Vestigial Vera Painting

The story goes that in 1825 a bull sperm whale was washed up dead on Tunstall beach, near Burton Constable Hall, Yorkshire. The carcass was buried then the bones exhumed. In 1836 it was reconstructed and articulated. It was turned into an outdoor attraction, a massive mechanical puppet. When this sort of entertainment fell out of fashion, the skeleton collapsed gradually back into the earth, to be trampled under the feet of cattle for over one hundred years. It was eventually re-exhumed and has been laid out flat in the Great Hall of Burton Constable Hall for the past couple of years. This is where I photographed it. I then replicated it bone by bone from the photos to produce my own, scaled down model of the remnant form. In replicating her exact form I was mapping her history, her unusual post death journey. Vestigial Vera, a composite painting in 13 panels, was created from the model. Over the 13 images she turns a circle, like a rudimentary animation story board. This performance is a sort of ‘Dance of the Dead’, creating a final chapter in her history.

Painting:Oil on Other

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:122.8 W x 6.3 H x 0.8 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.