be an art piece but it's also an edible product. In terms of the process, the sugar artist will take a piece of sugar mass, softened, usually enough for a small sphere nestled in the center of the palm, before pulling a long, connected thread of sugar from the mass from which they blow into to shape the sugar! I'll also include a link for anyone who might be interested!
Christi Nogle, “Callous”
The cover of Collage Macabre is an interesting design. As the cover designer, what can you tell us about the inspiration behind it? Was it developed with input from The Future Dead collective? I believe I saw an easter egg or two sprinkled amongst the collage of images.
This cover was truly a collaborative effort! We tossed around quite a few ideas for the front cover, but something I wanted to advocate for, after we decided on the title, was having it be a collage. Several contributors sent in images that ended up featuring on the cover. We have a mummy to represent Jessica Peter’s story, for example, and a pile of meat to represent mine. Three public domain paintings appear on the cover, representing stories by Mob, Ryan Marie Ketterer, and Joseph Andre Thomas. We even have two of our Future Dead Collective members (Julie’s hand and TJ’s face) on the cover! Once I had all the images people wanted to send, I printed them out and arranged as many of them as I could along with some objects in the frame (an old object I found in my grandparents’ attic years ago) to make a collage.
For the back cover, we created a shelf of books to represent the stories. Several contributors made their own spines and then TJ Price was kind enough to make spines for those who wanted them.
After that, there was a long process of deciding on background, font, etc. Mob art directed with community members weighing in as well.
“Callous” is a powerful story that deals with the creation of art in the wake of grief. Many famous artists have struggled with mental illness or have used their art to reckon with calamity. Do you believe in the notion that the best art is created out of pain?
I don’t think so. I think art can come from all kinds of emotions—joy, love, embarrassment, or what have you—or it can even come from a dispassionate place where the focus is on experimentation or illustrating an idea. When I think about my own stories, I guess they do generally start with me thinking back on some time of pain, strife, or fear, but I don’t think that’s the best way. It’s just the way that I tend to operate.
Mary Rajotte, “The Lament of San Miguel”
What was the inspiration behind your story? Did you draw from any Mexican folk tales or spiritual beliefs? I was also curious about the setting of the resort town and if it was based on any one destination in particular.
“The Lament of San Miguel” began as an idea about a fading painting of a vampire that starts to regenerate after blood accidentally gets on the portrait. As I started brainstorming, I knew I wanted to bring more meaning to the piece, that the discovery should be more intentional than something simply accidental. After researching lore about ancient gods, I discovered Camazotz, the Mayan bat god and messenger of the underworld. The themes of blood and sacrifice, of ancient gods and those who believe (or don’t) gave me a deeper thread about family, tradition and the lengths one might go to in order to protect both.
The town of San Miguel is loosely based on a trip I took to Mexico. We went on a day trip to the ancient Maya city of Chichén Itzá to view its stunning step pyramid El Castillo and the other stone structures that still survive there. Afterward, when we stopped for lunch in a small town, I couldn’t help but think about the local residents and how they might feel about tourists coming into their village. I think it’s important to engage with local peoples, to learn about their history and traditions, and to respect their land and our privilege of being able to visit such beautiful places, another thread explored in Lament, one that illustrates the consequences of taking those luxuries for granted.
TJ Price, “Lack”
Are you a big art person? Did you have any real life artists you used for inspiration in the painting in your story? I imagined Rothko.
I didn't have any real-life artists in particular that I used for the painting in this story, no, but I do love art in all its myriad forms, from painting to sculpture and beyond. I do love Rothko, so it's funny that you mention his work. I am reminded of the anecdote of the woman encountering his Black Paintings and commenting how she had been looking for more joyful colors, like pink or orange or red. The painter replied: "But madam, are those not the colors of hell?" Rothko's view was that black is a positive color—clearly not the case in this story. I like to think that the painting in "Lack" owes more to the depthless, vertiginous feeling evoked by the experimentations of Anish Kapoor and other scientists in seeking the most extreme end of the spectrum with Vantablack and similar creations.
Photo of Rothko Chapel (Source:https://www.wikiart.org/en/mark-rothko/rothko-chapel-1967)
Having been on the side of a relation dynamic where I’m plugging away at my little stories, lost in the solitude of creating, I could identify with that aspect of your story. Was this allegory intentional?
This story originated from trying to explore a relationship that is fragmenting and slowly falling apart, so I would have to say that the most direct way of answering your question here would be to say...yes. It is really hard to be in a relationship with someone when you're an artist/creative, and it's even more difficult when differences result from opposing viewpoints on Art. This is an issue which can plague any couple/partnership, even if neither of the two are creatives, but I think the tension is even higher in a relationship where one partner is an artist (a painter, in this instance) and the other is not. This imbalance is easily tipped to collapse, even without external influence (or cosmic horror), and because one's opinion of Art's value is based on subjectivity, there is no real definitive answer possible for anyone involved. What "Lack" tries to do is examine the darkness that grows, mold-like, on a relationship that has died without either participant having realized it yet.
Collage Macabre is now available at Amazon.