Hannalie Taute The Monster Makers, 2024

Monster made and not a monster born? Teratology, the science or study of monstrosities, abnormalities or malformations in animals, plants and humans captivated the world long before the word entered language. In Ancient Rome, there was a special market, The Forum Morionum, where only freaks were sold. These human toys or work pets were virtually all products of Monster – Makers. A well-formed child is not very amusing. Hence grew an art. Centuries earlier the Chinese learned that by binding head, legs, arms, feet, or indeed any part of the body, a child would develop lifelong deformities. After the fall of Rome, however, it appears that the art of monster making as well as the general interest in freaks became lost to Europe for more than a thousand years. If you were a parent during those times, would you have children just to turn them into freaks?