chris ruston
  • About
  • Musings
  • Gallery
  • Artist Books
    • Reverberations
    • The Poems of Mrs Opie: A Return To Possibilities
    • Out of the Ashes
    • At Melville's Tomb
    • The Ark
    • The Great Gathering
    • Lost Voices - Whaling
    • Salts - LighthouseKeeping
    • The Future of Ice
    • The Sea
    • Holuhraun 2014 -2015
    • Silent Spring Revisited
    • Capturing the Moment.
  • Contact

Visiting Hull Maritime Museum.

5/30/2017

1 Comment

 
Picture
Picture
A few weeks back I was able to visit Hull Maritime Museum. It is another Victorian gem, an exquisite building which was originally the dock offices. The grand building with all it's detailed brick work,speaks of the importance and wealth that once flourished in Hull. It was one of the main British whaling ports during the 19th century. Times move on and the fisheries are in decline. This year Hull  becomes the city of culture and appears to be benefiting from much needed investment and regeneration.

​The Museum houses a wide range of artefacts relating to its maritime history. Whaling forms a large part of the collections and I was pleased to see an original whaling log book on show.
Picture
Below are a selection of my responses to the visit and various works in progress.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
1 Comment

Discovering Lost Voices

5/24/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
When commencing a project involving whales, my starting point just had to be the classic text "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville. Part novel, part history of whaling, it's certainly not an easy read. However, there are some really poetic passages which spark numerous ideas and images. From initially thinking I wanted to work with a severe decline in the whale populations, the more I read, the more I became aware of the tremendous loss of life on both sides - whales and humans. My research has taken me on a long, interesting and unexpected journey exploring the complex relationship with the whaling industry.

​The original whaling log books consisted of daily entries recording ships activities, sightings and weather conditions. These documents are of great value to climate scientists, who are able to compare weather patterns and confirm how conditions have changed. Carved whale stamps were used as a visual aid to record the animals seen, caught and the barrels of whale oil extracted. Furthermore, I was surprised to learn the captains wife would often accompany him on longer voyages. Occasionally more personal reflections can be found which describe the personal hardships and loneliness experienced.

​I was particularly interested in the early years of whaling - the age of sail - and by those expeditions to the cold north. This series of log books is my response where I am attempted to combine the human story alongside the industry's more gruesome legacies. Taking visual inspiration from the old whaling log books, I have used first hand accounts and passages from "Moby Dick" to give an authenticity to the experiences. Hoping to capture the lost voices from this period of history.
Picture
                    Lost Voices - Ditty Box containing the Captains journal on the left, his wife's on the right.
Picture
               Log book page
Picture
0 Comments
    Picture

    Artist

    Welcome.
    ​Here you will find a gathering of thoughts, notes, and images which inform my work.  A "virtual sketchbook" of projects and ideas as they evolve.


    I am also part of Bookscapes Collective.
    ​
    Bookscapes is a group of six artists that have developed a group practice specialising in site specific interventions and exhibitions.

    Learn More>
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    July 2023
    June 2023
    March 2021
    February 2021
    November 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    October 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    September 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    August 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012

    Picture
    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

  • About
  • Musings
  • Gallery
  • Artist Books
    • Reverberations
    • The Poems of Mrs Opie: A Return To Possibilities
    • Out of the Ashes
    • At Melville's Tomb
    • The Ark
    • The Great Gathering
    • Lost Voices - Whaling
    • Salts - LighthouseKeeping
    • The Future of Ice
    • The Sea
    • Holuhraun 2014 -2015
    • Silent Spring Revisited
    • Capturing the Moment.
  • Contact