PictureBook – ‘Compass Ways’ – By Benamon Tame

‘Compass Ways -The Myrme’ – ©Benamon Tame

The music played faintly behind them, ever fainter as they moved through the empty hall.
A desert of dust was all that Barrow House had left, a borderland between its hunger and
endless melody of the Music box wall that kept it at bay.

The Myrme walked on, porcelain steps kicking up more dust until they could
See no further than the one in front and the leader walked blind.
“Maybe it has gone” whispered Lemon, her voice faltered and was smothered by the dust
and her own disbelief.
“maybe we could go back and he won’t want to play anymore” Weaver replied, laying her
bitterness on Lemons desperation ” Babel has seen the other side and it is safe. We just
have to trust him and not stop for tea. If it does not find us…

The Myrme were a family of Dolls who crossed over the Music Box Wall in an attempt to flee the Rule of Loki. They had hoped to avoid Barrow House and find sanctuary on the other side of the hall. Babel had helped them to escape and fed their desperation with hope. Whether it was true or part of his own schemes is not known but beyond the sound of the wall Barrow house found them. The Strange Company saved them, but not before Barrow house has taken their limbs and voice boxes. When they were brought back over the wall there was not enough limbs left to repair them so Syster used parts from the stationary drawers and they were given new form.

‘Lost Toy Sketches – Myrme’ – ©Benamon Tame

As punishment for trying to escape and to repay Syster for helping them, the Myrme help guard the a music box Wall. The Myrme have blanked out most of Barrow Houses attack but what is left has come out as endless games of hide and seek. Without voice boxes, the Myrme communicate in a strange morse code, tapping out their words with their new compass limbs.

‘Compass Ways.Typewriter Remix’ – ©Benamon Tame

The name Myrme comes from the greek word for ants. It also works well as it sounds like it could be a distortion of a dolls voice box as she calls out “mummy’. The last sound they made before Barrow House took their voices. The names chosen for the two Myrme shown are both types of ant.

I plan to build a Myrme sculpture but when I made the piece I only had the head, torso and one brass Compass. The parts were blue tacked together and then to the wall and then reposed until I had enough to make a full image. A second Myrme was put together on the floor and the two figures constructed in Juxtaposer. I had original planned for them to have four limbs but added the extra set to the finished piece. Colour, texture and details were then added using Iris Photo Suite, Pictureshow and Snapseed.

‘Myrme1’ – ©Benamon Tame

‘Myrme2’ – ©Benamon Tame

Music while writing this was Splinter ( songs from a Broken mind) by Gary Numan/link

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