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.