Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold
A collaborative project with Patrick Bresnihan & Fiona Hallinan
Commissioned by eek, as the second instalment of their six-part onesheet series {click here for further info}
Launched 10th July 2009, The Complex, Smithfield, Dublin
Concept ~ Patrick Bresnihan, Fiona Hallinan & Davey Moor
Text ~ Bresnihan | Drawings ~ Hallinan | Design ~ Moor
In 1822 a German doctor, Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold, a specialist in ophthalmology, took up his post as resident physician and scientist on the artificial island of Dejima, in the Gulf of Nagasaki. He joined a dozen traders, the only inhabitants of the island, collectively known as the Dutch Factory. Von Siebold’s expertise in matters of the eye gave him special access to the rest of Japan where he was helped on his mission to collect indigenous flora and fauna and objects of rare beauty hidden from the world for over 200 years. Besides collecting rare artefacts von Siebold recorded countless histories and observations relating to the Japanese people and their culture…