About carcolhs and animated sculptures
By topffer
@topffer (42156)
France
August 2, 2020 7:54am CST
Hi all !
I spent June and part of July with the finest society in Paris, among the smartest people of the 1810's-1820's : Fontanes, Joubert, Chateaubriand... I was writing an article for a scholarly peer review. It has been admitted by the desk board, now I am waiting for the corrections/additions asked by the reading committee. By experience they always ask to modify something to show that they read your paper...
Now, I am coming back to the finest international society, the smartest people on social networks, I mean myLot's members, especially those responding to my discussions, the others having indeed the right to remain silent.
Have you heard about the carcolhs ? They are giant monster snails living in the Landes département in Southern France. It is an area full of pine woods and not very populated, because the carcolhs eat the humans who dare to go near their caves. The parents tell to their children "Behave yourself, or the carcolh will come for you !"
I think that, because of the confinement, the carcolhs had to leave the Landes to find their food and have invaded a large part of France where they eat tourists. It may not be the right explanation, but it would explain why we see a lot less tourists this year inside cities...
I also wonder if a carcolh has not eaten my roofer. I hope I will see him before the end of the summer...
Because of the potential risk of carcolhs roaming around, I am careful and do not go very far. Last Sunday I visited an art exhibition in an old mill and was welcomed by a stone bust looking like the face of a mo'ai, but wearing a mask and... with the eyes moving and looking at me. Alright, I put a mask... I met the sculptor, who is animating stone statues with electric motors hidden inside, and asked him if he knew the Cyclop of Tinguely in Milly-la-Forêt. I was thinking that the sculpture would have even more reached its goal (asking people to wear a mask) if it had only one big eye. No, he was not, and I realized that he was a kind of douanier Rousseau for sculpture, with quite no art knowledge. It is something rare at a time where most of art relies more on the speech than on the talent of the artist. This one has the talent, but not the speech (sorry, no photo). This world is far to be perfect.
Have you seen something interesting recently ?
8 people like this
9 responses
@LadyDuck (472078)
• Switzerland
2 Aug 20
Yes, I have heard of the carcolhs ((lou carcolh), I suppose the name comes from the Spanish "caracoles", I am glad I never met one. May be they also invaded Switzerland, because most tourists have disappeared here too.
I am so sorry you cannot show us a photo, because this looked like an interesting sculpture. Hope you are well, it is horrible hot here today.
3 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
2 Aug 20
Yes, carcolh (pronounced "carcoye"/carcoille" in French) may be more related to Spanish than to Occitan. I suspect carcolhs to be in their way to conquer the world
.
I had no camera when I went there, but I want to come back and take a few photos.
We had 40°C yesterday. It is cloudy today, with 29° right now. Wait a couple of days, you will get the clouds
.
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I had no camera when I went there, but I want to come back and take a few photos.
We had 40°C yesterday. It is cloudy today, with 29° right now. Wait a couple of days, you will get the clouds.3 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
3 Aug 20
@JudyEv That's true, and some wrong/stupid corrections made me angry a couple of times. I said once "take it like it is or I withdraw it."
And... they took it.
I had to look at bunyips and drop-bears
. You have very dangerous animals in Australia.
There are some outdoor movies around during the summer, I may try that.
And... they took it.
I had to look at bunyips and drop-bears. You have very dangerous animals in Australia.
There are some outdoor movies around during the summer, I may try that.2 people like this
@JudyEv (342176)
• Rockingham, Australia
3 Aug 20
@topffer Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre (BREC) just put on the two films but at least it was something. We won't be making a habit of it but we felt safe enough under the circumstances. They don't have photos of bunyips or drop-bears but that isn't proof of their non-existence either. lol
When Damian did a paper for some book or other, he said that such writings were always returned for corrections/additions/attributions as a matter of principle.
2 people like this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
3 Aug 20
Love it and the idea of snails taking over everything is really funny.
Do they wear masks too?
Truly hope not.
Just kidding you with all the scary stuff going around we need to grin a bit.
I have seen a lot of stressed out people today boy have I seen them.
Great wrote up tops. 
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
3 Aug 20
I don't know if the carcolhs wear masks, nobody having seen a carcolh lived long enough to tell.
I have again young people screaming and singing not far, they do not seem very stressed. It happens every night. I was telling to a friend this evening that if the covid had the good taste to mutate and target youngsters, I would recruit a choral to sing under their windows
.
Thank you, have a good night
.
I have again young people screaming and singing not far, they do not seem very stressed. It happens every night. I was telling to a friend this evening that if the covid had the good taste to mutate and target youngsters, I would recruit a choral to sing under their windows.
Thank you, have a good night1 person likes this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
4 Aug 20
@topffer
We get the odd ones here that "sing" for want of a better word almost every night plus the odd punch up it seems to be all go for them.
