Brass And Bone

[Apollo and Daphne. Jessica Joslin. 2012. Via]

I recently came across the exquisite creations of artist Jessica Joslin and was taken by their resemblance to - and reformulation of - the hybrid bodies in traditional grotesque art.

Joslin composes her sculptures from a wide variety of materials, including "antique ceremonial collar[s], antlers, bone, velvet, antique hardware, glass eyes, universal joints, springs, brass standoffs, casters, mink collars, saxophone keys, antique shoehorn, beads, lamp fittings, glove leather, music wire, cast pewter feet." She takes care with her sourcing of bones, explaining that:

"With the exception of replicas and common domestic species (eg. chickens) animal bones are acquired from licensed distributors, the sort of company that a natural history museum might work with if they were putting together an exhibit. I have a strong affinity for animals and take care to deal only with reputable companies, whose specimens are legally and ethically obtained." 

Many of Joslin's creatures mimic the ornate hybrid anatomy that is characteristic of the early grotesque style in art.

[Grotesques by Agostino Veneziano. 16th c.Via]

In particular, they exhibit a merging of organic and inorganic materials combined with stems, flutes and lavish curlicues.

[Claro. Jessica Joslin. 2012. Via]

[Phineas. Jessica Joslin. 2010. Via]

While she does not explicitly reference the grotesque (at least, not that I've read so far), Joslin states that she finds inspiration in a variety of places, images and bodies during the creative process. As she says in this interview:

"Inspiration is slippery, it generally doesn't like to be pinned and mounted for inspection. My sparks come from many and varied sources. I often draw from circus imagery, mainly from the late 19th-early 20th century [...] I love to look at images of animals and to watch them move, whether in the flesh or in nature documentaries. Bodies are stunningly perfect machines…and there is such strong variation in the characteristics of different species. I am also drawn to the particular/peculiar stylistic organization of the natural world, as found in old-school Natural History Museums (and perhaps more aptly, in Cabinets of Curiosities). This is a fascination that dates back to when I was a small child and still captures my imagination."

[Joslin at work. Via] 

Joslin encourages viewers to see her work as a kind of cultural composite; drawing together circus and museum, fantasy and fact, document and imagination.

"In the visual arts, there is the potential to communicate ideas and to make layered associations, which language cannot tidily convey. My work encompasses a broad range of my interests, spanning the many years that I've been making these sculptures. Those layers are there to be excavated, but that is not strictly necessary for appreciation of my work. I make my beasts because they are what I dreamed of discovering, but they didn't exist anywhere, so I had to make them myself."

[Egon. Jessica Joslin. 2008. Via]

[Valeria. Jessica Joslin. 2006. Via]

Amazing.

I love finding new forms of grotesquerie that link with the past, yet have their own unique contemporary flavour.

If you're interested, I highly recommend checking out Joslin's website, where you can see her whole fantastic bestiary and buy prints. She also has a book available, Strange Nature, which you can purchase here. So good.

Deady Or Not, Here I Come

The WA museum is pretty great. I've been visiting with my family since I was very small (no entry fee plus bonus air conditioning made it our parents' favourite excursion), so many of the exhibits seem like old friends.

There have been various refurbishments over the years, but my favourites are still there: namely, the taxidermy zoo, skeleton collection, and an assortment of once-living things pickled in jars.

Yes my favourite things are all dead. It is a museum, after all.

















One of the best new additions is the huge dinosaur in the lobby, which was painstakingly created by museum staff.






For some reason I neglected to take a full body shot, so it's hard to see how big it really is. Too obsessed with the small details, as usual. I will go back sometime soon and take more pics. Or you can go see it yourself... if you dare!



My main reason for visiting was to catch the Extraordinary Stories exhibition before it finished today.


This exhibit features a variety of British Museum artifacts, from million-year-old tools to more contemporary Maori and Aboriginal art. The whole thing was fascinating. I didn't take many photographs as the light was kept dim to preserve the items, however there were a couple that caught my eye in particular.

Cristovao Canhavato's throne of weapons, for instance:




If you can make out the quote below, the artist explains that the smiley faces in the chair were actually incidental features of the guns themselves. Strange to find happy faces on killing machines.


The other piece that caught my eye was near the end of the exhibit (which was organised in chronological order): a treasure box made by the Haida people of the West Coast of Canada.



I especially like the origin story accompanying the box, which features a secretive old man, a shape shifting raven and a daring heist.



If you happen to live in Perth and haven't seen Extraordinary Stories yet, you have until 5pm this afternoon to rectify that situation. Hurry! A few more hours, then most of these goodies will be shipped back to the motherland.

Of course, there are always other things to look at in Perth. Like my friend the urban cactus:




Or... this:


Hmm.

Transdigital

I love how Photoshop facilitates such easy crossings of human/plant/animal boundaries.

These pics are all via Trendhunter - your one stop shop for computerised grotesquerie.
















It seems to be Friday. Again. Not sure how that happened.

Friday's Dragon

Found this in the garden today. I think it's a good omen.


Click to check out that pattern. It is intense.








S/he got a bit stuck, and required an emergency evacuation.








Seeing a creature like this reminds you that our imaginings of exotic beasts, monsters and grotesques have a basis in reality. The mind has to start somewhere.

Also very excited to have found somebody with a similar fashion sense. Dragon totally matched the hat I was wearing:






Definitely not a coincidence...