Belemnites

Inspiration for this work came from the discovery of dozens of small hard objects, approximately four centimetres long and half a centimetre wide, found on the beach at the base of limestone cliffs.  Research has revealed that they were the backbone of an octopus that existed before the Earth’s first mass extinction two million years ago - an animal similar to a squid, with an elongated body and long tentacles, but unlike a squid in that they had an internal skeleton.  They take their name from the Greek word belemnon, meaning dart or javelin and were thought to have fallen from the sky during storms, acting as darts or thunderbolts.  Previously entombed in limestone, they are now slowly being released by each incoming tide. 

The ‘belemnites’ in this artwork have been hand-formed in porcelain and strung with whipping cord, historically a strong natural cord used to secure the ends of marine rope, and hung from a piece of iron bar found in an estuary used for oyster farming.

Dimensions L96 cm, W 21cm, D 2cm - Sold