Estelle Woolley in collaboration with Explorist, at Chester Life Drawing, October 2023.


‘Parasite Man’ is the first in a series of collaborative garment sculpture interventions for Chester Life Drawing. In a twist on the usual life drawing event, the model was developed into a fictional hybrid character, wearing a mask based on the form of a parasitic gall wasp face, made from foraged acorns and oak galls by Woolley. Explorist’s body became a canvas for the gall growths, raising questions about the intersection between the human, plant, and insect worlds. Explorist took on various poses, in a performative manner - almost in a kind of return to the earth. Participants drew using homemade inks derived from oak galls and acorns, with brushes made from foraged dried plants, and whilst listening to natural found sounds.

The session was funded by Arts Council England’s DYCP grant for Explorist’s Parallel Ritual Project (which has funded collaborations with 11 artists throughout the UK). The collaborations have explored hybrids of drawing, sculpture, performance and photography, connected to perceptions of the body and its environment, and been informed by a spirit of playful experimentation.