Sideshow Hoaxes and Artistic Freaks
A
Creepy Collection of Rogue Taxidermy
Besides preserving wild animals as
hunting trophies and
museum exhibits, taxidermy has another face that
lies in sideshow monsters and hoaxes, like P. T.
Barnum’s famed “Feejee mermaid” of the 1840s.
Assembled from the parts of assorted animals, such
literally incredible creatures were called “gaffs”
because they served to hook the public to “come on
in” to see what was on the inside of the carnival
tent. These days the concept of the gaff has been
turned into an art form, “rogue taxidermy,” a term
coined in 2004 by the founders of the
Minnesota Association of
Rogue Taxidermists (MART)
Next to the jackalope,
probably the most classic “gaff” is the fur bearing
trout. Osaka, Japan, born artist
Takeshi Yamada
came to America, saw Coney Island, and knew the kind
of art he wanted to make, like this great “Canadian
Hairy Trout.”
“Canadian Hairy
Trout”—Photo courtesy of
Takeshi Yamada
© 2009
Pieces
of art like these inevitably raise questions about
the meaning of taxidermy. Hunters view a mounted
head as a memorial and an honor to an animal they
ethically hunted and to the hunt itself, and some
hunters may be offended by the way these mounted
heads in this gallery have been manipulated and
altered. But while many of the rogue taxidermists
see the mounts they do as simply works of art, or
perhaps visual humor, there are others who solemnly
view them as critical comments on hunting, the
relationships of humans and animals, and what they
consider animal cruelty -
click here for the rest of
the story.
It’s a peaceable kingdom for “Fox and Bear”
in the world of rogue taxidermy. “Carousel”—Photo
courtesy of Gordon Wilding © 2009,
www.gordonwilding.com
Sideshow Hoaxes and Artistic Freaks: A Creepy
Collection of Rogue Taxidermy
Article
from Field and Stream October 2009
