Design by Chris Ayers, Photography by Jessica Segall “The Medusa v. The Odalisque” - B.S. Latrodectus Mactans Productions. Uncredited cast; zone-plating laser holography by James O. Incadenza and Urquhart Ogilvie, Jr.; holographic fight choreography by Kenjiru Hirota courtesy of Sony Entertainment-Asia; 78 mm; 29 minutes; balck and white; silent w/ audience-noises appropriated from network broadcast television. Mobile holograms of two visually lethal mythologic females duel with reflective surfaces onstage while a live crowd of spectators turn to stone. LIMITED CELLULOID RUN; PRIVATELY RE-RELEASED ON MAGNETIC VIDEO BY LATRODECTUS MACTANS PRODUCTIONS —————————— Credit where credit is due: the wonderful photograph that this poster is based on is the work of Jessica Segall, which she graciously allowed me to muck up. I hope you’ll click on over to her website and check out some of her other work. And here is the original version of the photo. This was created as a part of A Failed Entertainment, a 2010 art exhibition at Columbia University which attempts to bring to life James Incandenza’s film work.“The Medusa vs. The Odalisque” foreshadows Joelle van Dyne’s involvement with Incandenza’s work. Joelle, aka Madame Psychosis, aka the P.G.O.A.T. (Prettiest Girl of All Time) is a woman so beautiful that men are afraid to talk to her, which leads to a very lonely existence. She wears a veil through most of the novel to hide a supposed deformity, although it’s unclear if she is actually deformed or just uses the veil to hide her devastating beauty.She becomes James Incandenza’s muse and thereafter most of his works feature Joelle as some sort of femme fatale - death incarnate. It seems as though James’ view of women is largely informed by his wife’s infidelity and that Joelle is used as a proxy for his spouse and represents the destructive power of women. The relationship between James and Joelle seems to be strictly platonic and professional - the artist/muse.Joelle is also the central figure in Incandenza’s film Infinite Jest, aka The Entertainment, aka the samizdat - the film that, if watched, will render you catatonic. In that film (as well as Don Gately’s fever dream) Joelle represents the woman who will kill you in this world but who will also be your mother in the next -  the ultimate duality of women.Wallace takes care not to describe Joelle’s physical appearance in great detail, leaving it up to the reader to picture what might be under that veil. I find this to be a wonderfully subjective literary device. Personally, I pictured a girl from my seventh grade class, April Moore. April Moore was tall and beautiful and seemed to exist on a different planet than the rest of us. I don’t think I ever spoke a single word to her or ever dared to look her directly in the eye. I wonder how lonely April Moore is today.

Design by Chris Ayers, Photography by Jessica Segall


“The Medusa v. The Odalisque” - B.S. Latrodectus Mactans Productions. Uncredited cast; zone-plating laser holography by James O. Incadenza and Urquhart Ogilvie, Jr.; holographic fight choreography by Kenjiru Hirota courtesy of Sony Entertainment-Asia; 78 mm; 29 minutes; balck and white; silent w/ audience-noises appropriated from network broadcast television. Mobile holograms of two visually lethal mythologic females duel with reflective surfaces onstage while a live crowd of spectators turn to stone. LIMITED CELLULOID RUN; PRIVATELY RE-RELEASED ON MAGNETIC VIDEO BY LATRODECTUS MACTANS PRODUCTIONS

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Credit where credit is due: the wonderful photograph that this poster is based on is the work of Jessica Segall, which she graciously allowed me to muck up. I hope you’ll click on over to her website and check out some of her other work. And here is the original version of the photo. This was created as a part of A Failed Entertainment, a 2010 art exhibition at Columbia University which attempts to bring to life James Incandenza’s film work.

“The Medusa vs. The Odalisque” foreshadows Joelle van Dyne’s involvement with Incandenza’s work. Joelle, aka Madame Psychosis, aka the P.G.O.A.T. (Prettiest Girl of All Time) is a woman so beautiful that men are afraid to talk to her, which leads to a very lonely existence. She wears a veil through most of the novel to hide a supposed deformity, although it’s unclear if she is actually deformed or just uses the veil to hide her devastating beauty.

She becomes James Incandenza’s muse and thereafter most of his works feature Joelle as some sort of femme fatale - death incarnate. It seems as though James’ view of women is largely informed by his wife’s infidelity and that Joelle is used as a proxy for his spouse and represents the destructive power of women. The relationship between James and Joelle seems to be strictly platonic and professional - the artist/muse.

Joelle is also the central figure in Incandenza’s film Infinite Jest, aka The Entertainment, aka the samizdat - the film that, if watched, will render you catatonic. In that film (as well as Don Gately’s fever dream) Joelle represents the woman who will kill you in this world but who will also be your mother in the next -  the ultimate duality of women.

Wallace takes care not to describe Joelle’s physical appearance in great detail, leaving it up to the reader to picture what might be under that veil. I find this to be a wonderfully subjective literary device. Personally, I pictured a girl from my seventh grade class, April Moore. April Moore was tall and beautiful and seemed to exist on a different planet than the rest of us. I don’t think I ever spoke a single word to her or ever dared to look her directly in the eye. I wonder how lonely April Moore is today.