11-01-09 Artist Post

Andrew Tunnard

Andrew Tunnard is a commercial, fine art, and conceptual photographer as well as an illustrator. He only recently graduated from the University of Cumbria (UK) with a BA in photography. I am particularly interested in his Skins and Skeletons and Taxidermy projects.

Skins and Skeletons is an investigation into the museum taxidermy process.
"Taxidermy is a method museums have used since the Victorian era to display animal specimens to the general public. Since then, wildlife television programs and photographs can display the animals within their natural environment, negating the original necessity for taxidermy. However, it still remains a valuable and intriguing method of education to this day, and no other method of display allows the public to get so close to physical representation of these animals."




Taxidermy explores the more modern use of taxidermy: hunting trophies.
"This project investigates the representation of taxidermy, an interior specimen of an exterior animal. Paired with careful dioramas of their natural habitat and floral wallpaper, these animals occupy a context completely of their own, both real and wholey faked."




Something I have recently been considering is the traditional use, placement, and meaning of taxidermy. Who could have afforded taxidermy? What were the traditional placement of taxidermy within living spaces? Why are head mounts usually placed higher than our traditional sight level? What did the different species of taxidermy represent? Investigation continues this week...

http://www.atunnard.com/

10-30-09 Creative Quarterly Competition Entry

I just entered in the Creative Quarterly competition (Deadline=today). I only entered one image, and I'm hopeful. I'm always hopeful, but it's usually for nothing. Cross your fingers!

10-29-09 Idea Post

Adornment

Adornment is something that traditionally adds attractiveness, ornamentation, or embellishment and is usually associated with jewelry or accessories. It can also be used to describe the act of decorating.

I realize that the meaning of the word 'adornment' depends heavily on the opinions of the viewer. The meaning of 'attractiveness' can change dramatically from one person to the other and sometimes I feel like I have a much different view than a majority of our society- not in my direct circle of acquaintances, but in a much broader range.

I believe death is beautiful. I am not at all disturbed by bones, guts, or blood- and I mean real life guts and blood, not movie or TV blood. I am not afraid to touch and 'get messy.' For me this was a HUGE part of my earlier work. It was mostly about my experience and communion with death. It was hard to translate that into physical art unless I brought a mouse in and dissected it in front of the class. I wanted to encourage people to try what I was doing! A part of me does want to go back to it, but I also feel like I need to discover other areas as well.

BACK TO THE SUBJECT OF ADORNMENT:

There is a Church in Sedlec, Czechoslovakia that I have admired for years and used to joke about getting married in it. It seems like too big of a dream.

In 1278 the Cistercian abbot Henry voyaged to Golgotha in Palestine and brought back 'holy soil' to be mixed with the earth around the Chapel in Sedlec. The cemetery quickly became one of the most popular burial grounds of central Europe as the people believed burial here would guarantee acceptance into heaven. Less than 100 years later there were already 30,000 bodies buried in the ossuary. In 1511 a monk was ordered to gather the bones from abolishes graves and store them in a crypt to make room for 'new customers.' The bones lay in storage until a woodcarver (Frantisek Rindt) was hired to decorate the church in 1870. With more than 40,000 sets of human bones at his disposal, he decorated the church with human remains.

The decoration of this church is in NO WAY sacrilegious or satanic. It is a celebration of life and faith. Being in the presence of so many people whose beliefs designated this single resting place is beyond mind blowing. It is absolutely unfathomable. I WILL visit this church someday and when I do you better believe I will have they best camera and lens money can buy at my side!

Image Update

Still exploring a direction...

10-25-09 Artist Post

Angela Singer

Angela Singer is another artist whose work involves the use of taxidermy. Though instead of creating taxidermy to fulfill a design, she uses recycled taxidermy in company with many different types of mixed media. Her work comments on the violation of animals and the struggle to 'repair' the wrongdoings by preserving the animals body.

Steven Connor wrote in Modern Painters of March, 2009:
"Some artists, like Angela Singer, deliberately use taxidermy to open up wounds and exhibit the damage done to animals in effecting their apparent rescue from time. Here, the visible wounding and careless repair of the animals is part of the effort to make restitution for a larger violation. But the 'questioning entities' that taxidermic art brings about my have questions to ask of that art as well as of the traditions from which that art may claim or feign to distance itself. In no other arena of art, perhaps, do violation and restitution lie so close to each other."

Her work questions the relationship between humans and animals and the long thought notion that people are superior to other species. She uses a process she calls "de-taxidermy" to communicate her animal activism in shocking and sometimes gruesome artwork.

Visiting Artist Lecture: Fred Fenster 10-22-09

Fred Fenster is a metal worker who primarily uses pewter and sometimes other ferrous metals to make artistic household containers. He makes teapots, cups, salt/pepper shakers, etc and he does it in NO TIME! When he showed a slide of one of his teapots and said, "I did this in about two days" I was floored. Of course he has way more experience in metal working than me AND pewter is much softer than the non-ferrous metals we are using in the beginning jewelry class.

He was extremely interesting to listen to as he lectured mostly on technique. He explained how he made almost every piece. Ex: "I fused a cone to a cylinder and dropped a cup in for the shape... I used a scratcher to weaken these points so they collapse under pressure..." He also explained the different between soldering and fusing. Fusing one end of a sheet of pewter to another followed by a little hammering results in a seamless mixture of of pewter and THUS a hollow form is made!

Fenster also engaged us with his "heavy rim theory." His theory (which he instilled throughout the lecture) brings attention to the edges of a piece and frames the rest of your detail.

