Specimen BA 8973 Research Focus, Genetic Conservation - 'Tasmanian Tiger #2', hand-knitted Thylacine 'pelt' by textile artist Ruth Marshall, Thylacinus cynocephalus (Harris, 1808)

Summary

"Tasmanian Tiger #2" - a life-sized hand-knitted "pelt" by contemporary textile artist Ruth Marshall. This work is Ruth's interpretation of the study skin of a juvenile male Tasmanian Tiger, Thylacinus cynocephalus, NMV C 5744. from Museums Victoria's Mammalogy Collection. This artwork formed part of "Vanished into Stitches", an exhibition of similar works by Ruth Marshall that included hand-knitted "pelts" of snow leopards, tigers and a number of Australian marsupials, all based on museum specimens.

Ruth Marshall, who was born in Australia and lives in New York, creates life-sized hand-knitted "pelts" based on museum study skins of various animals. In creating her works, Ruth researches and documents each specimen in great detail, meticulously recording the various colours and patterns of each skin on graph paper. This enables her to replicate in yarn, the exact colours, disitnct markings and contours of the various skins she interprets.

Classification

Scientific artwork, Textile art, Yarn, string, sticks