Grotesque faces of Coventry uncovered

Face-pullers, tongue-stickers, green men, skeletal remains, demons and dragons are all among the many grotesque faces of Coventry, documented in a new project.

Artist Mary Courtney has worked with historian Dr Daniel Reed to pinpoint the hundreds of grimacing faces that look down upon the city.

A "monstrous visual feast of gothic wonders," are to be found, she said.

They have produced a digital map and an exhibition detailing the top 100.

"You have to look up, they're behind things or under things," she said.

"They're in the dark, the semi dark or in the dim so you actually feel like an explorer - that is part of the fascination."

"I was just really intrigued because they looked so roguish, rude and fascinating and every one of them is different and it just developed into a bit of an obsession."

She said the pair set about photographing and documenting the "half forgotten public art treasures," posting the hundreds of images on an Instagram account.

"We decided we didn't want it to be just all traditional medieval stone and wood carvings - we wanted it to be more creative so that we could include things like our own Peeping Tom, which is pretty grotesque, or graffiti images that have got demons or skulls. "

Dr Reed from the Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History said the grotesques originated in the gothic period from 1200 to 1550, with early examples on churches and other historic buildings.

"That style then went out of favour," he explained, "and it's only in the 19th century that gothic came back."

"That's when there was a real Victorian vogue for renovating and rebuilding churches so lots of the grotesques got remodelled, but they're a bit more finessed and lack the original spirit of their medieval predecessors."

As to their purpose, "the theories are almost as varied as the grotesques themselves," he explained.

"The one that I'm compelled by is that they were there to ward off evil spirits from a building or a space, which was a real concern in the middle ages, and that's why you see them in windows, doorways and rooflines."

"They were sort of a meeting place between the earthly world and the spiritual world and that's why you get these demons and fantastic creatures that are half-human half-animal."

Good places in the city centre to spot examples include the ruins of the old cathedral on the outside walls, and St John the Baptist Church at the end of Spon Street.

"There's a gallery of 31 small grotesque faces and green men carved into the wood of the back door" said Ms Courtney.

"They're like all the emotions that nobody puts on Facebook.

"Coventry is world famous for its post-war redevelopment, and we've found dragons, skulls, and grimacing faces in contemporary artworks, sculptures, and street art all around the city.

"Grotesque is everywhere," she added.

The project has been supported by the Coventry Society and the University of Warwick.

The digital map has examples from all across the city, and a slideshow film of the project will be shown at the LTB, Litten Tree Building Showrooms, 1 Warwick Road , Coventry on 30 and 31 October between 12:00 and 16:00 BST.

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All images copyrighted.