Faux Taxidermy

Welcome! This is an invitation into the thoughts and reflections that have resulted from a few years of snapping photos of fake taxidermy as I go about my daily life. I define fake or faux taxidermy as any objects that deliberately mimic real taxidermy for decorative purposes. They can be found in boutiques, restaurants, cafes, homes or bars and are often fabricated from materials such as plastic, ceramic, wood, or cardboard. My journey with fake taxidermy began in 2016 when I was living in Amsterdam, NL. Unlike New York City, where I currently reside, my commute took place above ground, with bike paths weaving me through tiny streets lined with shops, cafes and apartments. Luckily for me, it is a common practice in the Netherlands to leave curtains open 24/7, displaying belongings in front windows so that passers-by can “accidentally” stumble upon them. Some Dutch people say that this is because they have nothing to hide while others blame historic Protestant ridicule of outright boasting. Just as the artistic practice of perspectivism provided glimpses of the grapes, lobsters and skulls owned by renaissance portrait commissioners, the cultural practice of biking transport provided me with stories about the objects living within the homes I passed. So this U.S. American voyeur made sure to ride slowly, in order to lap up all the information I could during my four years as a cycling expat. 

​As I grow exceedingly anxious about the accumulating examples of faux taxidermy floating around my photo library, I present this map to you as someone committed to animal welfare. Perhaps you too are familiar with the weighty presence of inanimate animals in various parts of your life, the ceramic elephant in the room, so to speak. I hope that navigating the map mimics the ways in which we collide with animal representations in urban contexts but also provides a space for lighthearted reflection. I know that my meetings with faux taxidermy have come in a continuous and unpredictable stream, with each encounter piquing my curiosity and bestowing a new story that allows me to “stay with the trouble.”

If there is such a thing as an archival protest, I would want this to be part of it. Given the colonial tradition of natural history museums, I guess I’m not surprised vendors are selling a product that maintains these traditions. “Here! You can have a prized, dead elephant head on your wall without even having to do the work of killing it!” It’s like buying jeans that have been pre-ripped and worn as a way of life.

Please explore the map however you'd like, going through the points chronologically or exploring randomly.

Do you have any fake taxidermy in your home or workplace? Maybe after reading this you will see one at a cafe or bar. Send me your pictures via email at hallie.abelman5@gmail.com and I will upload them to the map with credit!

About the Author

​Hallie is an eco-performance artist committed to intersectional environmental justice and critical approaches to animal-centric representations in popular culture. She is an M.A. Candidate in the NYU Tisch Performance Studies department. For more visit her website:  https://ecoterror.hotglue.me  or instagram:  @speciespieces 

A note about the Map

While many of the points on the map align with the places the author took the photo, some points have been wedded to place artificially to add diversity or to refer to the text as opposed to the photo.

Works Cited

• Gloor, Peter, and Scott M. Cooper. “Chapter 1: Why ‘Cool’ Matters.” Coolhunting: Chasing Down the Next Big Thing, AMACOM, 2007, pp. 5–17
• Katcher, Joshua (a) "Fashion Animals." Lecture, The Animal Turn in Literature, Theory, and Cultural Practice, NYU, New York City, April 11, 2019.
• Poliquin, Rachel. “Reclaimed Taxidermy.” The Breathless Zoo: Taxidermy and the Cultures of Longing. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2012, pp. 147
• Katcher, Joshua (a) "Fashion Animals." Lecture, The Animal Turn in Literature, Theory, and Cultural Practice, NYU, New York City, April 11, 2019.
• Embuscado, Rain. “8 Homes with Fabulous (And Faux!) Taxidermy.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 7 Dec. 2017,  www.huffpost.com/entry/faux-taxidermy-decor_n_3245609 .
• Philpott, Tom, et al. “Your Almond Habit Is Sucking California Dry.” Mother Jones, 24 June 2017, www.motherjones.com/food/2014/07/your-almond-habit-sucking- califoirnia-dry/.
• Starostinetskaya , Anna. “Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Richard Branson Lead $90 Million Investment to Create Next Vegan Impossible Burger .” VegNews.com, 26 Feb. 2019, www. vegnews.com/2019/2/jeff-bezos-bill-gates-and-richard-branson-lead-90-million-investment-to-create-next-vegan-impossible-burger.
• Turner, Alexis. Taxidermy. Thames & Hudson Ltd., 2013, pp. 174-175
• Adams, Carol J. “Chapter 2: The Rape of Animals, the Butchering of Women.” The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory, The Continuum Publishing Company, 1991, pp. 39–62.
• ibid.
• Katcher, Joshua (b). Fashion Animals. Danvers: Vegan Publishers, 2019, pp. 41.
• Poliquin, Rachel. “Reclaimed Taxidermy.” The Breathless Zoo: Taxidermy and the Cultures of Longing. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2012, pp. 164
• McArthur, Jo-Anne. “Untitled.” We Animals,  www.weanimals.org/gallery.php?id=27#ph3 .
• Desmond, Jane. Displaying Death and Animating Life: Human-Animal Relations in Art, Science, and Everyday Life. The University of Chicago Press, 2016, pp. 30-31
• Poliquin, Rachel. “Reclaimed Taxidermy.” The Breathless Zoo: Taxidermy and the Cultures of Longing. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2012, p. 164
• ibid, p. 165
• ibid.
• Marbury, Robert. Taxidermy Art: A Rogue's Guide to the Work, the Culture, and How to Do It Yourself. Artisan, 2014.