Acquisitions: Conservation

We just had our shop sign stolen :-(

"Sign" is perhaps a little exaggerated term for a bison jawbone that I quickly painted an ochre suncross on and hung up a half hour before our opening party.

Good enough. People found the place and continue to do so... aside from the postman that is.

Four years later it has become sort of a focal point for the rest of the shops on Jægersborggade. I've become sentimentally attached to it, as I found the jawbone many years back when out dirtbiking in the Cootnies around Cranbrook, BC. I came up over a rise and the whole skeleton was laid out before me bleaching in the sun (minus the skull). I took the jawbone and tucked it down the front of my leather jacket as a memento of a good day, good trip and good friends

  Oh well... I guess it means that I'm gonna have to get a professional sign for the studio :-)

Amid the sentimental loss I began reflecting on all the other acquisitions we had gained in the last year 

When I was in St.Petersburg this Spring I was taken on a tour of the Kunstkamera

The Kunstkamera was the first museum founded in Russia by Peter the Great in 1714, who also donated his private collection of rarities and curiousities. In 1724 the museum was the basis for the creation of the St. Petersburg Academy of Science, whose collection forms the Chamber of Artificialis and Naturalis.

As a former Clinical Illustrator these rooms of medical abnormalities were of great interest... however due to the nature of the subject, no photography was allowed.

 The book "Conserving" by Edition Reuss has good photos of several pieces from the museums collection as well as others. I actually have a few copies of this book left for sale at the studio... :-)

 Conserved Raven fetus... one of two we have, for thought and memory

 Mummified pig fetus we named Ötzi

 One of the largest spermwhale teeth I've run across. We found it at a fleamarket close to our cottage in Sweden 

 Nanna ran across this "Politically Incorrect" skull at an antique dealer on Amager and immediately bought it for my collection at the studio :-)

 The same day Nanna bought the Dolphin skull our friend Luciano Pezzoli showed up at the studio with a silver horse skull which I had commissioned him to make. It was a present for Nanna while I was away in St Petersburg

 A baboon skull from South Africa

 and a Jackel skull also from Capetown

 Loki's Bat... 

Pili Moó christened him Pe'a after the lower back portion of a Samoan Pe'a tattoo which is named after a fruitbat

And finally our new studio mascot.

A mummified calf named "Jerky"