Taxidermy may seem creepy and morbid to most people but taxidermist Nicola Jayne Hebson’s stuffed animal creations possess an unusual liveliness not commonly seen in typical figures.
The self-taught 23-year-old uses only roadkill and deceased pets, often clothing and arranging them into poetic scenes that have a surrealness and poignancy about them. A rat is depicted laying a loved one to rest, while another rat appears to be getting its fortune told by a squirrel. With their life-like appearances and poses it is easy to forget that the animals are in fact dead.
By reanimating once-living creatures, Hebson’s work can be read as a metaphor about the desire to be remembered after death. On a more political level, she hopes to encourage debate and highlight the double standards society harbors regarding the killing and harvesting of certain animals for food, trade, and science, and the classification of others as pets.
Check out some of her creations below and view more at her Facebook page.
[via Beautiful Decay, BUST and VICE, images via Nicola Jayne Hebson]