Smugglerius Unveiled

To accompany Drawing for Instruction, the smaller sister show presented in the Georgian Gallery is an in-depth portrait of the providence of a singular cast: Smugglerius. As anatomical drawings adorn the walls only a room away, we are introduced to this all too human character that once inspired similar work.

The 'unveiling' of Smugglerius suggests a dramatic introduction, exemplified when we walk into the architectural delight of the double heighted Georgian Gallery and see the one solitary cast. Lounging in the 'Dying Gladiator' pose is our villain reclining centrally in the room: with no other distracting exhibits to overshadow him, he dominates our gaze. One can easily imagine him as he was in bygone decades; surrounded by attentive students, wrestling to draft his muscles within a millimetre of accuracy. Misleadingly crowned from the golden rays of the window above he is almost glorified, but with head bowed low the tone is set for this sombre affair.

Spotlit on the opposing wall we have the tablet of information which places the cast in historical context. We begin to understand the dark reality of the casting process; with skin stripped the cast was made directly from the muscular structure. The information although highly informed, is almost indigestible in its lengthy presentation. As attention waned from the laborious text, potentially the most interesting part of the exhibition became the least engaging.

The only alternative visual cues to the story of the cast are five hung photographs. Large black and white prints of Smugglerius 'veiled' were appropriate in establishing the sinister environment, but are of shallow aesthetic interest. The cast had enough presence to achieve an ominous ovation on its merits alone; the tension created through the poise cast means the muscles look alive with a strained movement. Withered fingers have the deteriorated quality of a true relic, weathered through the struggles of time. All the drama of the heavy tale are present in the materiality of the object itself.

Edinburgh College of Art has a rare and important cast collection, as yet not widely exhibited; these historic relics are only now beginning to take the stage in their own right. With a subject that was never going to fail in being of interest, the factual side of the exhibition was the more challenging feature to make accessible. The grim tale of Smugglerius didn't cast a shadow on the exhibition but instead animated the content, eventually rescuing it from dreariness.