The Dark Arts Society holds Gothic arts events and entertainments in London. Monthly events feature talks on a wide variety of related subjects, including recitals of poetry, readings of new fiction, film shows, short stories, and performance art. Some recent subjects have included talks on Vampires in Folklore and Fiction, Witchcraft in Elizabethan Theatre, The Art of Austin Osman Spare, Gothic Bellydance performances and recitals of the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe.

Gothic Art, Music and Literature

"Gothic" is a genre of literature and art which originated in England in the eighteenth century and which is considered to be the predecessor of the modern genre of horror fiction. Supernatural elements such as ghosts, magic, demons, vampires and witches are a common feature of the Gothic.

The first Gothic novel was The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, published in 1764, and the Gothic literary style soon began to influence poetry as well as prose fiction. Several well-known works of the Romantic poets including Coleridge and Keats are considered to be Gothic in style.

The origins of the term however, date back further than the literary genre. It had previously been applied to a style of late Medieval European architecture whose features included detailed surface ornamentation, pointed arches, ribbed vaults and flying buttresses, towering spires, and generally emphasized the vertical dimension. The word Gothic was originally applied to this architectural style in a derogatory sense, alluding to the barbarous tribes of "Goths" who had invaded the Roman empire and were hence seen as the antithesis of everything civilised. As the new style of architecture was seen as antagonistic to the classical ideals prevalent at the time, referring to it as Gothic was a way of mocking it's barbarous and anti-classical stance.

In England in the 1980's the word was coined by the music press to describe a new style of alternative music which evolved from the punk era of the late 70's, characterised by a "dark" sound or image, frequently inspired by horror films and the like. While never considered fashionable by the mainstream, the Gothic subculture has become one of the most enduring of alternative scenes, having lasted more than 20 years to date.

The Dark Arts Society events explore many aspects of the Gothic genre, featuring music, art, literature, poetry, dance and more.

The name "Dark Arts Society " was inspired by the Harry Potter novels, and is not to be taken seriously. Really.