Puffin
Kittiwake
Curlew
Common Scotter
Arctic skua
Felbrigg Hall, Norfolk
Having worked on museum specimens in what taxidermists call the ‘skin’ position, I wanted to look more closely at their character and in 2017 began drawing the Red List in the Bird gallery at Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk.
Giving these birds equal status to the grand portraits of the previous occupants of the house seemed a fitting recognition of their importance in our world. Sitting amongst the stuffed specimens in the early morning silence of the gallery, before the arrival of visitors, gave me the chance to think about the abundance of birds in the Victorian era and the ignorant desire to triumph over nature.
The taxidermist Thomas Gunn of Norwich was one of the most celebrated in Britain and ‘brought these birds to life‘ for his patrons. The century old birds have slowly changed over the years of encasement, nibbled by moths and losing their feathers, but they still retain a powerful presence and allow reflection on their ‘place to be ‘ In the present world.
“ The physical presence of the dead world, like Egyptian ‘mummies’ should ensure that the living make wiser decisions- not only for themselves but for those not yet born. The spirit is there, the heir to knowledge.”
(Living with gods The British Museum 2017 )
Having worked on museum specimens in what taxidermists call the ‘skin’ position, I wanted to look more closely at their character and in 2017 began drawing the Red List in the Bird gallery at Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk.
Giving these birds equal status to the grand portraits of the previous occupants of the house seemed a fitting recognition of their importance in our world. Sitting amongst the stuffed specimens in the early morning silence of the gallery, before the arrival of visitors, gave me the chance to think about the abundance of birds in the Victorian era and the ignorant desire to triumph over nature.
The taxidermist Thomas Gunn of Norwich was one of the most celebrated in Britain and ‘brought these birds to life‘ for his patrons. The century old birds have slowly changed over the years of encasement, nibbled by moths and losing their feathers, but they still retain a powerful presence and allow reflection on their ‘place to be ‘ In the present world.
“ The physical presence of the dead world, like Egyptian ‘mummies’ should ensure that the living make wiser decisions- not only for themselves but for those not yet born. The spirit is there, the heir to knowledge.”
(Living with gods The British Museum 2017 )