This animal series was inspired by the merging of illuminated manuscripts and medieval bestiaries.

Two prominent sources of inspiration have been the “Splendor Solis” attributed to the legendary Salomon Trismosin, thought to have been Paracelsus' mentor, and “The Book of Hours”, a Christian prayer book, popular in the Middle Ages. Although the two books might have had a different use or audience - one implementing codified religion, the other being indicted as blasphemous – I suspect that the hands which have produced such exquisite beauty came from very similar people and minds.

I have made the animals with a much less defined direction than the one I normally have while approaching image generation, prioritising homogeneity of style over precision. I have generated a total of 100 different images of 21 animals: these have been used as place holders for my wedding party (June 2024). Guests were encouraged to find their other fellow species, as a game. Inadvertently, this ended being quite successful and hopefully has encouraged people of different groups to mix and be intrigued by the choice behind their assigned animal.

BEATRICE DOMINIQUE SCARPA

DAVEFEST 2024

BEATRICE
DOMINIQUE
SCARPA