The Permanent Ravens

THE PERMANENT RAVENS

Reviving the raven legend at the Tower of London Chuxiao Wang|Unit 12|Year 5 Johnathan Hill | Elizabeth Dow December 2020

Ravens in the Tower of London A group of six captive ravens are resident at the Tower of London. They are Jubilee, Harris, Gripp, Rocky, Erin, Poppy and Merlina (one spare). Their presence is traditionally believed to protect The Crown and the Tower; a superstition holds that:

"If the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it."

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1. One of the powerful French magnates held in the Tower during the Hundred Years' War was Charles, Duke of Orléans, the nephew of the King of France. (late 15th-century) 2. An engraving of the Tower of London by Samuel and Nathaniel Buck(1737) 3. A Fire at the Tower of London by J.M.W. Turner (1841) 4. The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche (1833)

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5. The menagerie in the Tower of London about 1820

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T h a m e s

The Tower of London was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. Through its almost thousand-year history, the place has morphed like a sort of Room of Requirement, having served variously as a palace, a public-record office, an armory, a torture chamber, a private ground for beheadings, and the Royal Mint. Today the tower acts as a role of history museum which reflects its diversity.

During the 1200s a royal zoo was founded at the Tower of London and remained there for 600 years. The first record of wild animals at the Tower of London was in 1210 during the reign of King John. The monarch would receive the animals as gifts from other powerful rulers at the time, often to impress others or to show the wealth and strength of the ruler. The exotic animals such as polar bears, lions, kangaroos, ostriches and elephants. were sent to London from all over the world and kept in the Tower of London as a symbol of power as well as for the curiosity and entertainment of the court. When the tower zoo closed down in 1835, all the animals where moved to the new London Zoo in Regent’s Park.

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1. White Tower 2. Chapel Roval of St Peter 3. Waterloo Block 4. Headquarters of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers with Reaimental Museum 5. Hospital Block (former hospital) 6. Workshop 7. Queen's House 8. St. Thomas Tower 9. Bloody Tower 10. Salt Tower 11. City Hall 12. Tower Bridge

These were convoluted times in human-animal relations. In medieval and early modern Europe, animals were the subject of superstitions and myths, both sentient and subservient to man.They were afforded a moral compass today’s domesticated pets are not put on trial for their crimes in specialist courts and assigned human defense attorneys.

Today, Ravens are living in spacious Enclosures, being well looked after, and most importantly, their wings feathers were trimmed to keep them in the tower.

The Tower Ravens: Invented Tradition, Fakelore, or Modern Myth?

Boria Sax

AN INVENTED TRADITION A l o n g i n g f o r s t a b l e, uncomplicated,and unhurried way of life.

Tower of London gift shop

"FAKELORE" An alive oral folklore that can be recalled or modified in everyday life.

A MODERN MYTH A myth that connect the Tower with the dimension of mythic time.

People are told that ravens at the Tower of London have guarded the power of the Crown since the regin of King Charles II. It is believed that the Crown and the Tower will fall, if ever the ravens should leave. Although the anecdote is completely absurd, it has survived through the long histor y and is now one of most popular stories at the Tower of London. Boria Sax analyses the diverse cultural background and metaphors of the tower ravens in three differnent aspects: an invented tradition, "fakelore", a modern myth.

The tower ravens were no longer just animals, it used to be rooted in history, reflected the present and mapped the future. However, it seems like they have now ended up as national pets, used by tourist industry to sell products. A story must be able to change and develop to retain its vitality. It is that commercial exploitation has frozen the legend in time, not allowing it to adapt to a changing world.

Folklores loses its depth and power when forced to serve a cause. So what does the tower ravens mean in the contemporary context?

Monster

vs

Yokai

The project is based on the mix of these two different culture toward imaginary creatures. The definition of “monster” in western and eastern culture is slightly different.

In western culture, monsters appear in an imaginary world.

They tend to be huge, live far away from city and are often aggressive towards people. However, in eastern culture, the monster is called Yokai. It is believed that everything in the world is a potential Yokai, which means Yokai may in small size, more accessible and closely linked to everyday life. Most of them are friendly and not aggressive towards people.

Sometimes they even help people silently.

A monster in western culture is often a type of grotesque creature, whose appearance frightens and whose powers of destruction threaten the human world's social or moral order. A monster can also be like a human, sometimes they are portrayed as the lowest class, as mutants, deformed, supernatural, and otherworldly.

Monsters are often derived from myths and legends. They tend to be huge, live far away from city and are often aggressive towards people. Therefore, they often present in an imaginary world, not close to people's daily life. Because of the huge size and the sense of distance, monsters in western culture always relate to solemn and sublime.

Yōkai ( 妖怪 ) are a class of supernatural monsters and spirits in East-Asian folklore.

The characteristics of yōkai range diversely from malevolent and mischievous entities believed to cause misfortune and harm, to those who are considered to bring good fortune to those who encounter them. Yōkai often possess animal features, but may also appear humanoid and resemble inanimate objects. In eastern culture (especially China and Japan), people tend to believe in a multitude of deities.

