On The Road to Damascus by Chris Orr MBE RA
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Colour Engraving and hand stencil 79 X 112cm printed at Hugenot Editions London by Chris Orr and & Kate Terris on Somerset tub sized hand made paper 2012 in an edition of 20.
It was after reading Hilary Mantel's "Bring up the Bodies" that I felt empowered to try the idea of plunging into London's history, but The Road to Damascus… goes back to the time before the Great Fire of London. The other work that gave me license was Daniel Defoe's "Diary of the Plague Year". Written in 1720 in the first person but set in 1646 (when Defoe would have been only 5 years old) this is a work of fiction but entirely documentary as well. My picture is about how the south of the river indulges in all the vices and arts, suggesting of course that here is the revelation and the Damascus moment, whilst the north side is more stayed and official. However in the labyrinth of my London there are many contradictions and the elephant crossing by raft suggests not all is what it seems. The picture is an invitation to weave your own fantasies.
A unique version of this print was shown at the RA NOW exhibition in 2012