Polly Morgan is a young British taxidermy artist who makes small beautiful still lifes with the animal as the subject. The animal is placed in an unnatural setting, like that of a breakfast table, under chandeliers or in mirrors but is never anthropomorphized. Seeing the animal out of place causes us to look at it as if for the first time, “a rat sheds its association with horror and disease and can be rightly viewed as a beautiful animal.” “What [taxidermists] are trying to do is recreate a wildlife image in 3D, a classic pose, something you’d see in the countryside. I am more interested in the moment between something dying and decaying – anything between a few hours and a week. There’s something beautiful about that.”(Polly Morgan)
Last of all, other artists use taxidermy as a fashion statement, and not the ordinary kind. Usually animals are used in fashion in the ordinary sense like conventional fur coats or snakeskin boots.
Rose Schwarz is from a blog that I follow, she’s created a white rat headband, bird skull hair piece, hot pink fox hat, and fox handbag. She typically uses gems for the eyes, making it more cute and less creepy, glitter and other crystals to adorn it. “I’m into taxidermy, and when I see animals (living ones), it sounds weird but they inspire many of my creations.”(Rose Schwarz)
Bonnie Wood also creates fashionable works of art. Her creations include a small white mounted mouse head necklace, beetle necklaces, rat skull hairpieces, bird wing brooches and a deer skull head piece. “There is in life a tentative moment where something has reached fruition and hangs in the balance before descending into rot. I want to capture that moment forever so I can better understand it.”(Bonnie Wood)
Before researching the topic of taxidermy most people, including myself, would think that either it’s a bad thing or are ignorant and don’t care either way. After discovering artists who create with a deeper meaning and motive, I find that there is a fragile middle-ground that I’m okay with and actually fascinated by. A place between death and respect that I think everyone should be able to appreciate.
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