In death, immortality

27 Apr 2010 4 Comments

by madsilence in Art, Life, News, Thoughts Tags: taxidermy

A recent post at Mapping the Marvelous entitled Arrested Anthropomorphism deals with a photography exhibition (nanoq: flat out and bluesome) consisting of images of 33 stuffed polar bears, animals whose bodies were stuffed and mounted, fruits of the art of taxidermy.

Cow's Skull: Red, White, and Blue. Georgia O'Keeffe. 1931. Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1952. www.metmuseum.org

Since I was a teenager I was intrigued by the beauty of natural form and built a collection of natural objects: a deer skull, deer jaw, cow tooth, turtle vertebra, the preserved wings of various birds, a rodent skeleton extracted from an owl pellet, and other once-living objects.  The beauty of these objects has been recognized by many artists, most familiarly in the skull paintings of American Artist Georgia O’Keefe.  The majority of my collection, and O’Keefe’s painting, deal with the residue of living things, their bony heritage.  My interest in nature lead me to study taxidermic displays at nature centers and museums of natural history.  In biology class we studied the preserved bodies of birds and mammals.

I was never quite comfortable when viewing the mounted bodies of animals.  After all, an animal had given up its life so its body, or more appropriately its bodily covering, could be preserved for scientific study, displayed for the edification of the public, or viewed as an object d’art.  Frequently the museum displays were dusty and dirty, the mounted body tattered and dull, offering a miserable memorial to a creature once gloriously alive.

And yet an expertly mounted body, displayed in a faux natural setting, can indeed be an object of beauty.  Take a look at this Visions Of Taxidermy photo gallery of images from the National Taxidermy Association’s annual convention where taxidermists from across the country show off their work.  These amazing works speak to the artistry of their creators.

Victorian culture’s interest in natural history informed their decorative arts:

During the Victorian Era, taxidermy reached what may have been its greatest level of popularity, as travelers to distant lands sought to preserve mementos of their visits, and as museums around the world undertook to display specimens for study. Using taxidermy as a factor in interior design also came into fashion during this time. Several taxidermists branched into bizarre niche markets such as anthropomorphic taxidermy, in which the subjects were posed as if partaking in human activities. Walter Potter’s “Kittens’ Tea & Croquet Party,” in which thirty-seven ginger kittens were shown enjoying tea and mouse tarts at a garden party, is one of the more famous –or infamous!– examples of this alternative style of taxidermy.

Interestingly, taxidermy has experienced a recent revival in the decorative arts, both for residential and commercial use.  According to one collector:  “Your imagination can run wild with the taxidermy…” [she] said. It can be challenging, though, to get it home, she admitted, particularly when that means carting it through the streets of New York. Recently, she said, she had an eBay purchase — an entire taxidermied sheep — shipped to her Midtown office, terrifying her co-workers. “   An entire taxidermied sheep?

Pet taxidermy or freeze-drying is one way to memorialize a beloved pet.

I’m not sure if Huma Mulji’s camel was a pet:

Pakistani artist Huma Mulji created a work of art by stuffing a taxidermy camel into an oversized suitcase ("Arabian Delight").

Do you “revere and admire” this shoe sculpture?

Intriguing and somewhat disturbing these shoes aptly titled, “Gun Hoofs” by artist/ designer, Iris Schieferstein are something to be revered and admired.

UK-based artist Shauna Richardson may have resolved how to apply taxidermy in a non-life threatening fashion.  She develops life-size animals through the process of crocheting.  She uses the term ‘crochetdermy’ to better explain her work which makes strong references to taxidermy.  Her pieces are made with materials like coarse wools such as mohair mixes, glass eyes, reproduction claws etc.  The free-style crochet technique she applies is executed with a 3mm hook, using one color and one stitch, the direction of the stitches highlighting anatomical features.  It usually takes her several months to complete one piece.

For more info:
Smithsonian Stories from the Vaults:  Taxidermy video
Bill Geist at National Taxidermy Championship-CBS Sunday Morning:  video

~MadSilence to&w

nanoq: flat out and bluesome

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