Godling: Triptych

The Godling envisions a masked figure and crafts a lonely world to fit them.

Below is a digital representation of my entry to the interactive miniature art show Godling, hosted by Martin McCoy (martin.mccoy.art), Shane Brockway (7he_blindman), and Joe Aquilina (armageddon_bound) at Selva Gallery (1329 Willoughby Ave, Brooklyn) between January 29 and February 1st. It was designed to be viewed on a slide projector, as all the images were taken on slide film. Since not everyone will be able to view the piece at the Godling show, I wanted to show it here.

An image crosses the still-forming synapses of your divine brain. Out of a tenebrous darkness stalks a robed figure in an insectoid mask affixed with a pulsing fuchsia jewel. They hesitate and turn their head, as if sensing your unseen presence. The hollows of their darkened sockets pin you down against the celestial firmament. Expectant.

 
View slides 1 & 2 from Triptych Intro slide tray.

Slide 1

Slide 2

You are compelled to grant this individual their own domain to inhabit. As if on cue, three possibilities crystallize in your mind.

Look at Slides 3-5 from Triptych Intro and choose one world to create.

Slide 3. Floating shards of rock and metal in the inky abyssal void, trailing cables, like the fibrous sinew from the eye of an enucleated whale. Switch to Floating Rock (A) slide tray (see below).

Slide 4. The echoing halls of a lonely communications depot. A soft fuchsia emanates from a distant doorway. Switch to Communications Depot (B) slide tray (see below).

Slide 5. A moonlit chapel that has been the epicenter of an unknowable horror. Switch to Moonlit Chapel (C) slide tray (see below).

Floating Rock (A)

Floating shards of rock and metal in the inky abyssal void, trailing cables, like the fibrous sinew from the eye of an enucleated whale.

View slides A1-A3.

Slide A1

Slide A2

Slide A3

How will you intervene? Roll one D6 or choose:

1-2) Apathetic indifference. Go to Slide A4.
3-4) Insightful intervention. Go to Slide A5.
5-6) Mendacious meddling. Go to Slide A6.

Slide A4: 1-2) Indifference. Eons march on. Suns burn out, but humanity persists, defiant in the face of an uncaring universe. They are an inspiration to you, albeit a small one.

Slide A5: 3-4) Insightful intervention. Religious ascension. A multitude of cults form, allowing them to touch the gods. They grow closer to you, lending you their belief and, by extension, their power.

Slide A6: 5-6) Mendacious meddling. Religious persecution. Faith is failure. Sentient beings eschew belief in higher powers. You suffer.

Communications Depot (B)

The echoing halls of a lonely communications depot. A soft fuchsia emanates from a distant doorway.

View slides B1-B3.

Slide B1

Slide B2

Slide B3

How will you intervene? Roll one D6 or choose:

1-2) Apathetic indifference. Go to Slide B4.
3-4) Insightful intervention. Go to Slide B5.

5-6) Mendacious meddling. Go to Slide B6.

Slide B4: 1-2) Apathetic indifference. Your presence is a pinprick in the world's consciousness. Blood is the beginning, and it fuels a fever dream choked in red.

Slide B5: 3-4) Insightful intervention. That which was neglected finds new light. The detritus of forgotten civilizations is unearthed and repurposed. Cogitators hum, and a meaningful existence seems within reach.

Slide B6: 5-6) Mendacious meddling. Darkness descends. The corridors of the listening station continue to rot. Humanity devolves, color leaching from existence.

Moonlit Chapel (C)

A moonlit chapel that has been the epicenter of an unknowable horror.

View slides C1-C3.

Slide C1

Slide C2

Slide C3

How will you intervene? Roll one D6 or choose:

1-2) Apathetic indifference. Go to Slide C4.
3-4) Insightful intervention. Go to Slide C5.
5-6) Mendacious meddling. Go to Slide C6.

Slide C4: 1-2) Apathetic indifference. The cataclysm that sundered these hallowed lands could not be overcome. The trauma of the event saturated itself within the walls of every building. They stand as towering edifices of grief and misery, stained for eternity.

Slide C5: 3-4) Insightful intervention. We are joyous. Ascendant. While we witnessed something abysmal fragment and scatter to the corners of the world during our lonely vigil, our conviction is strong. We look to the spectral moon and resist new life taking root inside of us. Collectively, we follow the smoke toward the vast, annihilating sky.

Slide C6: 5-6) Mendacious meddling. Terror reigns, as a creeping darkness nips at the margins of perception, invading the thoughts of sentient beings. Violence escalates as this intangible blackness infiltrates the confines of sleep.

Below are additional details about the project:

The Godling envisions a masked figure and crafts a lonely world to fit them.

Eric Wier

@ericwierphotography

@btwnbolterandme

Materials:

Nikon F5 35mm film camera

AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D

Fujichrome Velvia 50 & Fujichrome Provia 100F & Kodak Ektachrome E100 35mm film

Lecia Pradovit P 150 projector

Miniatures and Terrain created by:

Adam Wier

Ana Polanšćak

Brian Roussel

Jonny Lashley

Nicky Grillet

Bill Ford

Matt Ross

Special Thanks to:

Adam and Greg Wier, for your support, excitement, and recommendations throughout the project. Also, Adam for creating the logo and many of the project's miniatures. Martin McCoy, Shane Brockway, and Joe Aquilina for creating and hosting the Godling event. Eli Parsons, Jonny Lashley, Bill Ford, and everyone who has helped with the Vastarian project (2024) that inspired and shaped Triptych. Matt Ross and Bill Ford for making all of the wonderful terrain pieces that provided the worlds for the miniatures to inhabit. Dillon Ryan for his insight into lighting to make my photographs more interesting. My lovely wife, Becka Ache, for constant encouragement, inspiration, and creative input. This project could not have been completed without all of you!