The Austin Variations

This work is the final work in More Than Human, an ongoing project considering how human remains are displayed in museum collections and how we relate to them in the present day. Many of the individuals whose remains are cared for in collections today were found during archaeological investigation and serve to help us understand and connect more deeply with the people who lived before us.

Shrewsbury Museums have very kindly allowed me to work with an individual who’s remains were discovered during works on the site of the St Austin Friary which stood near Victoria Quay. Known as The Skull Of A Young Man, they were also found with a gold ring enamelled with Ave Maria Gracia Plena (Hail Mary Full Of Grace).

Given the person’s probable cause (damage to the skull suggests they were struck with force by a bladed weapon) and estimated date of death it was surmised that this was most likely a casualty of the battle of Shrewsbury in 1403. However, historical interpretation is a complicated business where the story presented is the most likely explanation for the known facts – but there is always a myriad of potential chains of events that could have led to this outcome.

The Austin Variations explores both the other potential lives that this individual could have lived through a series of embroideries and celebrates the individual themselves through a bespoke reliquary within an installation, creating a space where visitors can pay their respects and spend time with this ancestor of Shrewsbury.

Works in The Austin Variations include:

The exhibition runs until 30th June 2024

Thanks go to Emma-Kate Lanyon for her support with this project.

Top image courtesy Shropshire Museums