This series of images was my exploration into the human obsession of preserving life. I felt the photographic practice would lend itself to adding a painterly quality to the subject matter, especially with the careful selection of film type used. The main focus of the series is on Natural History displays and taxidermists. Stuffed animals used to be one of the main ways people would be able to see foreign species outside of a zoo. Taxidermy shot into the public eye during the Victorian times when the technique was perfected and stuffed animals became a key feature of interior design. Most modern taxidermy falls into three categories, trophy, scientific and artistic. My personal interests lie in the scientific side of taxidermy as it is considered to be a reputable way of presenting a specimen but yet most are posed by people who would never have seen the creature in the wild. It is this pseudo-science I look to explore within this series of photographic work.
A large portion of the images were taken at Bristol City Museum which has a prominent natural history section and the presentation of these specimens is unmatched throughout most of Great Britain. Some of the images from this series of work have been published alongside letters from Alfred Wallace known for conceiving the theory of evolution through natural selection.
