Itinerant Other

This is a reinterpretation of a drawing made by Jan van Rymsdyk to illustrate William Hunter's anatomical atlas 'The Anatomy of the Human Gravid Uterus' (1774). All the original drawings, held in Glasgow University's library, were drawn (beautifully, in red chalk) from dissections of women who had died before giving birth. This particular plate has always evoked in me a terrible wonder and sorrow, knowing the means of production while admiring the skill of the artist's hand and eye. This is one of a series of works informed by anatomical specimens, models and illustrations. I am exploring the humanising effect of using traditional media and techniques to evoke echoes of the subjects' former lives. The interpretation or reinterpretation of anatomical display changes the context of the subject matter, which alongside the muted colour palette situates it in an interstitial space between the time of it's creation or entry into the museum, and the moment that it now occupies.