Daphne Wright Artwork

During my time in Bristol, I took the opportunity to visit the Arnolfini Gallery. Daphne Wright’s work particularly caught my eye.

The detail produced for each animal cast was astounding. You can see from one of the photographs I took below, that the fur has been recreated using silk embroidery. It was only when you approached the work extremely close did you realise it was created from this material and not cast from the actual fur of the animal. The first image indicated the size of the work and gives an feel that the monkey is laid on an operating theatre. However the feel is not eerier but instead beautiful – providing a threshold to something new.

The method used to create this cast was as surprising as it was impressive. The monkey is not dead, instead asleep. The cast was created whilst the animal was put under general anaesthetic and aims to allow the observers to ask questions about their concept of presence; petrified in cold matter, in a lifeless white colour the monkey’s presence is here, and not here – a still cast and an immovable ghost.