Sight

Inspired by my fascination with medieval art, I looked back in time at how senses were perceived in the Middle Ages. In the 13th century senses were very different to the ones we know today and were represented by various animal like creatures. Later on In the 14th century, the poem Cursor Mundi describes them as the ‘5 wits’: “hering” (hearing), “sight”, “smelling” (smell), “fele” (feeling/touch) and “cheuing” (taste). Each card portrays one of the ‘5 wits’ in the form of strange ancient creatures set in dark dreamlike scenes. Artist: Michael Chen