I was especially intrigued to learn about the properties of pewter. Unlike the metals we use in the beginning jewelry class, pewter has a melting point of 465 degrees. The metals we use have a melting point near 1200. Because of this low melting point, the torch used to fuse pewter is much smaller. Pewter is also a poor conductor of heat so you could be holding one side of your piece WHILE you are fusing the other side and not have to worry about getting burned. It is much more malleable than copper, brass, or silver. On the downside, pewter is a contaminant to other non-ferrous metals. The smallest fleck of pewter powder on your amazingly crafted copper or brass piece can eat a hole right through the metal when heated. The lower melting temperature causes a chain of chemical reactions that will continue to happen whenever heated unless the pewter is cut, filed, or scratched out!

Fred Fenster is conducting a two day pewter workshop at VCU today and tomorrow.

10-21-09 Idea Post

Taxidermy [wikipedia]
Taxidermy (from the Greek for classifying skins) is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display (e.g. as hunting trophies) or for other sources of study.

Rogue Taxidermy [wikipedia]
Rogue taxidermy is the creation of stuffed animals which do not have real, live counterparts. Many taxidermist do not consider this true taxidermy. They may represent unrealistic hybrids such as the jackalope and the skvader, extinct species, mythical creatures such as dragons, chimeras, griffins, unicorns or mermaids, or may be entirely of the maker's imagination. Some are made from parts of more than one kind of animal, or they may be artificially created. Rogue taxidermy is often seen in sideshows and dime museums among genuine freak animals.

The term "Rogue Taxidermy" was introduced by the Minneapolis, MN based group, The Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists (or M.A.R.T.)[1] in October of 2004. It was first coined by M.A.R.T. founders Sarina Brewer, Scott Bibus, and Robert Marbury. The term first appeared in print in a New York Times article about the group's debut exhibition on January 3rd, 2005. [2] Since that time its definition has become more general, referring to many types of taxidermy that do not fall under the trade of it.

Art taxidermists such as David Blyth and Polly Morgan use taxidermy to create art either as its sole content or as part of an installation.

Anthropomorphic Taxidermy [wikipedia]
Anthropomorphic taxidermy is where stuffed animals are dressed as people or displayed as if engaged in human activities. This style was popular in Victorian and Edwardian times but can still be found today.

Another website that has quite a bit of information on taxidermy is ravishingbeasts.com.

"Ancient techniques for preserving entire or parts of animals and humans were secret arts, frequently associated with religious ceremonies and mystical rites. Protecting the dead from decay was variously understood as a means of easing the transition of the spirit between this world and the next, harnessing supernatural forces, or accessing knowledge of the natural and supernatural worlds. Preserved body parts were links to the after world and were appropriately revered as symbols of strength and worldly representations of unworldly powers."

For example, early Christian tradition revered relics of the deceased. Body fragments of saints were displayed in churches as relics and were believe to hold the power to heal and relieve suffering. They also frequently hung preserved 'exotic items' from the rafters of their churches to evoke awe at God's variety of creations. In 1260 a crocodile was hung in the Cathedral of Seville later called the Portal of the Lizard (the doorway to the cloister of the cathedral).

Cathedral of Seville >>>
Notice preserved crocodile and elephant tusk

Ancient Egyptians also practiced animal and human preservation through mummification. For more information see the earlier blog post concerning mummification.

The flourishing spice trade in early modernizing Europe also found uses for animal preservation. While accruing spices, merchants also returned home with exotic specimens which were then purchased by curious people and apothecaries. The dried animal parts (including mummies) were often used in their preparations. Pictured below is a 19th century preserved flying fish.



I am also interested in the modern use of taxidermy in modern home decor. It may not be pictured in the everyday Home and Gardens magazine, but its beginning to appear more frequently in the ultramodern trendy photographs of interior design. Why is this? Perhaps it is society's attempt to break away from the industrialization of home decor and the longing for individuality. It's something that has intrigued me for as long as I can remember anything.

10-18-09 Artist Post

I do believe I have stumbled upon this artist several semesters ago, but I have found her website once again. It interests me in several new ways particularly that a lot of her work is jewelry. I am currently taking a beginner jewelry class this semester and I'm planning on taking surface design next semester. Her name is Julia DeVille.

http://www.discemori.com/

Also a taxidermist, much of her jewelry incorporates animal parts. I would describe her work as steampunk taxidermy/Victorian goth jewelry. Quite interesting.


Fascinated by death at an early age, she enrolled in an Advanced Diploma in Gold and Silversmithing at NMIT in 2003 where she knew jewelry was the perfect medium to express her mortal concerns and views of death. Jewelry has always played in important roll in the adornment of the dead. They have been found in tombs and resurfaced graves throughout the world! Certain cultures and peoples (pirates for instance) wore jewelry so that after they died the jewelry could provide gold for an acceptable burial.

Julia's quote concerning death is absolutely what concerns me and my art.

"Death is a taboo subject. We're so obsessed with looking young [and] finding ways to prolong life. We need to remember that every day is important. Life is important. I want to inspire people to contemplate their own mortality in a positive way. I'm not a morbid person, but I'm not afraid of acknowledging that I'm mortal."

She says her jewelry is inspired by "the Memento Morie jewelry of the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries of Victorian Mourning jewelry." She is interested in the acceptance of death of these periods.

It is strange to think death was more readily accepted those days than today. Today medicine and technology prolong life. Everything is ANTIDEATH. People live longer than they used to and science is constantly pushing the limit. Our culture is so concerned with the future and is literally run by time. Our connection and interaction with the natural world and its order is fading. This transition has increased rapidly with more recent inventions of cameras, advancements in TV and movies, the internet, medicine, and instant communication. Communion with nature is far and few in between though I think one natural question lingers in the back of everyone's mind. Death?

WOW... I think I may have just written part of my artist statement in that last paragraph. It's so relieving I almost feel like crying! Take a look at Julia's other work: