According to Freud, the "uncanny" is "the class of frightening things that lead us back to the known and familiar." Taxidermy is a perfect example of the uncanny -- it appears alive, but is dead; it is familiar, yet completely unfamiliar. We want to touch it, but we are utterly repulsed...
I have always had a sincere admiration for people with very unusual and particular skills that takes years of practice and devotion to perfect: the profession of taxidermist definitely falls under that category. I recently discovered taxidermist
Melissa Dixson's shop on Etsy...then her
website...then her
blog. Now I have an undeniable fascination with her work, albeit a somewhat uncomfortable one.
Interestingly, Dixson views her work as the ultimate form of re-cycling. She uses only furs that have come from licensed trappers and hunters {who help aid in population control and disease-prevention}. She is active in wildlife preservation and very much considers herself an animal lover.
Her work is oddly sweet -- she creates full-size taxidermy, using animals such as foxes, wolves, coyotes, and deer. She also makes dainty decorative items out of horns and tails.
I think Freud was right -- as an animal lover myself, I find something endearing and attractive about taxidermy, but it is this very affection for animals that also makes me want to instinctively take a step back out of fear. Why is it often the things that make us feel a bit conflicted that are the most intriguing??
::What are your thoughts on taxidermy and animal re-cycling??
