Grauballemanden

This is a book from my parents house. PhotobucketBog people are ancient bodies that have been preserved by the unique conditions of bogs.PhotobucketI have vivid memories of this book from when I was younger, there is a quality to the prints that's a little haunting, silvery and slippery looking, and the pages have a distintive smell that I imagined to be emanating from the bodies themselves. In fact I have a bit of a gut reaction to it, it gives me a certain sicky feeling to this day. PhotobucketI was looking at it again and remembering when Jack and I were in Denmark: we went to see Grauballemanden. It was nuts exciting! We cycled with our faces braced against cold rain, through Aarhus. I was feeling a bit naff about everything and we left all our possessions on our bikes at the back of the museum - which made me feel a bit scared. But once inside it was magic. A lot of the museum was quite old fashioned with slightly unconvincing dioramas and models: I love that kind of an exhibition. But around Grauballemanden it was much more atmospheric, with low lighting and a choreographed hum over hidden speakers. It gave me butterflies a little. We got to examine the body up close and look down on it from above as if we'd found it.Photobucket It was really quite magic, we sat for a bit in the presence of this ancient being - thinking about the life Grauballe led, the worries and the nice times. It took me outside myself, made all the things I occupy myself with seem unimportant in the nicest way. I think this is a good feeling to remember on a snowy day in January - to forget pressure and take the long view about what really matters.Photobucket Photobucket

4 comments:

  1. scary and interesting!
    i think after a few minutes it's only interesting
    and not so scary : )

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Jo! I have this book- years ago when I used to help Dale at Spitalfields I sold a few second hand books. I swapped a copy of The Myth of Sisyphus with the stallholder opposite. It's brilliant! Boo Saville did an exhibiton of Biro drawings of Bog People at Trolley Gallery a few years ago too but I can't find anything on the internet just now...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello Joe! I found a couple of those drawings on boosaville.com - they're incredible, wish I'd seen them for real. Nice to have you here by the way, you should come back to Spits sometime though I can't recommend it in January.
    I think the scariness of the bog people is amazing Evdokia it makes them really fascinating: they grab you in the guts. But you're right, it passes.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for the warm welcome, you have a nice place here! And I will certainly go back to Spits soon, though for a visit- don't think I quite cut it as a trader...

    ReplyDelete

Hello