AIR Update #3: Cyrus’ Response

A few interesting tidbits in this update, namely a bit more context on when this story probably occurred as well as some fun references to Ohio spiritualist weirdness in the 19th century!

a startling pink glow, screen print on paper with watercolor (edition variable), 12 x 6 in., 2024

First, a studio update; I created a loose edition of prints based on a drawing I made of an alleyway in OTR. I then worked back into them using watercolor to create a varied edition of pink glows emanating throughout the space. At the very least, it was a fun material exercise, but now I’m working on crafting my interpretation of the “sound” that Niklaus experienced.

I’m considering making some kind of animation with these prints in conjunction with a soundscape, or otherwise crafting an immersive installation using the sound as a starting point for my own pink-hued phantasmagoria. I played a sample of my current draft of the sound in the update video to give you a sense of how I interpreted it. have you found me yet?

I had enough time this week to transcribe two new additions to the letters. Context clues alone tell me I am correct so far in my chronology, and that the men who wrote these letters had a very intimate relationship. I still feel it would be a disservice to attempt to identify them as queer or otherwise lovers without any more substantial evidence, but regardless I feel strangely hopeful knowing they had a deep connection and trust between one another.

Cyrus’ handwriting is much clearer than Niklaus’, so I believe he may have either been older or otherwise simply more patient. Given the phrase “my boy,” I’m curious if the two had a sort of mentorship-like relationship. Cyrus’ reply also sheds a bit more light on the context of the story and gives us a sense of when this may have occurred.

The full transcript can be found at this link, but for now I wanted to highlight a few excerpts.

I worry for you, my boy. We are merely a decade removed from the traitorous rebellion of the south and you have moved yourself closer to them. A shy boy like you would be torn apart by such vile hatred without the need for a single finger lifted by the opposition. I must implore you to find friendship beyond those you research with, as you will undoubtedly force yourself to drown in your work as a result. It is rare to find a relationship with peers like yours that delve beyond the superficialities of work and productivity.

The “decade removed from the traitorous rebellion of the south” suggests this letter was written sometime around 1875. In this instance a decade could be exactly 10 years, or it could be a range between 8-12, but I’m happy to have been correct in assuming this was late 19th century America. I also feel this implies Niklaus was the one living in or around Cincinnati, as Ohio was a “northern” state and Kentucky was “southern” during the Civil War.

Regardless, I am happy to hear you are safe, I am happy to hear you are getting settled, and I am happy to hear you are finding things to occupy yourself with until you find more friends, even if they are silly ghost stories. I have enclosed a photograph, and I must request a photograph of yourself in return, something I may cherish our golden hours passed together. You have a beautiful nature made to love all beautiful things, and I hope we shall see each other soon. Please keep this close.

Unfortunately, the referred photographed was not among the letters when I found them the other day, but there are various photographs strewn throughout the flat files, so I have a feeling Cyrus is among them. Again, this language, though flowery, does not tell us one way or another what Cyrus’ intentions or affections are. He feels incredibly protective over Niklaus, which again could simply be a mentorship or other kind of teacher/student relationship. Regardless, it doesn’t seem as though Niklaus feels infantilized or otherwise as his affections are clearly returned in his response. A full transcript of his response is linked here, but the excerpt I wanted to discuss is as follows:

While your previous letter was met with my furious nodding and agreeing with your general sentiments, I could not help myself. There is a young woman in town who reportedly has incredible abilities to speak with the dead. I have no reason to believe this is anything like the chicanery of Koons and his ilk. His flamboyant need to make the afterlife feel like a rowdy soiree with desks and chairs thrown about the room – rubbish! This lady despite her youth is much more stoic and genteel. I must admit to seeking an audience with her and I must share this with you!

My confidence in her abilities come from a tremendous experience that I must relay to you post haste.

The “Koons” reference is a gigantic rabbit hole in and of itself – it refers to the Koons Family Spirit Room, a mid-19th century phenomenon that attracted both believers and skeptics alike in Athens, Ohio (where Ohio University is located). I don’t want to get too far into it as I feel it distracts from the story we are unpacking here, but being introduced to it further encourages me to make an installation based on the phenomenon Niklaus experienced using the sound as a starting point. Athens isn’t too terribly far from Cincinnati, both cities house major centuries-old academic institutions, so maybe it’s worth a visit in the near future? More information can be found here.

This letter also implies Niklaus attended a seance of some sort, which I’m hoping was documented somehow in this correspondence. I did see a journal in one of the flat files the other day, but its binding and design feel way too contemporary to match our presumed timeline for this story. It will have to wait, as while I’m starting to question why the historical society has this in its collection, I am definitely hooked on where it is taking me in my personal practice. Here’s to hoping Niklaus continues to be haunted by whatever he saw in the first video so I can make more descriptive work based on it.

For now, I need a break. My eyes are exhausted from trying to make out Niklaus’ chicken scratch and type out his words.

Neil Daigle Orians • Archivist-in-Residence

Neil Daigle Orians

Neil Daigle Orians (they/he) is an artist, curator, and educator living and working in Cincinnati, Ohio, the native homeland of the Indigenous Algonquian speaking tribes, including the Delaware, Miami, and Shawnee tribes. They received a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and MFA in Studio Art from the University of Connecticut. They have received residencies from the International Print Center of New York and Stoveworks (Chattanooga, TN). They are currently an Assistant Professor of Printmaking at the University of Cincinnati.

http://neilmakesthings.com
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