TO GOD & TO NATURE
Over the course of 20 years from 1743 – 1764 the naturalist and ornithologist George Edwards dedicated himself to the creation of two major sets of work. Within, he detailed creatures and birds for the most part never before described or drawn. Known as the "father of British ornithology", his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds in four Volumes and Gleanings of Natural History in three parts contained 362 hand painted etchings each with a detailed description. Apart from a small number native to the British Isles, each etch was born from an animal that had made its way to London on the ships sailing from around the globe in this age of European colonisation and exploration.
The books and in particular the drawings within, which form part of the Buccleuch collection, have been reimagined through this series of works by Walter Dalkeith as an ode to nature. Using photography and subsequent digital reassembly, the series creates fantastical situations that amalgamate a number of George Edwards’s birds and animals. In most cases, they would not ordinarily appear together in the natural world. The amassing in one location of appropriated wildlife from its natural environment is a theme that is touched upon whilst also envisaging the fascination that these unseen creatures must have given to those at the time. Through this series, Walter Dalkeith exhibits these wonderful drawings in exceptional detail, while fashioning a fresh and personal perspective, forming new relationships that reflect elements of human nature.
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