For some, taxidermy is a practice about art, science and a love of wildlife
There is something supremely uncanny about taxidermy: the hyperrealism of its representation makes the inanimate seem animate, and – for some – uncomfortably real. That sense of eerie realness is the exact quality that makes for a superior piece of taxidermy – the kind that wins awards at the World Taxidermy Championships. Nicole Triche’s short documentary provides a balanced look at an uncommon profession, addressing the relationship between taxidermists, animals and nature, and the practitioners’ struggles to be taken seriously as artists.
Director: Nicole Triche
videoArchitecture
Steep climbs lead to sacred spaces carved high into the cliffs of Ethiopia
9 minutes
videoHistory of science
Insect aesthetics – long viewed as pests, in the 16th century bugs became beautiful
8 minutes
videoNature and landscape
After independence, Mexico was in search of identity. These paintings offered a blueprint
15 minutes
videoArt
A young Rockefeller collects art on a fateful journey to New Guinea
7 minutes
videoArchitecture
A lush tour of Fallingwater – the Frank Lloyd Wright design that changed architecture
14 minutes
videoArt
Defying classification, fantastical artworks reframe the racism of Carl Linnaeus
8 minutes
videoFilm and visual culture
Space and time expand, contract and combust in this propulsive animation
5 minutes
videoNature and landscape
‘A culture is no better than its woods’ – what our trees reveal about us, by W H Auden
5 minutes
videoArchitecture
A 3D rendering of the Colosseum captures its architectural genius and symbolic power
17 minutes