Letters to Mary Ward 2003-2004
Letters to Mary Ward was an imaginary correspondence between myself and Ward (1827-1869), a nineteenth-century Irish Natural Historian and painter. Ward published three scientific books and numerous articles during her short lifetime including A World of Wonders Revealed by the Microscope, Telescope Teaching and Entomology and Sport. She was also known as an artist and illustrated all of her own books and articles. My project consisted of drawings, specimen displays, and a book of letters.
The project was originally commissioned by the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin, Ireland in 2003. Later, expanded versions were exhibited at Wave Hill in 2004 and Smack Mellon in 2005.
My “correspondence” was based on Ward’s first book, A World of Wonders Revealed by the Microscope (1858), which begins "My Dear Emily, You have expressed a wish to receive tidings from the world of wonders which surrounds us, and which is revealed only by the microscope." Ward then explains the wonders of the microscopic world by selecting 54 items from her natural history collection and describing them in great detail as she observes them under the lens. Taking this as a letter to me, I responded by creating drawings based on Ward’s quite amazing descriptions. Next, I selected an equal number of items from my own collection of specimens (which I use as a resource for my painting), and made small drawings of each of these. Finally I commented on this process, and on both of our daily lives and investigative process more generally in a series of actual letters to Ward, which were subsequently published as a small book. Other material such as her text and my specimen collection were part of the drawing installation and displayed in vitrines evoking 19th century collections.
The project was originally commissioned by the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin, Ireland in 2003. Later, expanded versions were exhibited at Wave Hill in 2004 and Smack Mellon in 2005.
My “correspondence” was based on Ward’s first book, A World of Wonders Revealed by the Microscope (1858), which begins "My Dear Emily, You have expressed a wish to receive tidings from the world of wonders which surrounds us, and which is revealed only by the microscope." Ward then explains the wonders of the microscopic world by selecting 54 items from her natural history collection and describing them in great detail as she observes them under the lens. Taking this as a letter to me, I responded by creating drawings based on Ward’s quite amazing descriptions. Next, I selected an equal number of items from my own collection of specimens (which I use as a resource for my painting), and made small drawings of each of these. Finally I commented on this process, and on both of our daily lives and investigative process more generally in a series of actual letters to Ward, which were subsequently published as a small book. Other material such as her text and my specimen collection were part of the drawing installation and displayed in vitrines evoking 19th century collections.