They are not the only ones feeling all of what is going on.
I really felt for the cashier yesterday that had to keep telling grown up people to put their mask on and use the hand stuff and to keep their distances.
She should be getting paid double for policing them.
On top of that all they can do is to scowl at her and she was saying it very nicely.
I think that really they should think more of what they are doing when they go into a shop its up to them to know what to do even if you don´t like it I don´t like at all but there you go.
Stay way from Dovi all you can and the caracoles we need you here to stay and be well.
Good Angels guard you.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
4 Aug 20
@lovinangelsinstead21 A few people do not respect anything. Last month a bus driver was punched and killed in Bayonne because he asked to 3 young people to wear a mask. Yesterday in a Paris suburb a man was quite killed by baseball bats because he had asked to a guy to wear a mask inside a laundry. People can do whatever they want, I am not a policeman, and I hope to live a bit more. This kind of guys would perhaps only insult a woman, but when they are in group they would not hesitate a second to punch a man telling them what they should do. Between the carcolhs and the bad guys, we are going through hard times.
He, what is happening to Juan-Carlos ? I heard this morning that he wanted to leave Spain.
Take care of yourself
.
He, what is happening to Juan-Carlos ? I heard this morning that he wanted to leave Spain.
Take care of yourself1 person likes this
@much2say (56087)
• Los Angeles, California
3 Aug 20
Ah, the covid19 virus must be little baby carcolhs 
. . . and they've invaded many other parts of the world .
Your roof - argh - I had forgotten you were waiting to have that done months back!
Back in the days, it seems artists were art history savvy and were quite familiar with their peers and contemporaries . . . not necessarily these days. What kind of stone statues?
After going to the beach for the first time in months, we tried to take a small road home through the backhills of Malibu . . . we had not gone through this road before. We saw a bunch of huge ranches and estates . . . either some of these residents were art collectors or sculptors themselves - quite an interesting drive!
Continue to stay safe from the carcolhs . . . if you need to go out, perhaps you should keep handy a pocketful of salt!
. . . and they've invaded many other parts of the world .
Your roof - argh - I had forgotten you were waiting to have that done months back!
Back in the days, it seems artists were art history savvy and were quite familiar with their peers and contemporaries . . . not necessarily these days. What kind of stone statues?
After going to the beach for the first time in months, we tried to take a small road home through the backhills of Malibu . . . we had not gone through this road before. We saw a bunch of huge ranches and estates . . . either some of these residents were art collectors or sculptors themselves - quite an interesting drive!
Continue to stay safe from the carcolhs . . . if you need to go out, perhaps you should keep handy a pocketful of salt!1 person likes this
@much2say (56087)
• Los Angeles, California
4 Aug 20
@topffer The carcolhs seem to enjoy it here. Besides the diversity of international cuisine for them, there are plenty of reckless humans for the taking . . . they think carcolh existence is a hoax 
.
I hope you can make it out to those artful gardens! Even in our localist hills (our bit of "rural" living areas), there are folks with cool metal fencing and sculptures in their yards . . . but it's also possible it is metal junk that has no place else to be . I've always wondered about the storage issues sculptures must have . . . maybe that creates the need for them to acquire such huge ranch properties out here, that is, if they can afford it.
Wow - I don't know if I've ever really seen an "animated" sculpture made from such heavy material. Would love to see photos if you happen to go again!
We won't be going to any art exhibitions / museums anytime soon. I believe they are all closed for now, but well, we won't be taking any chances for a while anyway. There have been some virtual tours of famous museums during this pandemic . . . I'll have to see if those are still available!
.
I hope you can make it out to those artful gardens! Even in our localist hills (our bit of "rural" living areas), there are folks with cool metal fencing and sculptures in their yards . . . but it's also possible it is metal junk that has no place else to be . I've always wondered about the storage issues sculptures must have . . . maybe that creates the need for them to acquire such huge ranch properties out here, that is, if they can afford it.
Wow - I don't know if I've ever really seen an "animated" sculpture made from such heavy material. Would love to see photos if you happen to go again!
We won't be going to any art exhibitions / museums anytime soon. I believe they are all closed for now, but well, we won't be taking any chances for a while anyway. There have been some virtual tours of famous museums during this pandemic . . . I'll have to see if those are still available!1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
5 Aug 20
@much2say Museums are opened again here and it is a good moment to visit them, they are deserted, including usually crowded ones like Le Louvre or Versailles. They have 25% of visitors compared to same months last year. However the number of cases of covid are climbing again, we had 400/day one month ago, it is now 2000, and the museums may close again in a couple of months if it continues (2000/day in France would be 10000/day in USA).
The exhibition with this sculptor is opened until the end of August, I will visit it again with a camera.
