(armo abolesco rectum iri)

Whether striding purposefully across a Yorkshire dale in pursuit of a sheep, delivering a foal, or shoulder deep in bovine hind quarters, few Britons can fail to recognize the familiar image of veterinary icon James Herriot. It should therefore come as no surprise that Herriot fan and award winning bum sculptor, Chargel Darling pays him homage in this his latest work The All creatures Great and Small.

Unveiled at a garden fete in the North Yorkshire town of Darrowby, The All creatures Great and Small is the latest in Darlings so called ‘Bottom Works’, a series of excremental sculptures which have so gripped the world of modern art. Characteristically Darling has taken his audience by surprise with this his latest offering which is clearly rooted in the more reductive aspects of modernism. Observation will reveal one exceptionally large rear end nugget wedged deep into the U bend and another, more diminutive, by its’ side floating freely in the toilet pan. The All Creatures Great and Small is an elegant and balanced piece of art by any measure but the lavish themes and uncompromising attention to detail synonymous with Darlings previous works have all but been replaced by what is essentially a study in simplicity of form and is his strongest statement against abstract expressionism to date. This new direction has left fans and critics alike searching for a deeper meaning but the ‘All Creatures’ veils a hidden secret and the key to understanding it is in the name.

To find out more Dumptionary contacted James Herriot who was delighted with Darlings latest work. ‘You have no idea how thrilled I and the residents of Darrowby are about the All Creatures Great and Small, it’s a real honour for us all!’ Herriot enthused, ‘In a single movement Mr. Darling has captured all of the adventure and excitement of life as a vet in North Yorkshire, whether it be wading knee deep in pig manure or fossicking around up some stricken animals behind, yet he also speaks to us on an intellectual level through this work, for he has managed to accurately portray the correct relative dimensional relationship between many different species of Great British animal, for example a horse and a pig, a sheep and a hedgehog, a mouse and a tadpole and dare I be so bold.. Mrs. Pumphrey and Tricky Woo? You see it’s more than just art, it’s also a valuable work of science which many vets may find very useful. In the course of my vetinary work I am frequently called upon to perform rectal examinations but speaking as a keen amateur bum sculptor myself I wouldn’t half mind getting my arm up Darling’s rear end to see if I can unlock some of the secrets of his prodigious bum sculptory prowess, this would be the best rectal examination of them all!’

A self confessed natural history junkie, Darling states in an interview with New Scientist ‘In my formative years I loved Animal Magic and later I became an avid fan of All Creatures Great and Small, I hero worshipped James Herriot, to the extent that I bought a tweed jacket and speculum and went around dairy farms practising to become a vet for I know this was my true vocation, however my hopes were cruelly dashed when I realised you need O levels to be a vet. At the time I was devastated but it was all part of the decision making process which eventually led me on to my studies at the prestigious Illfracombe College of Art. I had long since planned my homage to James Herriot though lacked the confidence to tackle such a demanding project but I was inspired by another of my heroes, Dick from Hot Cottage who once created an arrow, in less than a fortnight, whilst perched on ten centimetres of foam.’

In recognition of his achievements we at Dumptionary nominate Chargel Darling for the coveted Laminated Rabbit award.