ST BEES MAN

St Bees Man  ‘Morphing in Time’

 

The discovery, in 1981, of the almost perfectly preserved body of a medieval knight, now usually referred to as St Bees Man, was one of the most extraordinary archaeological burial finds in Britain in the late 20th century.

Local historians now think that it was Anthony de Lucy, who died in a Baltic crusade in Lithuania 1368.

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My artistic response to St Bees Man:

Captivated by the 'St Bees Man' story. I found it astonishing that after 600 years it was possible to find a man’s body so well preserved. The post mortem revealed liquid blood in his lungs and his heart and internal organs could all be seen. 

 

My starting point was the human anatomical form. Inspired by Leonardo de Vinci’s anatomical drawings I proceeded to combine drawing and painting. I manipulated them digitally to create images that developed into a visual narrative. Aware that I was attempting to bring St Bees man back to form, from the medieval time in which he lived, I came up with the title of the exhibition ‘Morphing in Time’. 

 

The image of DNA woven into some of the images acts as a 

motif for the continuity of time, indicating that ‘your biology is your biography’.

 

The results are a series of mixed media images.  I endeavoured to convey a feeling of luminosity that is reminiscent of the medieval stain glass windows. Using different techniques and mediums I built layers that would infer the mystery and intrigue of how I felt about the discovery of St Bees Man. 

 

Ultimately I hoped to create images that give form and a visual narrative to illustrate the mystery and drama of this largely untold story, that culminated in the making of my video St Bees Man 'Morphing in Time'

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