Borin Van Loon: Triptych

New Religion (triptych) (ink wash on paper, mounted on card)

In the same medium as the musclebound pieces, but of a slightly later vintage, this piece (included in the Key Arts 'Triptych' exhibition at St Mary-At-The-Quay church on Ipswich waterfront during Ip-art 2007) has also been entitled Mail order mutations to acknowledge the series of illustrations and texts which served as its inspiration created by Borin Van Loon for The Damage magazine in the late eighties. The Damage was the original home of Borin's A Severed Head collage comics which extremely eventually led to 'The Bart Dickon Omnibus'. Here are samples of the colour pages from some issues of The Damage.

BorinVan Loon: Mutations 1

The conceit behind this feature: Loon's Mail Order Mutations involved recent advances in recombinant DNA manipulation, genetic selection and womb implantation alongside state-of-the-art plastic microsurgery which made available to the discerning connoisseur a vast repertoire of exciting and fleshly variants. Bargain prices. No job too big or too small. 'Phone for a quote.
Selected examples: clockwise from top left:
1. HOME DISSECTION KIT. For the Pachuco Cadaver in your life, we include all you will need for incisions on all three axes. Axes? No pun intended.
2. SCALYBRAIN. Revealing the freshwater fish which lies in the centre of every human brain, we can identify such synapse centres as Toller Fratrum and Huish Episcopi. Predating Neil Shubin's book The Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5 Billion-Year History of the Human Body by about twelve years and perhaps echoing Douglas Adams' posthumous The Salmon Of Doubt.
3. THE MANHANDLER. Looks familiar? Even more livid in its colour version, this product is strictly for those dedicated to imaginitive bodily adjustment. Scare away unwanted children/animals/salesmen with the full show.
4. THE LIPREADER. Amaze your friends. Open wide and stare your dentist in the eye. Hours of fun. Requires consumption of food via vacated eye socket.