On March 17th 2022 Emma Carlow decided to make a clay whistle every day for a year. The whistle is an ephemeral item that links cultures from all around the world, making it the perfect vehicle for exploring global folk culture.

At first Carlow’s inspiration came largely from the online collection at the British Museum and was particularly inspired by the Mexican whistles, made largely for the tourist industry. They were made in large numbers and at speed, giving them a fresh and lively character.  Carlow decided to take the same approach and the resulting 365 unique ceramic sculptures are playful, mysterious and curious creatures, grouped together in four vitrines, similar to a museum display. They are also all working whistles. 

As her whistle making year came to an end a quarter of them were included in the Royal Academy 2023 Summer Exhibition, curated by David Remfry. The Meiklejohn Gallery is thrilled to now be exhibiting the remaining 270 whistles.

Also on display are new works inspired by her research into medieval bestiaries.  Fascinated by the incredible descriptions of animals found in the “Book of Beasts”, Carlow has created vignettes of creatures displaying their particular and unique habits, exploring the world as it was known at that time.

These experimental ‘sketches’, as she calls them, help Carlow focus on her subject without getting overly concerned with the outcome, allowing her to be more experimental.

Medieval Lions - “Medieval people believed lions feared the sight of a white cockerel, as well as the sound of creaking cart wheels and fire.” / “it was believed that lion cubs are born dead and are brought to life on the third day when the father roars over them or the mother breathes in their faces.”

Medieval Phoenixes - “A bird that rises anew from the ashes of its funeral pyre.”/ “There is only one living phoenix in the world at any time. When it is old, it builds a pyre of wood and spices and climbs on to it. There it faces the sun and the fire ignites; it fans the fire with its wings until it is completely consumed.”

Medieval Wolves - “When the wolf sneaks into a sheep fold, it approaches like a tame dog and is careful to approach from upwind so that the farm dogs do not smell its evil breath. If it steps on a branch and makes a noise, the wolf punishes itself by biting the offending foot.”

Medieval Elephants - “Elephants have no knee joints, so if they fall down they cannot get up again. To avoid falling, the elephant leans against a tree while it sleeps. To capture an elephant, a hunter can cut part way through a tree; when the elephant leans against it, the tree breaks and the elephant falls.” / “Soldiers fight from wooden towers on the backs of elephants”

Medieval panthers - “The panther is a gentle beast; only the dragon is its enemy.” / “It is a beautiful, multicolored animal; its coat is spotted with white or black disks.” / “After the panther has feasted, it goes into a cave and sleeps for three days.” / “When it wakes up it gives a loud roar, and while it is roaring a sweet odor comes out of its mouth. Any animal that hears the roar follows the sweet smell to reach the panther. Only the dragon stays away, hiding in a hole because it is afraid of the panther.”

Medieval Foxes - “The fox is a crafty and deceitful animal that never runs in a straight line, but only in circles.” / “When it wants to catch birds to eat, the fox rolls in red mud so that it appears to be covered in blood. It then lies apparently lifeless; birds, deceived by the appearance of blood and thinking the fox to be dead, land on it and are immediately devoured.”

Medieval Dogs - “ it was believed that dogs were unable to live without men. There were several kinds of dogs: those that guarded their master's property; those that were useful for hunting wild animals or birds; and those that watched over sheep.” / “Dogs cured their own wounds by licking, and a young dog bound to a patient could cure internal wounds.” / “The dog with meat in it’s mouth depicts the belief that if a dog swam across a river while holding meat in its mouth, if it saw its own reflection it would drop the meat it was carrying to try to get the meat it saw in the reflection.”