TaxiderME

Stuff Yourself

New York City restaurants have become c-r-a-z-y for taxidermy. Freemans led the pack, but now it seems new taxidermy-inspired eating establishments are popping up like deer in mating season, providing a hunting lodge atmosphere in which the stuffed watch real-time stuffing. Great concept, really.

However, we here at TaxiderMe have taken it upon ourselves to investigate the quality of these beautiful beasts that are being mounted in every corner of our fine city. We believe quality control is a crucial aspect of promoting the taxidermy community. Amateur taxidermists don't do anyone a favor - especially patrons dining under a less-than-professional bust, who may find one too many antlers plopping into their stew.

Please help us police sloppy taxidermy in NYC restaurants. The time for taxidermy is NOW, but the time for careless taxidermy is never.

Send all quality control reports and citations to TaxiderMe@gmail.com.

Don't Die - Freeze-Dry!

The 2007 World Taxidermy Championships are now sadly behind us. While the highlights number too many to mention, we would like to tip our TaxiderMe hats to Ms. Roxanne Civitts of McVeytown, PA, for her spectacular opposum entry - the deserving winner of the "Best Freeze-Dry Entry."

What's Freeze-Drying?: For those of you who are not familiar with the freeze-drying technique, it is a method of preservation that removes liquid from the frozen animal through the use of a freeze-dryer vacuum. While remaining frozen, the object is able to retain its shape. This process is frequently performed on pets, as you can preserve your lap dog, for instance, in the same position that he sat on your lap while he was alive.
This is one of our favorite preservation methods. Many clients have told us that people visit their homes and say, "I thought your cat died?" to which they answer, "He did, but now he's freeze-dried!" That's a great feeling.

Taxidermy Tales

The TaxiderMe team continues to marvel at the unexpected urban nooks and crannies that are crawling with closet taxidermy enthusiasts. On a recent NYC outing, we happened upon a fine young gentleman, who later sent us this vivid description of his experiences with the art of stuffing:

...from a book by liz jensen called ark baby that i've been reading: "...animal kingdom collection, which would contain a stuffed example of every living creature in the world, clad in human clothes and depicting pious scenes." taxidermy is all

around us, apparently. t

he arrangement of the skin, greek origins. jokes of the mortal. immortality for the skin deep.

my childhood playmate's father was an african big game hunter and had a den decor de his prey. hairy stools of thick elephant legs. thick dusty yellowhite polar bear rugs con cabeza. pincher toothed wild boar wall fenestrations. zebra. lion. hyena. python. this was the setting of our games as boys. tie slip knot with 2-lb fishing line around 1/headless bobcat's left incisor. taut to peacock claw 5 meters across the room at -12 degree decline. hook robin's, the boy wonder's, plastic seamed hand to line. ready nylon canary cape for wind wave. release. snake hiss. repeat 3x. satisfaction guaranteed.

One of his companions sent us these photographic representations of some experimental taxidermy play by Australian artist Patricia Piccinini (see above images).

Fellow taxi aficionados, thanks for the stories and tips - and keep them coming....

In Someone Else's Skin

Here's some taxidermy with a twist! California artist Glenn Kaino creates one species of animal out of the skin of a different species. The photo at left, for example, shows a salmon made from shark skin. The installation, titled Graft, was on display at the Asia Society and Museum in New York this past fall. The dermigirls are sooo disappointed to have missed it!

Saint Blaise, Hear Our Prayers!

We all need a little watching over, so I think it's high-time we start making a formal appeal to the (unofficial) patron saint of taxidermy, Saint Blaise (he's the official patron saint of wild animals, which would logically extend to dead, stuffed wild animals).

Here's some background info on our brave heavenly friend:

Blaise was the Bishop of Sebastea when the persecutions of the Governor of Armenia intensified. The bishop decided to hide for a period of time from the persecutions and certain martyrdom. The place where he hid was said to be a cave that also housed several wild animals that he then cared for in turn for sharing their shelter. Soon enough, his hiding place was discovered. On his way to his trail before the governor, Blaise was approached by a woman that asked for help because a wolf had stolen her pig; Blaise was said to have convinced the wolf to return the pig unharmed. The governor's sentence to Blaise was a slow death - starvation; but the grateful woman whose pig Blaise saved hid food and brought it to him to sustain him through the torture. While under arrest, another woman rushed a son who was choking to death on a fish bone to the future saint; Blaise helped to remove the bone and the boy lived. Learning that Blaise had not perished from the starvation order, the Governor of Armenia had Saint Blaise skinned alive and then beheaded.

And so it was that Saint Blaise's corpse came to resemble the wild animals to which he appealed and which nourished him in his time of need. Bless the animals. Bless Blaise. And please, Taxiderme Gods, bless all those who stuff.

Vivat le Taxidermie Francais!

French taxidermy is alive and rich in the heart of Paris! I recently visited this animal-crazed land and fell in love with their impressive commitment to all things zoologique...

Our new taxidermy Mecca is Deyrolle in Paris. Visit their site to see the "stuff" that taxidermy dreams are made of....

Also, Bettinna Rheims' photography series, "Animal," (exhibited at Deyrolle) is exquisite. Our new taxi dream-team: Betinna Rheims photographing Polly Morgan's masterpieces. Ahhhh...........Vivat natures mortes!

Gastronomy + Taxidermy = Freeman's

Dermigirl recently celebrated a birthday, and what better place to host the event than Freeman's, a restaurant on the Lower East Side that serves fantastic food in taxi-heaven surroundings:

Bird trophies behind the bar