Selin Charlton

I’ve made a series of cyanotypes, comparing the tonal character and pace of scientific and mythic metamorphoses. I was interested by the use of myths in antiquity to explain the origins of animal/plant species and the reasons behind natural disasters. They function in a way as a consolation: a reassurance that such terrors are ultimately controlled, despite the human-like inconsistencies of the ruling deities.

The move from religious scripture to scientific method during the age of enlightenment, as well as the initial emergence of religions, reveals our fundamental urge to give things tangible explanations. Over time these have become less visceral, even impassive: it is as if the more emotionally removed we are from our explanations, the further away from us their realities reside.

Here is a terrifying metamorphosis and a tame one, presented joined to one another, and dressed in the same visual clothes.