The Menagerie

of Miscegenations

Woodland Folk by Callum Bishop

menagerie
noun
a collection of wild animals within a defined enclosure for them to inhabit and be closely
observed

miscegenation
noun
the interbreeding of different species to create hybrids.

Bird Mammal hybrid illustration by Nicholas di Genova

Day 1:
invent an alternate evolution

Left: Misfits PigBird by Tomas Grunfeld

Right: An ad for the restaurant Smokaccino in Kolkata, India - seafood with a twist

The three day workshop will begin with imagination: inventing new species from those
already in existence to predict a future evolution of hybrid animals, plants and everything in
between. Students will draw their fused creatures using pencil, colour and ink, channelling
Linnaeus, the father of binomial nomenclature, as we baptise each newborn species with a
twinned name.
We will study the case of the Piltdown Man, a blip in the course of evolution that was known
as the greatest hoax in the history of science. Here, an apes jaw and a humans skull were
fused together and presented as a found fossil, putting Britain at the forefront of archaelogy
with the discovery of a link species that clearly showed the origin of man. Who was
responsible for this forgery remains unknown but its shows the lineage of fiction, hybrids and
invention within scientific history.
For each miscegenation, students will have to think of scale, the relationship of part to whole
and function. Together we will invent new forms of life, alter the course of evolution and our
understanding of it.
Output: coloured scientific drawings and new nomenclature using the Linneaus classification
system
Materials; pen, pencil, ink, watercolours, textured paper

The Penguin Pool by Berthold Lubetkin at London Zoo

Day 2:
design a habitat for your miscegenation

Left: The old Elephant House at Whipsnade Zoo

Right: The Gorilla House at London Zoo by the Tecton Group

Following the invention of our alternate evolution, we will now design spaces as habitats for
these creatures but also in which they can be observed. The menagerie as the progenitor of
the zoo is a typology that has been in existence for millennia with the earliest record being
found in Egypt dating back to 3500 BC. The menagerie itself has evolved over time: initially
as a symbol of power, it then became a space for leisure and entertainment and is now
transitioning into an institution for knowledge and research.
Inspired by the sculptural forms of the Tecton Group who built structures at London,
Whipsnade and Dudley Zoos, we will design housing with our new species as our client. By
thinking about what environment would set our creatures at ease, we will also think of how
they can best be studied and interacted with.
Output: Isometric drawing of the enclosure (including signage) showing your miscegenation
within.
Materials: photoshop, scanner, pencils, pens, ink, watercolours, ruler, protractor

A taxonomy of eyes within Codex Seraphinianus

Day 3:
a new collective taxonomy & menagerie

Left: Plan of Dudley Zoo

Right: Illustration of a new hybrid within Codex Seraphinianus

Now with our hybrid species and their respective habitats drawn, we will now combine them
into a collective taxonomy to show how we have altered the course of evolution. We will also
aggregate our isometric spaces through collage in order to construct our new menagerie of
miscegenations.
We will take inspiration from the Codex Seraphinianus, an encyclopedia that uses illustrations
and an invented language to construct in detail a new world. Rooted in reality, the fantastical
inventions within this book range from flora to fauna, science to the humanities, human life
to bizarre machines and tools. We will aim to construct our own abridged edition using our
materials from the past two days.
Output: Collective branching taxonomy drawing using the drawings of the miscegenations
with their names and parent species, and combined menagerie drawing in isometric using all
the enclosures.
Materials: A0 sheets of paper for the combined drawings, coloured copies of your
miscegenation and menagerie drawings to collage onto the larger sheets, glue, scissors, pens,
pencils, ink, watercolours, rulers, protractors.

Schedule:
Day 1
10.00: Introduction to the brief and presentation on hybrid species for inspiration
11.00: Begin design of new creatures
16.00: Tutorials about miscegenations
Day 2
10.00: Presentation to the group of miscegenations & initial declaration of needs for their
habitat
11.00: Introduction to Tecton Group and their structures, zoo design
11.30: Begin design of enclosure
16.00: Tutorials about menagerie structures
Day 3
10.00: Presentation to the group of habitats for the hybrids and discussion about potential

menagerie sites
11.00: Begin collective taxonomy
13.00: Begin collective menagerie plan
17.00: Final presentation of all work