Artist 33
Harriet Horton Taxidermy
Harriet Horton is a London-based sculpture artist specializing in taxidermy. Tired of its traditional presentation, the largely self-taught practitioner juxtaposes taxidermy creatures with bars of neon light, giving the ancient craft a contemporary and playful twist.
This rejection of traditional taxidermy methods has Horton finding herself at odds with the unethical and overtly masculine culture of trophy hunting. Horton decided to take her work in an entirely new direction.
Her work takes the form of an immersive installation exploring the concept of dreaming animals, at which visitors will be able to experience her pieces to the accompaniment of a soundtracks.
Combining ethical practices and contemporary neon lighting with old-school taxidermy techniques, Horton's intrinsically feminine sculptures are unlike anything that we've seen before.
Instead of the stagnant trophies that we've become accustomed to, the subjects of Horton's works are often overlooked.
"The more exotic, attention seeking specimens don't appeal to me." She explains. "Most people don't give sparrows or magpies a second glance, but it's more testing to create a dramatic piece of work from something unassuming."
By assembling her sculptures from the mundane fragments of the surrounding natural world, Horton subverts the masculinity of the medium and forces a more conscious interaction between subject and viewer.
Horton believes that being queer is central to her thought-process, giving her the power to be confident in her decisions. "When you don't follow a pre-existing heteronormative path, there are so many obstacles which force you to think differently and creatively."
I love the dreamlike state of the pieces. It takes my breath away
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