Outdoors is the worst place to store a sculpture. The minimum is to put a roof on them, to avoid rain and ice. Well, it depends also of the kind of sculpture.
@topffer (42156)
• France
3 Aug 20
The idea was that because of the confinement the carcolhs had to go more far to find outdoors a few reckless humans to eat.
This guy is sculpting a tough white limestone, and is gifted with his hands, he was exhibiting among others little chains with all links from the same stone. He had also an interesting perpetual motion : a marble was released at the top of a hill, was going to the bottom where it was entering in a big wheel of limestone which was turning and dropping the marble at the top, etc. He had many things, including a crop harvester running and a fisher fishing, all done in limestone and animated. I want to come back to take a few photos. He was not the only sculptor at this exhibition but certainly the more original.
Speaking of popular art, there are a couple of gardens where I want to take photos. One has 200 or 300 barnyard animals inside, and the second many people real size painted. Well, in Malibu, there are perhaps private gardens with real art outdoors, not here.
The salt is a good idea
. Well, in Malibu, there are perhaps private gardens with real art outdoors, not here.
The salt is a good idea1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137602)
• United States
5 Aug 20
Where is your YouTube channel, Top? I want to see the video you took of the carcolh and its children chasing you! (Of course, I am glad they didn't catch you but you might have given one of the babies a little bite to eat, right? 
)
I haven't been anywhere to see anything. Covid 19 keeps me as much at home as I can except when I have to be at work. (I'd rather not be at work during the pandemic, but someone has to pay the bills here at our house. *sigh*)
The sculpture was wearing a mask? Was it worried you'd give it the virus?
Hmmm... that is a shame that he knew little or nothing about other art.
)
I haven't been anywhere to see anything. Covid 19 keeps me as much at home as I can except when I have to be at work. (I'd rather not be at work during the pandemic, but someone has to pay the bills here at our house. *sigh*)
The sculpture was wearing a mask? Was it worried you'd give it the virus?
Hmmm... that is a shame that he knew little or nothing about other art.2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
5 Aug 20
Nobody lived long enough to put online a photo or a video of a carcolh.
I am like you, I don't like to enter in buildings, and I do it only when I can't avoid it. I don't go inside movie theaters and restaurants actually, and I am not alone : an old couple of friends have decided to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary in their home and not in a restaurant like they did for the 10th and 20th, and I prefer this.
You wear masks to not give the virus to others, not to protect you. If somebody with the covid and no mask cough on you wearing a mask will not help.
I am like you, I don't like to enter in buildings, and I do it only when I can't avoid it. I don't go inside movie theaters and restaurants actually, and I am not alone : an old couple of friends have decided to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary in their home and not in a restaurant like they did for the 10th and 20th, and I prefer this.
You wear masks to not give the virus to others, not to protect you. If somebody with the covid and no mask cough on you wearing a mask will not help.1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
7 Aug 20
@DaddyEvil Very weird attitude. At his place I would have called to tell that I would not go to the memorial because I had caught the covid19. Anybody with a brain would do this. How many siblings have you ?
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137602)
• United States
7 Aug 20
@topffer Uhm... you wearing a mask can actually help you to avoid breathing in the virus if someone coughs or sneezes on you. You will need to take additional precautions if sneeze or cough happens, like getting out of the clothing and into a shower as soon as possible without touching your face but it can be done.
One of my brothers passed away a few days ago from a heart attack. Another brother has been insisting I HAVE to go to the memorial, which is crazy! (I love some of my family (Some of my family, not so much. *shrug*) but I have too many health problems to even think about attending the memorial and risking catching something from another family member.) I finally got tired of his insistence and hung up on him.
About an hour later one of my sisters called to talk about going to the memorial service. I told her I wouldn't be going and why. She agreed with me because she has as many problems as I do, just of a different type. She then proceeded to inform me that the brother who was so insistent that I go to the memorial was just diagnosed with having the coronavirus... He believes it would be better for the family to all catch the virus and "get it over with". Of course, he has no health problems except for his age... but he is only four years older than me and six years younger than the sister who called me.
I think he's an idiot and I hope nobody else catches the virus from him.
1 person likes this
@piyushbhatia1 (11695)
• India
2 Aug 20
@topffer I understand why ghost stories become block busters.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (47676)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
2 Aug 20
So are the carcolhs related to the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus?
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (20039)
• United States
4 Aug 20
not art, but I did see a baby possum in the yard a few days ago. It was sorta cute.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (181821)
• United States
2 Aug 20
I think the carcolhs have eaten the contractors I have been trying to reach. They are very irresponsible and don't return calls. Thank you for the update. You have been missed; and it's nice to see you here again. No, I haven't seen anything interesting lately. Have a great Sunday.
1 person likes this
