ILLUMINATIONS 

 A BESTIARY 



Enchanting Photo Exhibit Explores Back Rooms of Museums 



On View through February 26 



What natural and artistic phenonnena lurk in the back rooms 

 of natural history museums? What unseen enigmas are 

 locked away from the public eye? "Illuminations: A Bestiary," 

 a compelling and highly unusual collection of color prints by 

 photographer Rosamond Wolff Purcell, will be on display at 

 Field Museum until February 26. The exhibit features 

 fascinating photographs of preserved animal specimens 

 taken for a book Purcell published In collaboration with 

 noted Harvard paleontologist and evolutionary biologist 

 Stephen Jay Gould. These captivating photos explore the 

 living world in a novel way, far removed from the traditional 

 photographic essays associated with natural history. 



Purcell combed the back rooms of numerous 

 museums searching for skeletons, fossils, and preserved 

 animal specimens to serve as her subjects. "It Is amazing 



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"Flamingos" from the exhibit "Illuminations: 

 A Bestiary" 



how the light of day falling on these animals can banish feel- 

 ings of squeamlshness and fear." says Purcell. "Whether 

 photographing a fossil tooth, a desiccated monkey, or a bog 

 woman, I feel a sense of privilege and responsibility. We 

 have devised peculiar rites for animals In natural history 

 museums . . . Inscriptions on bones, chemical baths to ren- 

 der them translucent ... I think of these treatments as forms 

 of burial, but I think of the animals as expressing in various 

 ways, life after death." 



One aspect of the exhibit questions the life often 

 drawn between art and science. Purcell's specimens were 

 chosen for the artist's personal reasons of curiosity and 

 appeal. They were chosen for their visual power, beauty, 

 and potential for human reference rather than for scientific 

 significance. Many of the photos In the exhibit are accom- 

 panied by Stephen Jay Gould's eloquent prose. The scien- 

 tist, taking his cue from the artist's interpretation, elaborates 

 first on the specimen's scientific characteristics and then in- 

 vites the viewer to speculate on other meanings such as 

 evolutionary changes, social constructs, and even moral 

 messages. The complex Interaction between the Image and 

 the text (the subjective and the scientific) Is a prevailing 

 motif throughout the exhibit. 



For the most part, Purcell's photos were taken with 

 natural light In their various "museum" settings of chemicals, 

 cotton, jars, and flasks. A richly colored photo of a gannet's 

 skull Is typical of the surrealistic quality the Images In this 

 exhibit possess. The skull Is seen In double as the camera 

 captures the reflection created by a bell jar placed above 

 the bird's skull. The photo suggests characteristics about 

 the skull that science would not substantiate. A dramatic 

 shot of an ancient mastodon's tooth, protected on cotton 

 wool, resembles the startling panoramic view of a moun- 

 tainous terrain. Other compelling compositions of fish skulls 

 form pleasing and intricate patterns as they seem to engage 

 In animated dialogue with one another. 



Rosamond Wolff Purcell's photographs have 

 appeared worldwide in exhibitions, magazines, and books. 

 Stephen Jay Gould is the author of numerous best selling 

 books on evolution and natural history. The two are currently 

 collaborating on a second publication and several photos 

 taken for this project will be included In the Field Museum 

 exhibit. 



The exhibit "Illuminations: A Bestiary" will be free with 

 regular Museum admission. The book of the same title from 

 which the exhibit derives is on sale In the Museum store for 

 $1 9.95 (10 percent discount for members). 



