Sketchbook Page 43: Cervid

fan of horns …

In my dream I couldn’t pick those thorns

from the sunk-eyed creature’s fan of horns.

Carved Antler | Chris Jones

This is the first in a series of sketches from The Spirit is a Bone, my forthcoming exhibition at Derby Museum and Art Gallery

The Spirit is a Bone takes the form of a creative intervention within the Derby Museums Visual Poetry of 1001 Objects gallery. Continuing with its aim to inspire curiosity, a bespoke desk-bureau with a number of drawers has been nestled within the space. Within the recesses and drawers are a series of peculiar drawings based on the various natural history specimens that are displayed within the Fragments of Bone display; the drawings hint at half-truths, scientific misapprehensions and origin tales of dubious veracity.

Connected with the drawings are a series of beautiful, cryptic poetic epigrams, some based on the ancient Anglo-Saxon tradition of riddle poems – poems wherein the object speaks.

I am your letter tomb, a shard of tome

to trace this language written on the bone.

The Horn Book | Chris Jones

The desk-bureau has been designed as an interactive intervention, with space for visitors to continue the dialogue between collection, artist and audience by leaving a drawing or text piece of their own.

Curated by Andrea-Hadley Johnson.

The Spirit is a Bone will be available to view from May 25

Saturday May 25th from 11am-4pm Preview/Launch event

Including FREE performance reading by Chris Jones and artist’s talk with Paul Evans and Chris Jones (1-2pm).

Derby Museum and Art Gallery, The Strand, Derby, DE1 1BS