In animism all things have spirits inhabiting them. They are sentient just like human beings are. Everything in the world is a potential Yokai, which means they are more accessible and closely linked to everyday life. Compared with “Monster” in western culture, Yokai have a much closer emotional connection to humans and their presence makes people feel like they are living in a sentient environment where their sense of centrality is diminished.

The Permanent Raven Monsters The monsters in my project is a combination of these two definitions, they both emphasize their presence with their huge size and maintain an intimate interaction with people.

They are a repository storing and creating mythologies, fairytales and folklores. The focus on non-human forms is both a call for attention to biodiversity and a questioning of the uniqueness of science and reason.

The monster map shows the monsters that live in the city of London. They inhabit parks and green spaces.

There is also a monster at the location of the Tower of London.

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1. Trinity Square Garden 2. Tower Hill Garden 3. Tower of London 4. River Thames

Imag es show Trinity Square Garden and Tower Hill Garden.

1. Lips (the Outer Wall) 2. Teeth (the Outer Tower) 3. Saliva (Thames) 4. The Upper Jaw (the Inner Land) 5. Tongue (the White Tower)

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Human bodies act as landscapes between water and land

The White Tower The White Tower is a central tower at the Tower of London. It was built by William the Conqueror during the early 1080s, and subsequently extended.

1 : Armors 2 : Cellar 3 : Crypt 4 : Prison (From the XVIth century） 5 : Chapel

Armors collections "The Royal Armories" is the name of the oldest British National Museum, located on the lower floor of the White Tower. It features many royal weapons and armor, real-size wooden horses and depictions of the different kings, set in a situation.

Zoom in. The monster's tongue is a giant raven. Wearing the silver armor, it seems to break out of the monster's mouth. The raven becomes a new terrain at the Tower of London. Because of its huge scale, the White Tower becomes its organ.

1. The Raven Kite 2. The Seed Crown 3. The Feeding Spoon 4. The Raven Nests 5. The Banksman 6. The Raven's Lungs 7. The Raven's Heart 8. The Raven's wings 9. The White Tower 1 2

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The Raven's Heart The Banksman The Raven Kite

At the tip of the tongue was another raven.

It is born in a form of a kite. When it flies up into the sky, the monster can taste the passing clouds.

The raven kite held a crown in its claws, and in the crown were feathers of birds and seeds of wild flowers in the Tower of London. They would be blown away into the city while the kite flying. The wild flowers would grow in the city to attract more creatures. The feathers are letters sent to man by birds from the tower of London.

1. Woman with a Raven at an Abyss, Caspar David Friedrich 2. A raven on a dead tree, Da Zhu 3. Wheatfield with Crows, Van Gogh 4. The three ravens 4. The raven, Edar Ellen Poe 5. The mabinogion 6. The Poetic Edda: Grímnismál 7. De Avibus, Hugh of Fouilloy 8. Alice in wonderland, Lewis Carroll 8. The master and the Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov

With raven's feather decorated on the surface, the heart is hide behind raven's beast. It is a cabinet of curiosities which collects poems, novels, mythologies, folklores, feathers, skeletons, everything about raven inside the heart.

On the one hand, the heart's arms move in different positions with the water flow, pulling the banksman's arms above them. The banksman gives different signals through different postures. One the other hand, wind will also change the postures of banksman, and with it the posture of the heart.

The story of Icarus is usually described as tragic, but in Matisse's painting, Icarus' fall is depicted as a joyful process. He is flying through the air in a relaxed posture, with his heart on fire. The stars are twinkling all around him.

The pursuit of truth is a belief for many people. Even if they end up falling to pieces, as long as they get closer to their goal, they are happy for the seeker. Flight is described here as the pursuit of truth. And humans need a pair of wings.

According to Daedalus' method, different animals help humans to make wings. Crows will guide man to learn to fly.

Wax + Feather

Bees

Attract and feed

Birds

Produce

Produce

Beeswax

Feather

Attract and feed

Plants (wildflowers and fruits)

1. Anthony van Dyck Daedalus and Icarus 2. The Flight of Icarus Peter Paul Rubens 3. The Lament for Icarus Herbert James Draper 4. Merry-Joseph Blondel The Sun or the Fall of Icarus 5. Henri Matisse The Fall of Icarus

Bees can build their hive based on the provided structure. According to this feature, several nets with hanging feathers are provided as a basis. Then nets and feathers are connected together by the bees' hive.

Eventually the nets will be joined together.

Images show the process of building bees' hive

The left wing

The model shows a module made up of feathers and wax. As the temperature rises, the wax begins to melt and shrink, the feathers gradually fall off.

A platform for man to wear wings Once the wings have been finished, one can put on the wing controls and be guided to experience flight.

1. The Wearing Installation 2. Birds Shelf 3. Nets for collectiong feathers 4. Nets with feathers and Beeshive

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Icarus' wings under construction

Living raven:

Icarus's wings:

Raven as a kite:

Wandering raven:

Raven as a pregnant women:

Raven in poem: Site monster:

The raven as a tongue:

32 artists in the audience from my family tree:

Next Step:

Giant's and Dwarf's armours in the Tower of London