In the Middle Ages, animals were generally bred for the purpose of providing meat. However, their carcasses served far more varied forms of appropriation – intestines turned into gut strings, bones boiled to make glue, bladders became water containers, and indeed, skin became parchment. To me, parchment holds a very uncanny paradox. On one level, it is the literal product of death, but when turned into a codex or illuminated manuscript, it is looked at with awe and sanctity. Through the application of pigments and ink, the grotesque physical history of the parchment is painted over, leaving the tiniest remaining bits of hair and striation marks to weakly remind the viewer of the material’s previous life.