Alexander Pearce was a hardened convict from Ireland sent to the remote Sarah Island penal establishment in Macquarie Harbour, Van Diemen’s Land. On September 20th, 1822, Pearce and seven other convicts escaped from the settlement. They intended to commandeer a whale boat and sail out of the harbour but failed to do so and scampered into the surrounding rainforests. The wilderness was nothing but difficult and unexplored terrain. Harsh forest and steep mountains ranges were all that lay ahead for hundreds of miles until any settlement nearby.
8 days into the journey the group began to starve and tire, they were desperate for food and the only option, was cannibalism. One by one the weakest member of the group was killed and eaten. Pearce the only survivor was eventually caught months later where he returned to Sarah Island. The authorities were in disbelieve of Pearce’s actions and assumed that he was only covering for the other escapees as they roamed free.
Months after his return a young convict named Thomas Cox sought Pearce to escape with him, and so they did. However, Pearce surrendered 11 days in to the escape after murdering Cox. The guards then found what could only be Cox’s flesh in his pockets among other rations of food, confirming he was a psychotic cannibal after all. Pearce was later hung in the Hobart Town Jail on July 19th, 1824 after confessing to Cox’s murder. Leaving behind one of the most horrific convict stories in Australian history.
A1 Poster 594 x 841mm
This poster is a typographic exploration of the infamous life of convict Alexander Pearce who killed and ate fellow convicts whilst escaping from Macquarie Island, Van Diemen’s Land in 1822.
All the typography, marks and objects in the poster were created using hands and various materials including tree leaves, bark and dirt to represent the harshness of the Tasmanian
Wilderness. The focal typography (Cannibal in the Wilderness) was made using sandpaper and ink on paper, then scratching at the type with a knife after scanning and printing it out to create the damaged marks.
Wilderness. The focal typography (Cannibal in the Wilderness) was made using sandpaper and ink on paper, then scratching at the type with a knife after scanning and printing it out to create the damaged marks.
