The Gaping Maw of the Void is Coming for Us, is Coming for Us

At its very core, the goal of an essay is to transfer words and information from one person to many.  But how does one attempt to describe the indescribable? To quote Nietzsche, “Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?” Our work is corroborated by the great minds of centuries ago. As Freud theorized, “a portion of the [death] instinct is diverted towards [...the] aggressiveness [... of] civilization, therefore, obtains mastery over the individual's dangerous desire for aggression by setting up an agency within him to watch over it.” Freud seems to believe that this is necessary for the survival of a civilized society-yet he also speaks of “the suffering of civilized man” as a direct result of this societally enforced self-control. This suffering results from societal limitations on aggression and self-expression. We are actively breaking these rules in creating an essay openly condoning aggression toward objects (such as penguins) and acceptance of an inevitable, destructive end (such as The Gaping Maw of the Void). By creating this essay, we actively take steps to circumvent the suffering Freud speaks of. We are becoming the Gods Nietzsche speaks of in the name of escaping the suffering Freud posits.

How did this come about?

Each member of our group took on a different role. I (Jules) provided the toy and so spurred its degeneration. Josh took charge of wreaking the havoc. And Sam documented our nightmarish progress with photos and videos. Of the three, Josh's work was likely the most exciting. He began by setting a heat gun (with a temperature of over 1000 degrees) onto the penguin, melting it horrifically. Then, he proceeded to smash it repeatedly with a hammer. We chose a hammer because it symbolized the brutal agony of our eventual annihilation, as a species and as individuals. Once the penguin's face was melted, dented beyond repair, and without both foot and wing, Josh got out the heat gun one last time. This final move melded what once was an adorable children's toy, to a circular piece of wood—our canvas, if you will.

Why?

Rarely is one allowed the chance to convey the true devastation of fate. Although it may only be a plastic toy (for now), our group still got to experience an intense, depraved thrill of power, which—let's be honest—is desperately lacking in today's teenage experiences. In addition, our demonic creation will spawn the future tools of chaos.

How does this work?

As well as being a brilliant, conceptual metaphor for humanity, the Penguin is low-maintenance and easy to use. Simply hang on a wall or door knob with the conveniently located string, or just lay on any flat surface. After leaving it alone for some time, you will be confronted with a vague, unsettling sense of fear. Hopefully, this fear will develop into a full-fledged state of catatonia, but we haven't had the chance to test this theory yet. It's a stressful world, and the least we can do is protect and nourish that stress.

What now?

Josh and I will begin a fight to the death to determine who is to gain legal custody of the Penguin. The innocent bystanders who had the misfortune to witness the Penguin's demise will commence emotional counseling. And Sam will become a hermit and move to a forest far away in a desperate attempt to wash away the horrors he has seen.

Original artwork by Josh and Stefano

Writing and soul-crushing existential theory by Jules

Documentation, editing, typography and layout by Sam

The Scream is a painting created by Edvard Munch created between 1893 and 1910. Similar to our work, The Scream brings on a sense of existential terror. It should be noted that The Scream is widely accepted to be art.

Anxiety is another painting by Edvard Munch. It represents the fear of an uncaring, apathetic public eye. The colors are meant to represent heartbreak, drawing a strong parallel with our composition’s emotional and visual themes.

Emmett Kelly Reading the Wall Street Journal is a poster by William Harold Hancock. Based on Weary Willie-an unhappy clown character character invented by Emmett Kelly-the painting depicts the dread that comes from thinking about the eternal void coming for us all. In his case, that is the 1930s stock outlook. In our case it’s a Penguin.

Cthulu Rising is a drawing by Jeff Himmelman. It depicts Dread Cthulu, the Sleeper of R'lyeh, high priest of the Great Old Ones rising from the darkness to devour our world. We think the similarities are fairly self-explanatory.

Above, we can see a polar bear marching through a snowstorm while drinking milk from a white ceramic mug. This work has no relation to ours.

The Gaping Maw of the Void is Coming For Us (or as I like to call it, "Penguin") was formed by the raw human desire for destruction. Our group had the opportunity to completely demolish a McDonald's Happy Meal toy, and we took this task upon ourselves with disturbing glee. This project provided a unique and haunting experience of bringing a surrealist hell into the physical world, and our final product is multi-faceted and captivating.